Foresight Researcher (12 Months Maternity Leave Cover) MOJ Science Office, Analysis Directorate (Ref: 1332)

Job description for SEO Foresight Researcher , MOJ Science OfficeJob Title: Foresight Researcher/Strategist (SEO)Department: Futures, Insights, and Emerging Technology Team, The Science Office, Ministry of JusticeLocation: NationalContract: FTC 12 months (maternity cover), full-timeSalary: As detailed in job advert. Dependent on base location if London or National pay will apply. Remote working: Hybrid working model Level of clearance: BPSSAbout the MOJ Science OfficeThe Ministry of Justice Science Office is dedicated to embedding scientific rigour at the core of decision-making, strengthening the departments overall science capability, and driving impactful, evidence-based policy. As part of the Analysis Directorate within the Performance, Strategy, and Analysis group, the Science Office consists of three specialised sub-teams: Science Delivery, Research, Relationships & Commissioning, and Futures, Insights & Emerging Technology.Post-holders will support a range of strategic functions, including shaping and coordinating policy or strategy, supporting senior colleagues with delivery of their priorities, and planning and delivering pilots and projects. Post-holders will work with policy and analysis teams across HMPPS, MOJ, other government departments, devolved administrations and delivery partners to deliver a compelling vision and outcomes that meet the Departments ambitions on science. As a close-knit team, the Science Office operates with flexibility to meet departmental needs. While your primary focus will be in the Science Delivery team, youll also have occasional opportunities to work alongside colleagues in the other sub-teams, gaining exposure to diverse areas such as research commissioning and emerging technology, depending on organisational priorities and demand. This collaborative approach enables a dynamic work environment where scientific expertise directly supports and influences real-world justice outcomesAbout the Role:Are you passionate about untangling the uncertainties of tomorrow and discovering insights that can redefine government strategy? Do you thrive at the dynamic intersection of science, technology, and strategic foresight?The Ministry of Justice Science Office is searching for an inquisitive and proactive Foresight Researcher/Strategist to join our small but mighty Futures, Insights, and Emerging Technology team.In this role, youll be a cornerstone in our efforts to anticipate future challenges, evaluate the potential of emerging technologies, and identify breakthrough opportunities for innovation. Your work will directly contribute to strengthening the security and resilience of the justice system, empowering it to adapt and excel in an increasingly complex world.What youll do: Scientific perspective: Design, lead and apply a science and evidence-based approach to inform justice system policies and strategies. Foresight Research: Conduct in-depth research and analysis on future risks, trends, societal shifts, and emerging technologies that have the potential to impact the delivery of HMPPS/MOJ strategic priorities. This will require mobilising the breadth of knowledge generated within the agency as well as external academic, scientific or private sources. This will also entail design and development of foresight models, consistently exploring and identifying new research methodologies, applying quantitative and qualitative data and insight analysis methods. Generate Insight: Identify key insights from complex data and trends to shape evidence-based recommendations for the Ministrys strategic priorities. Design Strategic Scenarios: Create future scenarios based on foresight findings to inform strategic planning and policy development within the justice system. Engage Stakeholders: Collaborate with internal and external science, research and industry stakeholders across the justice sector, academia, and technology fields to gather diverse perspectives and enhance foresight initiatives through workshops, hacks and other engagement sessions. Consistently build relationships and partnerships in order to operationalise Futures Thinking and scientific methodologies as a regular practice in the departments culture, ensure they are supported through necessary channels to incubate new ideas and apply new methodologies. Explore Emerging Technology: Evaluate the potential impact of emerging technologies on the Ministry's operations, policies, and justice outcomes, ensuring foresight work is grounded in practical, real-world applications. Communicate Insightfully: Rapidly distil complex ideas and scenarios into clear, visually engaging, compelling reports, briefings, and presentations for both technical and non-technical audiences and senior stakeholders. Innovate with Tech: identify and shape new product and service ideas for the justice system based on emerging technology findings that could be taken into R&D Engage in Full Project Lifecycle: Work across the innovation and project development lifecycle, from identification of customers and engagement of stakeholders to the development and delivery of innovative interventions designed to improve or transform the justice system via new technology Design and Prepare to Prototype/pilot Technology Concepts: create new product or service ideas based on strategic findings, develop concept propositions with a convincing case for change to be taken into pilots Person Specification: Analytical Mindset: You have a knack for recognising patterns, assessing complex information, and extracting actionable insights. Innovative Thinking: Youre comfortable with ambiguity and are driven by curiosity about what lies ahead to create new ideas/solutions. Strong Communication Skills: You can translate insights and foresight into clear, actionable strategies for a wide range of stakeholders. Eye for Design: You can translate your ideas into visual, compelling and engaging media (presentations, visuals, storyboards) with ease Tech and Research Enthusiast: You are consistently curious about new technologies and the role they must play in industry innovation. Youre constantly hungry for knowledge and are just as curious about the research topics as the ways/methods to uncover the insights. Collaborative: You enjoy working in a team setting and bring strong interpersonal skills to engage and collaborate effectively.Essential Experience: Proven experience in foresight, futures research, or strategic planning in a government, academic, private company or consultancy environment. Background in fields such as engineering, innovation, public policy, social sciences, technology research, service design, product management, research and development, digital transformation or related areas. Experience of working across full life cycle of a project: from early research and strategy formulation to prototyping proposals and emerging technology solutionsEssential skills:SKILL SUB-SKILL THAT MEANSGathering data and information Foresight methodologies You are well-versed in various foresight methodologies, such as scenario planning, trend analysis, horizon scanning, PESTLE, and systems thinking.You know how to apply these methodologies effectively to collect relevant and diverse data that informs the exploration of potential future scenarios and how to adapt them in different contexts. Research quality You can identify reliable data sources, collect both qualitative and quantitative data, and ensure that the data gathered is accurate, up-to-date, and relevant to the research objectives. Qualitative / user research You are knowledgeable and can choose the right qualitative foresight methods to gather the information and design the entire research framework.You are experienced in conducting interviews, running focus groups, surveys, and observational studies to gain insights from experts and users. Quantitative research You are proficient in quantitative research techniques, such as surveys, experiments, statistical analysis, and data modelling, to analyse numerical data and derive insights.Synthesising data and information into insights Analytical skills and strategic insight You have strong analytical skills to process and make sense of complex data sets and qualitative information.You can identify patterns, trends, signals and critical drivers of change to develop strategic insights that inform decision-making processes. Innovation and creativity You can think creatively and imaginatively, exploring alternative scenarios and potential disruptors to develop novel insights about the future. Collaboration and teamwork You can collaborate effectively within a diverse team to collect necessary data.You are skilled at engaging, capturing and integrating inputs from various experts and stakeholders, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages sharing of ideas and knowledge.Communicating insights and presenting the findings Storytelling and Building Insight Narratives You can translate complex data and foresight insights into compelling stories and narratives. You know how to weave together diverse data points into a cohesive and engaging storyline that resonates with stakeholders and decision-makers. Visualising data and creating visual presentations You are proficient in using various data visualisation and presentation software to create charts, graphs, infographics and communication decks or other media that facilitate understanding and communication. Your presentations are consistently visually captivating and help present complex ideas with ease. Engaging stakeholders and workshop facilitation You can design and actively engage stakeholders in creative workshops, presentations, and discussions. You can facilitate meaningful conversations and solicit feedback to ensure that foresight insights are well-received and ...