Role: Analyst in Technology-, Risk- and Policy Foresight
Work location: Brussels (preferred)/remote (European time zone)
Contract: Full time, permanent position
Working hours: Full-time (38h/week)
Closing date: 23:59 CET November 13, 2023 (rolling admission until then)
Starting date: Q4 2023 or Q1 2024 (as soon as possible)

About ICFG
The International Center for Future Generations, established in 2021, is a think tank dedicated to shaping a future where decision-makers anticipate and responsibly govern the societal impacts of rapid technological change, ensuring that emerging technologies are harnessed to serve the best interests of humanity. In summer 2023, the think tank established its headquarters in Brussels. Join our dynamic and purpose-driven team, poised to grow fast and make an impact!

The Role
As a Foresight Analyst at ICFG, you will analyze how the most powerful emerging technologies of our time are developing, and how they could change the future. You will be among the first hires in our Foresight Program, which is a cross-cutting program with a dual mission: to build the fact base enabling ICFG to prioritize the most pressing technology governance challenges, and to create a forum for policy makers to engage in evidence-based thinking about the future. Depending on your skills and experience, your will contribute to some of the following tasks:

  • Monitor existing technology radars to identify rapidly-emerging technologies or risks that policy makers need to be aware of, and synthesize your findings
  • Track technological and scientific progress for the ICFG priority technologies (advanced AI, neurotechnology, biotechnology, geoengineering technology, or quantum computing), with a particular focus on new capabilities that may shape how the future goes
  • Track trends and market updates that are critical for our priority technologies – e.g., linked to investments in semiconductor manufacturing, updated perspectives on the cost of DNA synthesis, or changes to the market landscape for Advanced AI
  • Monitor public sentiment and novel policy ideas for our priority technologies, by interpreting existing surveys of experts, policy makers or popular sentiment; by commissioning our own surveys when relevant; and by scanning policy proposals from partner organizations around the world
  • Develop forward-looking scenarios for how our priority technologies may progress in the coming years and decades, in collaboration with technical experts from our Programs
  • Perform risk analyses covering how our priority technologies could influence personal and national security, core democratic institutions, and basic human rights
  • Publish our findings in accessible reports, articles and policy briefs for a non-technical audience
  • Run workshops and briefings with decision makers, bringing our work to the relevant audience. Your responsibilities will also cover some of the workshop operations
  • Manage a community of foresight experts and -practitioners that we collaborate with on a regular basis

To achieve these tasks you will perform literature reviews, interview leading experts, build quantitative models, and collaborate with colleagues from different ICFG teams to build a solid fact base, considering a broad range of technologies and their societal impacts. You will synthesize your analyses, identify the implications for a diverse audience of decision makers (including policy makers, civil servants, civil society leaders, industry leaders, academics and journalists), and present your findings in written and oral form.

What you will need to succeed in this role:

  • Background: A (Master’s) degree or a combination of degrees in a technical field (e.g., Computer Science, Systems Engineering or Biology), a quantitative social science (e.g., Economics, Political Science or Risk Management), or equivalent professional experience
  • Foresight expertise: A proven track record in risk management, scenario analysis, horizon scanning, or other relevant Foresight practices, preferably including some experience making quantitative predictions
  • Technology expertise: Familiarity with one or several of our priority technologies, or other technologies that we may consider in the future (e.g., space technology or nanotechnology)
  • A scout mindset: including epistemic rigor; intellectual humility; probabilistic thinking; an ability to engage with different worldviews; and a commitment to state your beliefs transparently and honestly
  • A collaborative and professional attitude: including an ability to collaborate across different teams and backgrounds; a sense of ownership of your work; a habit of triaging your analyses based on the needs of the team; a desire to see your colleagues thrive; and a drive to identify opportunities for professional development
  • Well-rounded researcher skills: an ability to creatively identify new sources of evidence; good calibration and rigor when judging the strength of various evidence points; efficiency when scanning various sources for relevant insights; and a strong ability to communicate your findings

Commitments:

  • Full-time position (38 hours per week).
  • Occasional extra hours may be required.

What we offer:

  • Salary: Competitive, with potential market supplements for Brussels candidates.
  • Work Location: Brussels office (preferred) or remote (European Time Zone)
  • Vacation Days: Generous number of vacation days, Parental Leave, and Care Leave days.
  • Learning & Development: an annual contribution toward personal education & development.
  • Wellness & Wellbeing: an annual contribution toward personal wellness & wellbeing.
  • Inclusive Workplace: Diverse and inclusive environment with equal opportunity for all.

How to apply:

If you are passionate about shaping the future of emerging technologies and meet the qualifications, we encourage you to apply! You can be a great candidate even if you don’t fit everything we’ve described above. If you have any questions, contact Max Reddel (m.reddel@icfg.eu) with the subject “Foresight Analyst Position”.

In this case, we operate on a rolling admissions basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to increase your chances of securing a position. The eventual deadline for applications is November 13, 2023.

The process follows this structure:

  • Stage 1: Submit your application
  • Stage 2: Interview with Foresight Lead Jakob Graabak
  • Stage 3: A 4-hour paid work test
  • Stage 4: Interview with Project Manager Max Reddel

Personal data

Protecting your personal data is of the utmost importance to ICFG and we take this responsibility very seriously. Any information obtained by our divisions is held and processed in accordance with the relevant data protection legislation. The data you provide us with is securely stored on our computerized database and transferred internally for the purposes of presenting you as a candidate and/or considering your suitability for a role you have registered interest in.

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