The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) is looking for an exceptional candidate to join as a Senior Advisor in the Consumers, Energy and Sustainability team in London, focusing on consumer policy. The policy portfolio will include a range of exciting areas such as looking at how to drive better outcomes for consumers in regulated markets and how to encourage positive financial behaviours, including retirement savings, credit choices and rainy day savings. Tackling challenges in these areas, some of the highest priorities in government, will offer the successful candidate the opportunity to apply their knowledge of behavioural insights to some of the UK’s most pressing problems.

The successful applicant will project manage and lead on the delivery of the Financial Capability Lab, a newly launched project in partnership with the Money Advice Service.

The Prime Minister created BIT in 2010 to apply behavioural science to public policy in the UK. In February 2014 we became a social purpose company, owned by the Cabinet Office, Nesta (an innovation charity) and our employees.

The Behavioural Insights Team works with governments around the world in almost every area of Government policy. Whilst the subject and output of our projects varies considerably, there are common threads: we try to understand the contexts in which their people make decisions; we notice small details; we find out what has and hasn’t worked before; and we measure everything we do as robustly as we can.

The company today spans four continents but has the same relaxed and non-hierarchical office culture as it did when it was a team of just eight employees. Though our origins are from within the UK government, staff at BIT today come from countries across the world. We regularly eat lunch together; play sport; and socialise outside of work time.

As well as displaying professional excellence, BIT selects staff according to our company values. All our staff believe passionately in always prioritising social impact; empiricism and humility; fresh thinking, collaboration; and public service.

Project managing the Financial Capability Lab will be the focus of this senior advisor role in 2017. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving the project forward, including by managing key relationships with government and research stakeholders. The role will also include coordinating all the parties involved and ensuring the smooth and timely delivery of the project to budget. There will be multiple phases including large workshops and quantitative and qualitative research.

• Experience of working in the areas of consumer finance or consumer policy;
• Substantial experience developing or delivering policy and/or projects in government, academia, or for a consulting firm;
• Excellent project management skills, including an eye for detail and commitment to quality in all aspects of a project;
• Proven experience in delivering complex policy or research projects, ideally within public sector environments;
• A deep understanding of the behavioural science literature and how it can be applied to help solve complex policy problems;
• Strong leadership and teamwork skills, including supporting team members to develop their own skills and expertise;
• Excellent client and stakeholder relationship management;
• Ability to support the design and implementation of rigorous evaluations, including but not limited to randomised controlled trials;
• Excellent written and verbal communication; and
• High level strategic thinking, challenging existing assumptions and creative problem solving.

• Qualification in project management (Prince 2, PMP or equivalent); and/or experienced in managing both waterfall and agile projects;
• A Masters or PhD in a relevant subject area (including, but not limited to: behavioural economics, economics, law, psychology)