The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) is recruiting for an Advisor to join our growing team to apply behavioural insights across a range of Energy, Environment and Sustainability projects, with a particular focus on wildlife conservation and sustainable lifestyles.

About the Behavioural Insights Team

BIT is a global leader in the application of behavioural science to inform public policy and tackle societal challenges. The then Prime Minister created BIT in 2010 and in February 2014 we became a social purpose company, jointly owned by the Cabinet Office, Nesta (an innovation charity) and our employees.

BIT works with governments around the world in almost every area of policy. Whilst the subject and output of our projects varies considerably, there are common threads: we try to understand the contexts in which people make decisions; we notice small details; we find out what has and hasn’t worked before; we come up with innovative ideas for solving policy problems and we test and measure everything we do as robustly as we can.

As well as displaying professional excellence, BIT selects staff on the basis of our company values: always prioritising social impact; empiricism and humility; fresh thinking, collaboration; and public service.

Role and responsibilities

You will be part of our Energy, Environment and Sustainability team, which works across a wide range of topics including energy and water consumption, transport, air quality, wildlife conservation, sustainable diets, waste and recycling, and clean growth. Our clients are equally varied: recent examples of our work include providing innovative and evidence-based policy advice to the UK and international governments; undertaking independent evaluations of smart energy technologies; generating thought-leadership in the area of sustainable diets; and supporting environmental NGOs in bringing rigorous behavioural science to wildlife conservation. In all cases we are driven by the goal of achieving positive social impact.

Your role will span these areas, and will flex to suit project demands, though will initially focus on wildlife conservation (including the illegal wildlife trade) and sustainable lifestyles (including diet, waste and recycling). These are both strategic areas of growth for us and this role offers the opportunity to work closely with senior staff to shape and expand this portfolio of work, offering good potential for professional development. Our conservation work is international, and occasional trips overseas are likely to be necessary. All our staff are also expected to be flexible to balance resourcing across the wider team, and as such there may be the opportunity or need to work on other topics from time to time.

As an Advisor, you will work across a wide range of projects, providing expert advice and project management. Once settled into your role, you will be expected to take a leading role on smaller projects, and on aspects of larger multi-year programmes. You will take responsibility for key elements of our work including client management, project planning and delivery, evidence-based policy notes, literature reviews, intervention design and supporting our partners in delivery and data collection. Though support will always be given, for the right candidate there is opportunity to take more responsibility and grow within this role. All our work is team-based, and you will be working closely with our Head of Energy, Environment & Sustainability, and with policy and research colleagues with complementary expertise. You will also be expected to contribute to company development, and will have the opportunity to develop your own passions and areas of expertise.

Skills and experience

Essential

• Experience in a relevant field of work or study (academic, commercial, government policy or charity);

• Deep understanding of the behavioural science literature and how it can be applied to help solve complex problems - you will be expected to rapidly become a credible expert to our clients;

• Curiosity about, and real interest in, current challenges related to sustainability, conservation and climate change;

• Excellent project management skills and ability to deliver projects independently;

• Excellent written and verbal communication (for example ability to write short, to-the-point policy papers for Government Ministers or senior officials, and to deliver engaging presentations); and

• Strong teamwork skills - as part of a small team you will need to be reliable, collaborative and willing to take responsibility for elements of projects, meetings and daily routines.

Desirable

• Masters or PhD in a relevant subject area (including, but not limited to behavioural economics, psychology, evaluation methods);

• Experience of working or studying in one or more of the following areas: wildlife conservation, the illegal wildlife trade, sustainable diets or sustainable consumption;

• Experience applying concepts from the behavioural science or psychology literature to environmental or wildlife conservation issues; and

• Ability to support the design and implementation of rigorous research and impact evaluations, including but not limited to randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental techniques, and survey and interview design.

Please note:

• If you do not already hold the right to work in the UK and/or require sponsorship in order to continue working here, you should think carefully before applying. This is because we will be unable to sponsor you unless there is no other suitably qualified settled worker available to fill the role or your current immigration status means that the resident labour market test will not apply in your case.

• We reserve the right to close this role early depending on the number of applicants. If you have started an application on our recruitment platform, Applied, you will be notified of a revised closing date and given 3 days to complete your application.

• To find out more about the organisation and the type of people who work in the team visit: www.bi.team

• The Behavioural Insights Team is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and is determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable