We are recruiting for a Junior / Mid-Level Full-Stack Developer to join Nesta’s Mission Studio

🚀 Mission Studio is creating the future of mission-driven tech startups. We're a mission-led venture studio tackling the UK's toughest social challenges – from net zero to obesity – by building and scaling commercially successful businesses. We have a great team of ex-founders, venture designers, and experienced studio operators, and are now looking for a Developer (Junior / Mid-Level) to join us.

This is a unique opportunity for a mission-led developer with a passion for building and testing tech products at speed, who wants to gain experience across multiple early-stage ventures and venture studio processes, and make a real social impact.

🌟 Who You Are:

• Hands-on developer: You have 1–4 years of professional experience in software development, ideally with JavaScript/TypeScript and modern frameworks such as React or Next.js. Alternatively, you may bring experience in another modern language e.g Python. You can write good, working code when needed, and you’re comfortable applying that foundation within no-code/low-code platforms to build and test MVPs quickly.
• Generalist mindset: You’re equally happy to use whatever building blocks an early-stage product requires such as setting up analytics or event tracking, using APIs, experimenting with AI libraries, or building interfaces, workflows or automations in tools like Airtable or Retool.
• Data-oriented: Ideally you have some exposure to working with databases, or working with datasets (e.g. Postgres, SQL).
• Product Development: You have a foundational understanding of product development, including defining roadmaps and prioritising features for early-stage ventures.
• Startup-minded: You thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments - maybe you’ve worked in a startup, scaleup, or venture studio, or contributed to scrappy side projects. As a result you are able to rapidly experiment, iterate and pivot quickly.
• Builder at heart: You’re excited by the idea of shipping quickly, testing ideas with real users, and improving products through iteration, rather than waiting for perfection.
• Collaborative and curious: You communicate well with non-technical teammates (designers, venture builders, founders), and you’re keen to learn from others while also sharing your own ideas.
• Mission-driven: You’re motivated to use your technical skills to tackle big social challenges and want to work somewhere with impact at its core.

🛠 What You'll Do:

As a developer in Mission Studio, you’ll be part of small, fast-moving teams working across multiple early-stage business ideas. You will also work to automate and streamline our own internal processes. You’ll:

• Build MVPs and prototypes: Work closely with our in-house CTO, venture builders and founders to turn early-stage concepts into testable products using code and no-code tools.
• Support experimentation: Help set up and run experiments such as A/B tests, feature testing, and lightweight user trials to validate product-market fit.
• Ship features quickly: Contribute to codebases across ventures, delivering features that solve user problems while keeping things simple, robust, and scalable.
• Work with data: Support with data analysis and instrumentation (e.g. tracking events, analysing results from experiments, working with APIs or datasets).
• Improve our studio processes: Work on projects to automate and improve our own internal processes, e.g. automating elements of founder recruitment, streamlining the way we run user validation, etc.
• Learn and adapt: Take part in sprint reviews and feedback loops, learning from real-world user behaviour to improve what you build.
• Be a generalist: Jump into different projects and tech stacks as needed - from front-end tweaks to back-end integrations, or from data wrangling to simple automation.

👩‍💻 What we offer:

• Location: At least 2 days a week at our Thames-side, Blackfriars office in London with the freedom to work remotely on other days.
• Perks: Competitive salary, between £49,200 - £65,800 depending on experience, and a benefits package that cares for you beyond the office. The benefits include private medical insurance, dental insurance, the ability to buy and sell annual leave, eyecare vouchers and more.
• Start Date: January 2026
• Who You'll Report To: Strategy & Ops Lead, Mission Studio.
• Apply now and let's build something extraordinary together.

Making an application

To apply for this role, please submit your application before 08:00 on Thursday November 6th.

First round interviews will take place week commencing November 10th.

About Nesta

We are Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good. We design, test and scale solutions to society’s biggest problems. Our three missions are to give every child a fair start, help people live healthy lives, and create a sustainable future where the economy works for both people and the planet.

For over 20 years, we have worked to support, encourage and inspire innovation. We work in three roles: as an innovation partner working with frontline organisations to design and test new solutions, as a venture builder supporting new and early stage businesses, and as a system shaper creating the conditions for innovation.

Harnessing the rigour of science and the creativity of design, we work relentlessly to change millions of lives for the better. Find out more at nesta.org.uk.

At Nesta, we believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more innovative, more creative and gets better results.

We want our workforce to represent the diversity of the people and communities we serve. We also want our workplace to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop.

This means that when we are recruiting, we actively seek to reach a diverse pool of candidates. It also means that we are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need to in order to be successful.

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home, compressed or part-time hours, job shares and other arrangements.

Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore.