We are looking for an experienced expert and leader to join us in building the next era, fighting for societies that are fair, sustainable and joyful.

About Demos Helsinki

Demos Helsinki is a globally operating, non-profit and independent think tank. We are a community of motivated experts dedicated to instigating and sustaining essential transitions to a fair, sustainable and joyful future. We are impact-driven and believe that change can only happen together. That is why we carry out consultative and research projects together with hundreds of partners, such as governments, cities, academia, foundations, UN organisations, the European Commission and companies. Over the past 20 years, we have grown into an over +70-person organisation working on more than 100 projects per year with a forecasted revenue of over 5 M€.

The role of Team Lead

Team Leads play a central role in ensuring that Demos Helsinki can continuously produce high-quality, impactful work while supporting the wellbeing and development of our thriving expert community. The role connects three essential dimensions of our work: people, projects and impact opportunities.

Team Leads act as the supervisor to their team members and support their colleagues in navigating complex project environments, help maintain the quality and relevance of our work, and ensure that new opportunities for impactful projects emerge. At the same time, you contribute to the broader functioning of the organisation by working closely with the Executive Team, other Team Leads, and the Sales Lead to strengthen collaboration, align priorities and develop new openings for impactful work.

As Team Lead, you lead a team of experts working on complex societal transformation projects in collaboration with governments, cities, international organisations, foundations and companies. Your role is to help the team succeed and team members grow, ensuring that projects remain relevant, high-quality and financially viable, while enabling collaboration, learning and wellbeing among colleagues.

The role requires balancing several perspectives simultaneously: leading impact requires strong analytical skills and decision-making capacity. In addition to supporting the team, you will also participate directly in project work.

What the role focuses on in everyday work

Team & people

• Lead and support the growth, wellbeing and professional development of team members

• Build a strong and trusting team culture where colleagues can thrive and do their best work

• Ensure clarity of roles, priorities and expectations within the team

• Identify and recruit new talent that strengthens Demos Helsinki’s capabilities to lead societal transformations

• Strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing within the team and across the organisation

• Address emerging challenges early and help navigate difficult situations constructively

Projects & quality

• In your capacity as Team Lead, ensure that projects remain aligned with Demos Helsinki’s mission and impact ambitions

• Contributing to project resourcing decisions to ensure the right skills and capacity are allocated across projects

• Carrying organizational accountability by surfacing broader challenges that may require organisational attention or support

• Balance ambition and sustainability so that projects remain impactful and workable for the team

Opportunities & impact

• Identifying and developing new opportunities for impactful projects

• Contributing to funding and partnerships together with colleagues

• Connect emerging societal developments to Demos Helsinki’s work and agenda

• Initiate collaborations across teams that create new openings for impact

What success looks like in the first year

• The team’s work grows in relevance and remains high-quality and financially sustainable

• Team members feel supported in their development and collaboration

• You found new funding opportunities or sold significant impactful projects in collaboration with colleagues and partners

• You have strengthened the connections between teams, leadership and sales processes

• You are recognised as a reliable colleague who supports the community in navigating complex situations constructively

What we expect from you

We are looking for someone who combines deep expertise, strong leadership capability and curiosity about societal change. At Demos Helsinki, expertise is not only about a topic area. It is about the ability to connect ideas, projects and partners into meaningful societal change.

You likely recognise yourself in many of the following:

• You bring deep expertise in one or more areas shaping major societal transformations, such as democratic renewal, sustainability transitions, the future of governance, political economy, or the societal impacts of emerging technologies

• You have strong interpersonal and communication skills and are able to work constructively with diverse stakeholders

• You have exceptional analytical and problem-solving abilities and can bring clarity to complex situations

• You have experience and persistence for working on demanding client projects.

• You have experience in securing new funding opportunities (sales experience)

• You are able to support and motivate experts working in complex environments, show the direction and drive the movement

• You thrive and actively seek working in a highly dynamic and evolving project environment

• You have decision-making skills and the ability to help others navigate uncertainty.

• You are interested in supporting the growth and wellbeing of colleagues.

• You are fluent in English; Finnish is considered an asset

What is it like to work at Demos Helsinki?

You are Demos Helsinki. At Demos Helsinki, you get to be part of defining our agenda on the future of public governance. This work includes matters such as climate governance and fair transition in European cities, anticipatory approaches to policymaking and strategy in different governments, and increasing skills and capabilities of government employees worldwide. We trust you to build openings and projects you truly believe in. You have a great amount of freedom and thus accountability for your own work.

As stated in Demos Helsinki's Impact Model, our ethos of fighting for a fair, sustainable, and joyful next era is visible daily. We approach societal change as a continuous, complex and collective effort without blueprints, proxies or simplified objectives. Thus, discussions and argumentation to avoid simple truths are key for us.

Demos Helsinki promotes equality in working life, and our office and all workspaces are physically accessible. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, a place where we can all be ourselves. This means, for example, flexible working arrangements and family-friendly employment policies. We treat others with dignity and respect, do not tolerate discrimination or harassment and educate ourselves constantly. We also take sticking to pre-agreed working hours seriously.

Practicalities

• Working hours: we offer a permanent full-time (37,5 h / week) position with flexible working hours.

• Location & remote work: Our office is located in central Helsinki. Preferably you would also be located in Helsinki. Working remotely is possible, but especially in the beginning you would spend most of your time in Helsinki.

• Salary: The salary for this role is currently around €4,790 per month, based on our responsibility category model. We are continuously updating our responsibility category model and the final salary will be determined based on the candidate’s demonstrated experience and responsibilities.

How to apply

Please submit your application through our application form. The application includes:

• your CV

• responses to the application questions in the form

Application deadline 25th March 23:59 (EET)

We look forward to hearing how you would contribute to leading societal transformations with us!