Superflux are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced Writer & Researcher to join our team! 

ABOUT US

Superflux is an award-winning design and experiential futures studio based in London, working with clients and commissioners worldwide.

OUR WORK

Superflux creates worlds, stories, and tools that provoke and inspire us to engage with the precarity of our rapidly changing world. Our mission-led work has two streams: the studio’s self-initiated R&D; artistic and experimental explorations around radical alternatives for regenerative futures, and the consulting work that helps businesses and organisations’ action transformation today. 

The studio’s provocative, immersive works have been exhibited globally, including Barbican, MoMA New York, V&A Museum, La Biennale di Venezia, and more. Through our consulting, we have produced impactful work for clients such as Google AI, Cabinet Office UK, Gov. of UAE,  INGKA Group, Omidyar Foundation, UNDP and DeepMind. As a result, Superflux has received worldwide recognition and won awards, including Dezeen’s Design Studio of the Year Award in 2021 and the Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) Award in Speculative Design in 2022. 

ROLE OVERVIEW

As a Writer and Researcher, you will support and lead the studio’s written communications and high-level research across all internal and external projects spanning speculative design, technology, ecology, arts and foresight.

You will use the power of words to translate complex ideas, experiments and possible futures into compelling, yet accessible written form for a variety of audiences; from businesses to governments, cultural institutions, and wider public.

With persuasion, flair and integrity you will articulate our cultural and ecological mission, championing the value of design-led research via written outputs including but not limited to: proposals, socials, newsletters, long-form texts, project related copy.

While Superflux is a practice-based design studio, please be aware that the role we are advertising for is not a designer/maker role. 

DAY-TO-DAY RESPONSIBILITIES

WRITING

We collaborate and communicate with businesses, governments, scientists, engineers, technologists, cultural institutions, funders, wider publics and more. As such you’ll need to understand, translate and traverse different knowledge-gathering tools and communication methods free of jargon and rich with insight. In short, you’ll communicate your findings into words people can and want to read. 

• Toggle between audiences and delivery formats, including but not limited to client facing proposals, project write-ups, thought pieces, research essays, conference talks, newsletters and social media posts. 

• Contribute to business development through writing and refining project/funding proposals

• Maintain a coherent voice for the studio regarding both internal and external communication style

• Develop strategy and lead the studio’s public communications including social media (Instagram, LinkedIn), newsletter (Substack), website, and other regular digital outputs

• Define, manage and maintain content strategy via the production of guidelines/style-guide and schedule. 

• Ad hoc writing tasks as and when required.

RESEARCH

All our work begins with investigations, explorations and questions. These foundational explorations are intrinsic in shaping final outcomes, clarifying intent and disseminating ideas. Depending on the project at hand you will be able to select and employ relevant research approaches, often in conversation with experts from different fields. You’ll understand theoretical concepts and weave them into our practice based work, effectively communicating your research to a variety of audiences. 

• Define project specific research briefs with a focus on design (speculative & critical), art, foresight, technology and ecology. 

• When needed, conduct ethnographic, design-led, desk-based research, literature reviews and interviews.

• Liaise with other members of the wider team to cross-reference and share ideas.

• Present research in a variety of different formats including presentations, keynotes, visual mood boards and written outputs. 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT 

• Manage incoming press queries.

• Manage client correspondence pertaining to all text related queries (copy, PR, captioning etc.)

• Organise, document and archive relevant project related materials

• Manage and maintain schedule for all outgoing studio communications via multiple channels  

• Manage workload of junior team members and interns (if necessary)

• Schedule, brief and lead project specific catch ups 

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• A Master’s degree in social sciences, humanities/cultural studies, foresight or a similar related field that demonstrates knowledge of drawing connections across multiple disciplines, and articulating key insights and ideas in diverse written formats.

• An awareness of the broad thematic fields that our studio’s work encompasses, from ecology to technology, speculative futures, interdisciplinary design and art.

• Previous experience in fast paced, quickly changing creative/studio environment

• Evidence of collaborating with teams of diverse skill sets bridging theory and practice

• Confident presentation skills with evidence taking initiative to lead research sessions and workshops

• Software skills in Google Workspace, Keynote and technical aptitude/open-mindedness for learning how to use new equipment and emerging technology

• Excellent organisational skills for planning and carrying out simultaneous streams of research

• Experience communicating effectively with a wide variety of people both in person (interviews, presentations, workshops) and in writing

• Organised and methodical in their approach, in documenting and archiving materials

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Ability to apply lateral thinking to complex ideas in new domains

• A deep interest and evidence of work across the fields of ecology, technology, speculative futures, interdisciplinary design and art.

• Confidence in researching complex topics independently

• A good ear, inquisitive eye and open-mind

• Flexibility to work to multiple, conflicting deadlines as required by projects

• Gumption to pursue all avenues, question and interrogate findings from all directions

• Reliable, enthusiastic, eager to learn and a team-player

• Draws connections and is unafraid of contradictions

• Sociable and capable building strong networks with press and outreach

DETAILS

LOCATION

Based in/or around London to attend in person interviews and work with the team in our studio.

START DATE

Ideal start: Early August. However we are flexible, and open to discussing this based on the selected candidate’s availability.

SALARY  & BENEFITS

• Salary £34k – £38k pro rata depending on experience
• One year contract initially with the opportunity for growth and moving into a permanent Communications Lead role after that
• Full time (open to 4 days/week at a pro-rata rate) 
• While our standard workday is 10am-6pm, there is flexibility to arrange working hours around a collaborative core studio block of 10am-4pm to accommodate caring responsibilities
• Hybrid working: three days in-person days, which are usually Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (subject to change depending on projects) at our studio in Somerset House (WC2R 1LA). In this instance, we would like to hear from people within commuting distance of London
• This role may require occasional participation outside of regular studio hours if clients / projects are in different time zones
• 25 days annual leave + public holidays 
• Christmas studio holidays (5 days, in addition to standard holiday entitlement)
• Eligibility for annual performance based bonuses for permanent employees past the probationary period
• Possibility of annual allowance for training programmes in line with the development of the role. 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT 

APPLICATION PROCESS

If this sounds like you, send your application to hello@superflux.in using the subject line: Researcher & Writer by 23:59 GMT on 30 JUNE 2024.
* Kindly label your application as ‘First Name_Last Name’

Please include:

1. A CV highlighting applicable skills and demonstrable experience relevant to this role only.
2. A short (1 page) cover letter addressing the required experience and essential skills, we also want to know what gets you excited about research and writing and why you want to work with us!
3. Three recent writing samples demonstrating a range of styles from social media posts to proposals to research essays (with samples capped at 500 words)

Successful applicants will be invited for a short interview on Zoom in w/c 8 July.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a short assignment (for which you will be compensated) which will be discussed in a second interview with our Directors, in our studio at Somerset House later in w/c 15 July. 

Please don’t feel discouraged if you feel like you don’t meet the criteria in full, we’d still love to hear from you. We are an equal opportunity employer and invite people from all backgrounds and perspectives to apply. We believe that inclusive and diverse teams make better decisions, deliver the best work and create more fulfilling experiences.

We are particularly looking forward to receiving applications from individuals from communities that are historically under-represented in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, disabled people, those belonging to any of the groups protected by the Equality Act 2010 and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Superflux is committed to a barrier-free recruitment process and work environment. If you require any accommodation please email us at hello@superflux.in and we’ll work with you to meet your accessibility needs.

Unfortunately, we are not in a position to sponsor applicants situated outside of the UK. 

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we only have the capacity to respond to those whose applications are being progressed to the first stage of interviews.