Welcome to our new series of blogs where we interview people in a wide range of roles across different think tanks and ask them the how, why and what their job entails. This interview is with Ellie Crave from Onward.
What is your formal job title?
Senior Researcher, Onward
How did you get into think tanks?
Before working at Onward, I worked at the Policy Research Unit (PRU) in the House of Commons for three years. Here I worked on policy issues pertaining to various government departments for Conservative MPs, including policy-related correspondence and briefs for all parliamentary business. For most of my time at the PRU, I was responsible for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. When I saw that Onward was hiring for a researcher to join their Getting to Zero programme, I thought this would be a great opportunity to broaden my policy skills.
Was this always what you wanted to do?
I’ve wanted to work in politics for as long as I can remember but, before entering the world of politics, I wasn’t entirely sure what this would look like – I didn’t know the types of jobs that one could do in this sphere. While I knew I wanted to do something political, I didn’t know what specifically I wanted to do.
How does a typical day start for you? And at what time?
I get into the office for 9am and I start my day by catching up on the morning news – the first thing I typically do is make a coffee and read Politico’s Playbook to get a grasp of the day ahead in Westminster.
What do you enjoy most about working at Onward?
I enjoy a lot of aspects of my job, but I really enjoy using polling to support my papers. We take the polling process from start to finish; from coming up with the questions all the way to analysing the data to support my thesis.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Day-to-day varies depending on what stage of a report I’m in. This can range from initial research and creating a literature review for a potential project, to brainstorming policy ideas and sitting down to write the paper itself.
What excites you most about your work?
The thought that my recommendations could influence and change policy.
What is the most challenging thing about your job?
I think the most challenging part of my job is taking an idea for a policy paper and narrowing down the topic to decide an interesting and novel angle to look at the subject.
Can you think of one thing in particular you have learnt since starting this job?
How to write persuasively – presenting arguments and policies in a concise and convincing fashion is essential to working at Onward.
Which 3 skills do you think are essential for success in your role?
Having good political knowledge and instincts; being able to write in a persuasive and cohesive manner and; being able to use data convincingly.
What tools or technologies do you use most in your job?
Chatgpt, QGIS, Datawrapper, Flourish.
How do you balance work and personal life?
In busy times my work can spill over into my evenings and weekends, but on the whole, I have a healthy work-life balance. However, working in politics more broadly over the last four years, I have sometimes found it challenging to switch off from work because I make sure to keep up to date on the news and political developments through podcasts and the media. This can blur the lines between work and my personal life and it can be hard to switch off from time to time.
How much of your day is spent in meetings or working with people vs individual work?
Onward is quite a collaborative working environment so my day is typically split between my individual work and working with my colleagues, whether that is in meetings or collaborating on a project.
What would be your one piece of advice to someone considering a similar career?
When getting into a job in politics and policy, it can be quite difficult to know where to start and what jobs are available. I would advise trying to establish what jobs are out there and which suit your interests best – whether that be which policy areas you’re most enthusiastic about or which political party you’re supportive of.
