About Public First, a SHGH Group Company

Public First is a specialist consultancy that helps charities, philanthropists, public sector bodies and global brands to improve public policy. Based in London, we have worked in more than thirty international markets.

We are part think tank, part strategic consultancy, part research company, and part communications agency. In practice, we bring together the disciplines that make policy change happen: research and analysis, political insight, strategy and communications.

Our team includes former senior civil servants, political advisers, campaigners, researchers and journalists. Many of us have worked at the most senior levels of government, Parliament and political campaigns, and we continue to be active across the political spectrum.

Public First is part of SHGH, a Group of cross-border advisory firms, guiding clients through an unprecedented period of change in policy, politics, regulation, and sustainable growth.

Tech, Media & Telecoms

Working in the Tech, Media & Telecoms Practice, you’ll help to deliver policy, campaigns and impact projects. You will deepen your knowledge of the political landscape surrounding tech and media policy, help to analyse public opinion insights, and bring new research to life for our clients.

Technology, media, and telecommunications are major areas of specialism for Public First, and we work with some of the best-known businesses in the sector – including Google, AWS, Meta, NVIDIA, Uber, Sky, the BBC, YouTube, Microsoft  and others. We are looking for the right person to join our growing TMT  practice. 

Our projects have included: 

• Exploring the challenges that face British content creators with YouTube

• Measuring the viewing habits of the British people for Sky

• Examining  how people are using AI at work and what support they need to upskill with Google

• Analysing how changes to the UK’s text and data mining regime might affect the AI opportunity with Microsoft. 

The Role 

We are currently looking to recruit a Policy Analyst to work across all of our projects and support team projects.  This is the ideal first or second job for a bright individual who is interested in working in technology, media, and telecommunications policy. 

In this role you will  gain experience working on projects that are politically relevant and help inform the decisions of some of the UK’s most influential organisations. You will play a central role in helping deliver our team projects, contribute to the growth of the team and find opportunities for thought leadership.

You will work alongside senior members of the team to manage and deliver our research projects, as well as contributing to the team’s overall strategy and growth. This will include:

• Playing a central role in the delivery of the Public First Tech Media and Telecoms Team’s projects.

• Keeping up to date on emerging tech, media, and telecommunications policies and trends. 

• Conducting desk research on specific policies, programmes and projects. 

• Working with  colleagues to deliver quantitative and qualitative public opinion research. 

• Conveying thoughtful analysis of your findings in clear, compelling prose.

• Providing administrative support to ongoing projects and contribute to the growth of the team 

• Liaising with clients in a professional and organised manner. 

• Assisting with new business generation.

Candidates should be comfortable using a wide range of office software (Microsoft 365, Google docs and AI software) and  like working collaboratively in a team. While you don’t need to have a science/technical degree or a qualification related to technology or policy, our team really values problem-solving, political nous and initiative.

Candidates can come from a wide range of backgrounds. You may be someone who has recently graduated with a relevant degree, or someone who has work experience, spending one or two years in a political or projects based role working with numbers and IT systems.  Alternatively you may have completely different experiences and feel you are suitable for the role. 

We are open to the widest range of candidates and backgrounds so please in your application justify why your skills and experience make you an ideal candidate. 

Working arrangements and salary

For this role we expect the starting salary to be £31,000–£35,000, depending on candidate experience.

We also offer a bonus programme, 5% pension contribution, 25 days annual leave, and private healthcare.

We work in a mix of in the office and at home, with our main office based in Westminster. Many of us, including the founders, have young children, and we work hard to be family friendly.  

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in employment, and we would particularly like to encourage applications from women, disabled, LGBTQ+ and Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) candidates.

How to apply

Please apply below by submitting your CV and a cover letter. We will accept applications until midnight on Friday 13 March. 

We will interview promising candidates on a rolling basis so if you are interested in this position please apply as soon as possible. Interviews will be in person or online if necessary, and will include a discussion task. We will also ask for two writing samples.