Are you looking for a new challenge and want to join a successful and rapidly growing organisation? Do you have a passion for exploring new ways to change people's lives at a national scale through government policy? If so, we want to hear from you.

What does a Principal Research Advisor do?

BIT is in the business of developing and testing ideas in order to improve lives and communities. We work with all levels of government, the private sector and philanthropies to tackle their biggest challenges. We do this as rigorously as possible while being pragmatic in our approach. Typically we use qualitative research to define our target behaviours, explore the barriers and enablers to behaviour change, scope possibilities for behavioural interventions and evaluate those ideas. We set and expect high standards of our work because we need to be confident about the recommendations we make. We are looking for a Principal Research Advisor to join our team as Head of Qualitative Research and lead on this work.

The core duties of the position are:

• Working with BIT’s Research Director to design and execute a research strategy for BIT, which includes bringing new, innovative and market-leading approaches to qualitative research into BIT’s playbook, help to optimise existing approaches and ensure colleagues have appropriate research support.

• Quality assuring and signing off research materials including research plans and costings prior to the launch of qualitative social science and user experience research, analysis and client reports and other deliverables before they are sent to clients;

• Providing methodological and practical advice on conducting and analysing a range of qualitative and market research to BIT’s community of researchers;

• Setting, maintaining and monitoring qualitative research and research ethics standards across BIT, including ensuring that our onboarding and other training materials are up to date and appropriate;

• Mentoring and encouraging professional development in the community of qualitative researchers including junior staff, holding regular training and knowledge exchange sessions; 

• Supporting business development efforts of BIT’s policy teams, including working with clients and potential clients to design high quality qualitative and mixed methods projects, and contributing to bids for competitively tendered projects; 

• Collaborating with BIT senior quantitative specialists and researchers at our parent company, the charity Nesta, to deliver high quality mixed methods approaches across a range of projects.

If you are excited by the prospect of producing top quality, socially impactful research to improve lives and communities , then apply for this role.

What makes a great Principal Research Advisor at BIT?

We are looking for people who understand what we do, share our values and are keen to learn and develop their expertise. We are looking for candidates with the skills listed below. We expect to provide training and development support in some of the areas.

• An appetite for creative qualitative solutions. You can design and implement bespoke qualitative research that meets the needs of clients, extends traditional qualitative methods and offers new insights into policy problems. You are familiar with an array of qualitative methods and approaches that can be implemented at different stages of intervention design and implementation including exploratory research, user testing, human centred approaches and evaluation. You have experience working with vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations in an ethically-informed way. 

• A solid understanding of rigour in qualitative research and ability to adapt plans. Sometimes we have to adapt research plans due to budget and time constraints or challenges reaching target populations. Decisions around re-scoping will often fall to you, and you must be able to balance the needs of the client and the project while maintaining methodological rigour and not cutting corners that undermine the validity of the research.

• Behavioural science. You can explain the implications of theoretical concepts such as defaults, loss aversion and social norms.

• Clear and convincing communications. You can explain complex topics in simple terms. You can lead a workshop or presentation and write clearly and concisely. You are able to present qualitative findings in a compelling manner and when appropriate, use visualisations.

• Managing projects and clients. You can manage your own time, and where appropriate that of your colleagues, to produce high quality work within a reasonable time frame.

• Supporting and developing others. You can nurture talent and energise people to perform at their best. You care about the success, development and wellbeing of others and can have meaningful (and sometimes difficult!) conversations.

• Scoping projects and winning work. You are able to lead business development by spotting opportunities with new and existing partners and then develop the relationships required to form positive ongoing partnerships.

• Managing and developing yourself at work. You demonstrate high self-awareness and regularly self-reflect. You are aware of the impact that your actions and words have on those around you. You are resilient and accept responsibility for decisions whether they achieve the desired outcome or not.

Who are we and what can we offer you?

The Behavioural Insights Team is the world leader in applying behavioural science in order to strengthen communities and improve lives. 

We design and rigorously test new ideas across a range of areas such as health, crime,education, employment and consumer policy to establish what works and what doesn’t. We have helped Tuberculosis patients take their medicine; reduced police susceptibility to cyberattacks; and helped organisations close their gender pay gap.

We are looking for a passionate and imaginative individual who understands behavioural science and shares our thirst for evidence-based solutions to join our dynamic and growing team.

BIT really is a great place to work:

• We have a hive mindset where we think out loud, share ideas and learn from one another. You will work alongside a friendly,  talented, and driven team with diverse expertise - from economics to anthropology and neuroscience - and a wide variety of personal and professional backgrounds. What unites us is the goal to have a positive social impact through our work.

• We encourage flexible working and have a culture which enables this; for example flexible start and finish times and an IT set up which allows for easy working from home options

• We have regular team get-togethers with inspirational external guest speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds and specialisms. There's always something new to learn about!

• We have a flexible benefits programme which currently includes things like gym memberships, cycle to work schemes and the ability to buy extra annual leave at the start of the year.

• We’re a social bunch and have a variety of interest groups including Film Club, BIT Kids for our parents & 5-a-side team to name a few.

• We have a great office in Blackfriars and another in Manchester, which has an amazing coffee machine and fridges stocked full of soft drinks!

How to apply

We use a great platform called Applied to reduce bias in the recruitment process. You will need to answer a few work-based questions which will be anonymously marked by members of our team. Our selection is based on performance in these questions, rather than looking at your CV. 

Candidates with the top scoring answers will be invited to a structured interview where you get to meet some of the team. At the interview stage you will be asked questions that reflect the role and also to complete a work-based task, so you have the chance to demonstrate your skills. It’s at this stage we first see your CV. We always give all applicants feedback, no matter what stage your application reaches. We may also consider your application for suitable alternative roles, should one be available.

Key dates

• Role closes: Monday 26th June 2023 at Midday

• Task and Interviews: w/c 3rd July 2023

• Second round interviews (if necessary): w/c 10th July 2023

All dates are subject to change (but we'll try our best to not change them!)

Please note:

You will need to have the right to work in the UK in order to be able to undertake this role. We will ask all applicants short-listed for an interview to provide evidence of their right to work during the recruitment process.  If you do not have the right to work for BIT but are the most suitable person for the role we will explore with you whether sponsorship may be an option. However, this may not be possible for all roles.

Some of the personal data you provide to Applied when you apply for a role with The Behavioural Insights Team will be passed on to The Behavioural Insights Team for the purposes of (a) reviewing your application; (b) inviting you for interview; and/or (c) offering you a job and getting you set up as an employee/contractor. For full details on how BIT collects and uses your personal data please visit our website - https://www.bi.team/bit-global-recruitment-privacy-notice/ 

If your application is not successful, any personal data provided to us by Applied (including any personal data relating to equal opportunities monitoring as set out above) will be retained by The Behavioural Insights Team for no longer than 6 months after the application deadline has passed (other than in exceptional circumstances where we may need to retain your personal data for longer), at which point your personal data will be securely deleted. We only keep your information for that period in order to allow us to comply with relevant legal obligations.