Senior Associate Behavioural Economics - FTC

Behavioural Economics Senior Associate – Fixed term contract until 31st March 2027

Division:
Economics Department:
Strategic Economics Salary:
National (Edinburgh and Leeds) ranging from £53,800 to £59,600 and London from £59,200 to £65,000 (salary offered will be based on skills and experience) This role is graded as:
Senior Associate – Regulatory

We regulate financial services firms in the UK, to keep financial markets fair, thriving and effective. By joining us, you’ll play a key part in protecting consumers, driving economic growth, and shaping the future of UK finance services.

This unit is focused on behavioural science, with recent work investigating gamification in trading apps, impact of crypto‑asset regulation on consumer decisions, and informing the communication of motor finance redress scheme. The Behavioural Insights and Policy Lab team produces behavioural insights and empirical analysis to understand consumer behaviour using online experiments or field trials, and applies these skills to solve internal challenges of the FCA.

• Develop and apply behavioural science research, analysis and practical tools to support policy development across financial services sectors.
• Design and evaluate behavioural interventions and experimental research to generate evidence that informs regulatory decision‑making.
• Translate complex behavioural insights into clear, actionable recommendations for both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Manage multiple work streams effectively, delivering high‑quality outputs to deadlines with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Provide behavioural science guidance, advice and training to colleagues, supporting broader organisational capability and impact.
• Collaborate with economists, data scientists and policy specialists in a multidisciplinary environment to address complex challenges.
• Contribute directly to improving consumer outcomes and shaping regulatory approaches through evidence‑based analysis and insight.
• Deepen expertise in behavioural economics within a high‑impact, intellectually stimulating environment while influencing the future of financial services regulation.

• Demonstrated experience of applying theoretical and empirical behavioural economics, experimental economics, economics, and/or psychology literature to real‑world issues.
• Experience of producing evidence to support policy making, for example gained through working in a regulator, government department, or a consultancy supporting such policymakers.

• Knowledge of experimental methods, including how to design, implement and produce findings from randomised controlled trials.
• Ability to code in R, or proficiency in another programming language (such as Stata or Python) and willingness to learn R.
• Comfortable with ambiguity, identify the most important policy issues or use cases, frame problems conceptually, structure and prioritise work to address these, and distil results to generate insight.
• Work effectively with and influence internal and external collaborators and stakeholders, developing and maintaining good working relationships.
• Seek to influence a range of decision‑makers, persuading with well‑reasoned arguments and challenging where appropriate.
• Experience in delivering behavioural research with strong project management skills, maintaining pace and quality of delivery.
• Ability to take initiative and juggle multiple small and large concurrent projects at the same time.
• Interpret and distil findings into impactful and policy‑relevant insights, particularly interpreting complex information for non‑expert audiences, both in writing or orally.
• Role‑model commitment to self‑awareness and learning.
• Build own supportive network and support others to identify effective coping techniques.

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid model where employees work a minimum of 40% in the office each month (expectation of 50% for senior leaders). From September, a minimum of 50% in the office each month (expectation of 60% for Directors and Executive Directors).
• Non‑contributory pension (8–12% depending on age) and life assurance at eight times your…