Policy Advisor

Demos Helsinki; Helsinki; Hybrid; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Demos Helsinki is a globally operating, non-profit think tank based in Helsinki, Finland, seeking a Policy Advisor to join our team. The role sits between research, policy and practice, working with academic researchers, policymakers, civil servants, businesses and civil society to move insights into action and influence decisions.

You will help turn research and ideas into analysis, arguments and forms of action.

Qualifications

• Experience turning research into actionable analysis and policy recommendations.
• Ability to produce policy briefs, summaries and memos with clarity and rigor.
• Strong written and spoken English in professional settings.

Responsibilities

• Turn research and ideas into analysis, arguments and forms of action that influence real-world decisions.
• Collaborate with researchers, policymakers, civil servants, businesses and civil society across projects.
• Contribute to shaping questions, identifying where work can matter and building openings for impact.

Skills

Policy analysis

Written communication

English proficiency

Collaboration

Education

Economics / Political science / Political economy / Law / Environmental policy

Job description

Demos Helsinki

The societies we live in were not designed for the challenges they now face.

Institutions, policies and economic structures have developed over decades through political choices, compromises and changing circumstances. Many have produced enormous progress. But the values behind them are increasingly being tested by global dynamics that cut across established policy boundaries: ecological crises, geopolitical uncertainty, technological change, demographic shifts and growing pressures on democratic societies.

At Demos Helsinki, we believe these challenges require more than better answers to existing questions. They require us to keep asking which questions matter, what is worth knowing, and how knowledge can actually help societies change direction towards a fairer, more sustainable and joyful future.

This is what our work is about.

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 believe that change can happen only together.

That is why we carry out consultative and research projects together with hundreds of partners, including private international foundations, UN organisations, the European Commission and companies. Over the past 20 years, we have grown into an organisation of over 80 people working on more than 100 projects per year, with forecasted revenue of over €6 million.

About the role

We are looking for a Policy Advisor to join Demos Helsinki. Please note that we might be hiring more than one person for this role.

Our work sits between research, policy and practice. We work with academic researchers, policymakers, civil servants, businesses and civil society, not only to understand societal problems, but to find ways of acting on them.

This means knowledge plays a distinct role here: it exists to be acted on, not just produced.

Sometimes the work means going deep into research and finding the insight that changes how a problem is understood. Sometimes it means writing a brief or memo that helps someone in making a better decision. Sometimes it means understanding what different stakeholders actually care about and finding a way forward between competing perspectives. And sometimes it means recognising that the question everyone is trying to answer is not the right one.

As a Policy Advisor, you will help us do this work.

You will work across research and consultative projects and alongside different teams at Demos Helsinki. You will engage closely with substantive content, but also with the people and institutions that can act on it. You will help turn research and ideas into analysis, arguments and forms of action that can influence real‑world decisions.

We do not expect you simply to execute an established agenda. You are Demos Helsinki too. Over time, we want you to help shape the questions we pursue, identify where our work can matter and contribute to building new openings for impact.

What kind of person thrives in this work?

We have found that it requires some of the following:

• A point of view and the confidence to defend it with credible argumentation.
• Genuine curiosity about people: what they care about, what pressures they are under, and what would influence their thinking.
• The ability to push forward without generating resistance.
• A collaborative instinct: you quickly understand what a team needs and are comfortable contributing without taking lead.
• Comfort with being unfinished and the courage to speak up when you get it wrong.
• A sense that this work is genuinely meaningful because you care about the direction of our societies — towards a fairer, more sustainable and joyful future.

What we expect from you

• Some years of professional work experience in a relevant field, for example policy, governance, economics, research or consulting. What matters most to us is what you made of your experience – not the credentials or path that got you there.
• A background in economics, political science, political economy, law, business, environmental policy, or a related field, and the habit of engaging seriously with both ideas and action.
• Hands‑on experience producing substantive written outputs: policy briefs, research summaries, position papers, analytical memos or similar. You are comfortable working close to the content and deep‑dives come naturally to you.
• Comfort working in ambiguity and across different teams and workstreams.
• Strong written and spoken English.
• Based in the European Union, with willingness to travel.

Practicalities for the position

• Employment: Permanent (inc. 6 months of a probationary period), full‑time position (37.5 h/week) with flexible working hours
• Location: Our home base is Helsinki, Finland. Working arrangements can include hybrid and remote work, although we expect regular presence in Helsinki, particularly in the beginning.
• Salary: According to Demos Helsinki's responsibility category model. Final salary is determined based on the level of responsibility and your demonstrated experience in comparable responsibilities.
• Start: As soon as possible / agreed with the selected candidate.