I’m a UK civil servant working in the Covid-19 Vaccines Taskforce Strategy team where I have worked on selecting the vaccines in the UK’s portfolio, writing papers and reports on their clinical and manufacturing progress and securing funding for important studies. I do not have a scientific background so this has meant working closely with expert advisors and picking up technical knowledge quickly. I have 2 years’ experience in policy in the civil service and one year prior to that in strategy consulting. My current role is a good fit for me and I have had a ’multiplier’effect in saving the time of high impact people (including the most senior decision makers). I have a strong academic background and went to a top university for my undergrad (Arts/Humanities degree).
I am not attached to any particular problem area and want to focus on career capital. I particularly want to capitalise on my current title and experience in the Vaccines Taskforce while it is recent enough to remain impressive. Depending on where we are with the pandemic in the UK, it will likely be time for me to move on in 3-6 months. Some of the general options I’m considering are:
Staying in the civil service
Doing a Master’s and going into a think tank/NGO/foundation
Looking into public sector consulting
Looking at private sector roles with an ESG emphasis
In terms of Master’s, something like a combined MBA+MPA/MPP sounds amazing (although the price and time commitment are eye-watering). I want to pick up specific skills e.g. research software, economics and statistics that would be valuable to employers (particularly think tanks).
Do you have any tips on where I should focus my research on jobs and Master’s for maximising early career capital?
Thank you Michelle! This article is really helpful and one I hadn’t found.