About the Behavioral Insights Team

The Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) is a leading social impact consulting organization bringing evidence-based policy making to social sector clients across the world. We believe that if you understand how people make decisions in the real world, you can design and deliver better policies and services.

This means that we draw on the lessons from the behavioral sciences to design creative and scalable solutions in fields ranging from health to criminal justice to humanitarian response. We are also committed to using and generating evidence, so we test our interventions using techniques like randomized controlled trials (RCTs) before they are scaled. For some of our recent projects, please see https://www.bi.team/our-work/blog/.

BIT was created inside the UK government in 2010 as the first government organization dedicated to applying behavioral science to policy and programs. Indeed, we created the term “behavioral insights”. We became an independent social purpose corporation in 2014 and in 2015 we opened our first North America office. In the United States, we have offices in Brooklyn, NY, and Washington, DC. Our Canada office is located in Toronto. Our work centers on North America and Latin America, but we also run projects around the world (e.g. https://www.bi.team/blogs/bit-included-in-consortium-to-bring-play-to-refugee-children-with-100-million-grant-from-the-lego-foundation/)  

Who we are looking for

As a result of our growth, BIT North America (BITNA) is looking for an entrepreneurial and collaborative individual to lead our communications across the US and Canada. You will lead and coordinate a range of projects to ensure we reach, influence and inspire our key audiences, both externally and internally. You’ll have a keen eye for a story and enjoy hunting down and shaping communications opportunities and ideas.

Direct experience of our work or our sector is not a prerequisite for this role because you are a quick learner with great attention to detail, able to turn your hand to any communications tools and platforms, on or offline. Plus you think on your feet, have a passion for our work, understand the correct usage of semicolons; and spotted immediately the deliberate typo in this paragraph.

Role and responsibilities 

• Working with BITNA’s Managing Director and Head of Strategy, develop a strategic approach to increasing awareness of BITNA’s work, building on the international brand recognition of the Behavioral Insights Team. 

• Cultivate and maintain media relationships across platforms and outlets, from mainstream media to specialist trade press, to reach and engage with BIT’s target audiences (such as city and state governments, federal agencies and other bodies, philanthropic foundations, not-for-profit organizations and international institutions). 

• Create and place compelling content that raises the profile of BITNA’s diverse and innovative work across multiple platforms and outlets. For example, we may want to highlight the launch of new initiatives, results and recommendations from projects, the production of timely policy-relevant reports, and the publication of high-quality academic articles and literature. 

• Proactively identify opportunities for BITNA staff to speak or present at relevant events across North America and Latin America, including conferences, launch events, webinars.

• Develop and maintain BITNA’s social media presence.

• Organize and run a limited number of hosted events in New York, DC or Toronto.  

• Respond to media inquiries, in collaboration with BIT’s London HQ.

• Work with BIT’s London HQ to develop and maintain BIT’s external global brand and communications.

Skills and experience 

• The successful candidate will be a self-starting person who enjoys the opportunity to create something new. We can provide the foundations of a thriving organization that is doing interesting work; we would like you to build our North American profile on those foundations.

• We are looking for someone with a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in a communications role. 

• Excellent written and spoken communication skills are essential. You need to be able to communicate concepts from behavioral science to a non-specialist audience. Spanish language skills are desirable to support BITNA’s work in Latin America. 

• Familiarity with the following domains is an advantage: local, state, federal government; philanthropic funders; the not-for-profit sector. 

• We are an organization that works on many different projects in various fields. The successful candidate needs the demonstrated ability to prioritize tasks, respond quickly to developing situations, and keep focused on what matters.  

• Experience of working in an organization with international offices is helpful. The role will involve working effectively with BIT’s global communications team, based in London, UK.

Location & Compensation

Office Location: Brooklyn, NY

Type: Full time, 40 hours per week

Compensation: Starting salary of $80,000 - $90,000 per year plus benefits. 

Work Authorization: Candidates must already be authorized to work in the U.S.

Benefits include:

• 401k retirement plan, with 5% salary company match

• Platinum health insurance coverage

• 15 days annual leave, with the ability to purchase up to 10 more days per year

• Annual bonus based on group performance

• Professional development fund

• Weekly yoga classes

• Weekly team lunches

• Mobile phone allowance

• Relocation package

• Generous parental leave

BIT is partially owned by our employees. We strive to provide a supportive work environment where you can develop your skills and knowledge in this fast-evolving field. We offer flexible working arrangements and other policies to support the health and wellbeing of everyone on the team.

The Behavioral Insights Team is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and is determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favorable 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.