The Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) is looking for an exceptional candidate to become the General Manager of its New York City Office, based in Brooklyn. This is a large and varied role and provides a lot of scope for growth. As the General Manager you will report directly to the Senior Vice President and Head of BIT North America and have a reporting line into the BIT Head Office in the UK.

You will be responsible for implementing and maintaining business processes across all back office functions and take the lead for human resources, finance, payroll, project management, contracting, legal and compliance matters. Over the coming 18 months the office is expected to double in size and you will lead and support this growth directly. You will manage recruitment and induction arrangements, support bids for new work and ensure that the company is compliant in its statutory obligations as it expands. You will also lead the monthly financial reporting and take responsibility for banking and treasury for the office. This role presents an excellent opportunity for a proactive and accomplished individual who can grow with it and who has experience working in a varied managerial role. You must have excellent interpersonal skills, an eye for detail, be confident in dealing with new situations and be able to deliver work to tight and often competing deadlines.

BIT was created by the UK Prime Minister in 2010 with a remit to apply insights from the behavioral sciences to public policy in the UK. In February 2014 we became a social purpose company and have expanded considerably to meet the high levels of demand for our work in the UK and increasingly overseas (in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the USA). We want to make the world a better place for the people who live in it by making sure that public money is well spent and that governments are able to design and deliver policies and services that get the best for their citizens.

Roles and Responsibilities

The General Manager will responsible for managing the day to day operations of the North American business and will implement and support the expansion plans. You will be accountable to both the Senior VP and the Head Office (UK) Operations lead and will be supported by a local Office Manager, also based in the Brooklyn office. You must be details orientated and skilled in project management, adept at working with a variety of stakeholders (notably clients, government officials, academics, suppliers, contractors and team members). You should also possess the ability to work across a range of different operational areas, listed below. You will need to be highly organized and be good at prioritizing and keeping multiple tasks in mind at once, will show great initiative and will be enthused by what we do.

Broadly, you will work across the following areas and duties will include (but not be limited to):

Project Management

• Monitor and manage project pipeline, project performance and delivery on at least a monthly basis. You will also ensure that there is compliance with company-wide quality assurance processes at various stages of projects;

• Support team leaders by monitoring monthly performance and utilization rates, bringing issues to the attention of the Senior VP and supporting and intervening when appropriate;

• Support the delivery of work on time and on budget by working with project managers to monitor delivery against contractual agreements and by driving a timely invoicing process to mitigate cash-flow risks; and

• Keep abreast of the different policy areas in the USA office, drawing out opportunities to collaborate and support collaborative working practices.

Legal, Contracting and Compliance

• Collaborate with the UK office to ensure that business processes in the US are taking advantage of existing structures and able to fulfil reporting requirements for the overall company;

• Take responsibility for overseeing all commercial contract preparation and maintenance of files, seeking legal advice and counsel when appropriate;

• Ensuring that the Company is complying with all statutory obligations, drawing on expert advice when needed (in particular employment legislation, tax and data compliance); and

• Dealing with any internal or customer complaints or issues as they arise, seeking appropriate counsel when required.

Human Resources

• Work with the Senior VP to execute plans to expand the office over the next 18 months by actively planning and managing recruitment campaigns;

• Preparing offer letters and contact documentation, ensuring that all relevant checks and paperwork is completed;

• Ensuring that the payroll and 401k scheme is well managed and that checks take place every two weeks;

• Provide support and advice to managers on any low level HR issues and performance management, working with the Head Office HR team for any complex issues;

• Work with the management team to develop plans for building capability in the office and ensuring smooth and useful on-boarding for all new hires; and

• Manage staff reforecasts and succession plans with the Head Office.

Finance

• Produce accurate invoicing reports each month, ensuring that debtors are chased and any issues with clients or suppliers are escalated, as appropriate;

• Dealing with any transfer pricing and inter-company issues on a monthly basis;

• Reviewing the monthly accounts, drawing on expertise from the Head Office, as appropriate;

• Overseeing the implementation of new finance systems into the USA office over the course of the next financial year;

• Take responsibility for banking in North America, ensuring that bank accounts are operated in line with the delegations scheme;

• Management of annual audit process; and

• Developing internal processes across the back office (notably in financial and management) and maintain these to support timely decision making and effective leadership.

General Management

• Work with the Senior VP and team leader to develop business strategy in line with the global BIT strategy;

• Take responsibility for special projects (for example the expansion of work into different states / Canada), managing all aspects as required;

• Take a lead for managing risk across the office, working with the Head Office, as appropriate;

• Manage the Office Manager to deliver day to day support for the office, ensuring that a quality service is provided;

• Make plans for the expansion or operational support in line with the growth plans of the office; and

• Other ad hoc managerial tasks.

Experience

We are looking for candidates with experience in the following areas:

• Significant experience in a business operations or project management capacity, preferably with at least two years in a small company or start-up;

• Ability to demonstrate at least one significant area of expertise (project management, HR, Finance, Legal/Compliance)

• Strong stakeholder management, negotiation and communication skills;

• A track record of establishing and maintaining business processes that ensure the health of the business;

• An understanding of audit and financial requirements for businesses;

• A passion for business and operations; and

• The ability to engage those without a business background in business processes successfully.

You will also need to demonstrate a willingness to be flexible and involve yourself in ad-hoc work that may require you to develop new skills.

• Date of posting: 29th September 2017

• Close of Applications: 16th October 2017 at 9am EST

• Interviews and assessment tasks will take place: Early November 2017

• Please ensure that you meet the requirements for the role before applying.

• Please note that applicants must be authorized to work in the US and The Behavioral Insights Team is not able to provide visa sponsorship for these opportunities.

• The Behavioral Insights Team is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances.