Futures and Policy Manager

About ForgeFront   ForgeFront is a small team of experienced futures, policy and strategy advisers led by Sam Douglas-Bate and Gavin Moore. The company grew out of the Cabinet Office’s Priority Project’s Unit (PPU), an internal team dealing with the UK Government’s most important policy and project challenges. Gavin and Sam have deep experience working on areas related to international relations, the environment, trade and manufacturing, crypto, and the charitable sector. We have worked for the UK Government, the European Union and international governments.  The primary focus of ForgeFront is futures and policy work. Our 'USP' is linking futures thinking to tangible public policy delivery. As part of this we are a supplier to the UK Government through the Futures Procurement Framework, a closed list of trusted partners of government. We are also on a framework for research and innovation. We are members of the Association of Professional Futurists, the Global Futures Society and have many close links with colleagues and institutions across the world. We also have a strong partnership with the American company Good Judgment Inc – founded by Professor Philip Tetlock, author of Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction .  We have developed a bespoke methodology called 'future.ctrl' which allows our clients to identify future scenarios, threats and opportunities and then design, implement and track policies and strategies to deliver desired outcomes. ForgeFront is a deliberately small business with a flat structure and entrepreneurial mindset. We love embracing uncertainty, being curious and thinking deeply about our clients’ needs.  Why we need someone   We are in the fortunate position that our work has more demand than we can meet as two directors, we are therefore hiring two new positions in 2024: (i) a futures and policy executive and (ii) a futures and policy manager. These are exciting opportunities to be one of the first founding members of our team. You will need to love all the challenges and freedoms that creating a new business can bring. Who we are looking for   People working in our sector tend to bring their own unique skills, experience and background to the role. We inhabit a very specific industry where there is no rigid career path. There is therefore no ‘one-size-fits-all' futures and foresight professional. If you’re on the fence about whether you would be right, don’t worry .... apply!  The role With the committed support of Gavin and Sam, you will be acting as the conduit between ForgeFront and our existing clients. You will be awesome at forming brilliant relationships with those we work with. It’s a role at the beating heart of our new company.  Important ones, but not game-changers  

• Professional experience working with policy and/or futures and foresight. We don’t mind the context or sector. 
• Front footed and a proactive ‘go getting’ attitude. 
• Calmness under pressure, able to take a step back at frenetic moments and reevaluate. 
• Ability to speak uncomfortable truths to those we work with.
• Giving constructive challenge to Sam and Gavin. 
• Entrepreneurial mindset with an eagerness to build something new and exciting.
• Comfortable at delegating, both upwards and downwards. Knowing when ‘good enough is good enough’. 

Very nice-to-haves  

• Experience delivering awesome presentations to seniors, cutting through the noise and distilling complex information into recommendations. 
• Previous work speaking directly to ministers, senior civil servants, C-suite executives and/or company boards. 
• Knowledge of public and private sector procurement. 
• Solid data understanding and analytical mindset. Qualitative and quantitative research experience.
• Track-record of doing important HR-y stuff: from implementing a wellbeing agenda, to fun away days, to an employee benefits package. 

  The sort of mindset we are looking for   We like working with people who are cautious, humble and non-deterministic. The best in our profession are open-minded about the future and love updating their views when new data or evidence emerges. We think it’s important to be pragmatic, proportional and thoughtful at work.  Other info  

• £35k per annum, plus a generous new business incentive bonus.
• We love flexible working and hope you do too! Work the hours that suit you, provided it’s 35 per week. 
• Work from where you want. We are 95% remote at the moment, but we like to meet up from time to time (usually in London). 
• We occasionally need to visit clients both in the UK and abroad. 
• 25 days annual leave per year (+ bank holidays and birthdays), with an additional two days added in your second year. 
• While we have no doubt it’ll work, each role will have a probation period. 

Application process   We will be running the recruitment in three stages. 

• Stage 1 : nothing fancy, please send a CV and covering letter, outlining why you would be a match for the role, to info@forgefront.co.uk. Please include your name and the job title in the subject heading. 
• We know how it is with some bigger companies. While we can't promise detailed feedback to each and every person during Stage 1, we will be in touch with you all after the deadline to let you know the outcome. 
• Deadline: Friday 31 May 2024 

• Stage 2 (June 2024): a foresight and forecasting task. Don’t worry! We’ll explain more when the time comes. 
• Stage 3 (July 2024): final relaxed interview with Gavin and Sam. 

We think the whole process should take about 2 months, so we would love you to start with us in Q3 2024.