Director - Behavioural Science

Location: Brighton and Hove

We are looking to recruit a Director to help lead our growing Applied Behavioural Science team.

Thinks Applied Behavioural Science team combine scientific rigour with practical and creative design to influence the behaviours that matter most to our clients. We lead our own projects understanding, influencing and evidencing behaviour change for a wide range of public, private and charitable clients. We also work across Thinks and the AVENIR Group wherever behavioural thinking, methods or interventions can help our colleagues to deliver in a new or more impactful way.

You will help shape the growth of the team alongside the team lead and other senior colleagues, developing our offer and identifying opportunities to apply behavioural science to the challenges that matter most to our clients.

Key responsibilities:

We are looking for someone who:

• At least six years of relevant professional experience in applied behavioural science, research or consultancy, with strong evidence of directing projects and advising at a senior level.
• Deep knowledge of behavioural science and a commitment to keeping up with the literature. You can critically assess evidence, explain where a behavioural approach adds value and recognise its limitations.
• A track record of turning behavioural evidence into creative, practical interventions and actionable recommendations, with clear examples of the difference your work has made.
• Strong knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods, with the judgement to design and oversee appropriate research, intervention development and evaluation approaches. You can challenge methodological choices and assure the quality of work delivered by specialists.
• Substantial expertise in behavioural intervention design and/or experimentation, with the ability to lead projects that bring these disciplines together. You understand how to develop and test interventions and draw appropriately qualified conclusions from the findings.
• A proven ability to win work: identifying opportunities, developing client relationships and leading persuasive proposals (both the lengthy written public sector and the swift reactive private sector versions) and pitches. You have a network of clients, collaborators or advocates and can demonstrate how you have grown it.
• Confidence building trusted relationships with senior clients, understanding their wider context and communicating complex ideas clearly. You can lead workshops, present recommendations and handle challenging conversations constructively.
• Strong commercial and project management skills, including responsibility for project budgets, profitability, resourcing and suppliers. You can balance client needs, methodological quality and commercial constraints.
• Experience leading and line managing colleagues, delegating effectively, coaching others and supporting their development and performance.
• An entrepreneurial, collaborative and client-focused approach, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, intellectually stretching commercial organisation and work effectively across disciplines.

Successful candidates will require the legal right to work in the UK.

• Expertise across both behavioural design and experimental evaluation, including practical experience with prototyping tools such as Figma or analysis software such as R.
• Experience taking interventions from diagnosis and co-design through implementation and evaluation in real-world settings, working with delivery partners and suppliers.
• An established sector specialism or experience developing new services, partnerships or areas of business.
• Experience raising the profile of applied behavioural science through speaking, writing, training or collaboration with academic and practitioner networks.

This role is being recruited for by Thinks Insight and Strategy.

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