Part time or full time

One year fixed term contract

Salary range: £25,000 - £35,000 pro rata per annum, plus benefits

Based in Westminster

The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) is looking for an exceptional candidate to join our Research and Evaluation team in London. The Research and Evaluation Team works with each of our policy teams to test the impact of behaviourally informed policies in the UK and overseas. The successful applicant will support the lead qualitative researcher to design and conduct in-depth qualitative research across diverse policy areas as well as to contribute to BIT’s growing qualitative research function.

The Prime Minister created BIT in 2010 to apply behavioural science to public policy in the UK. In February 2014 we became a social purpose company, owned by the Cabinet Office, Nesta (an innovation charity) and our employees.

The Behavioural Insights Team works with governments around the world in almost every area of Government policy. Whilst the subject and output of our projects varies considerably, there are common threads: we try to understand the contexts in which their people make decisions; we notice small details; we find out what has and hasn’t worked before; and we measure everything we do as robustly as we can.

The company today spans four continents but has the same relaxed and non-hierarchical office culture as it did when it was a team of just eight employees. Though our origins are from within the UK government, staff at BIT today come from countries across the world. We regularly eat lunch together; play sport; and socialise outside of work time.

As well as displaying professional excellence, BIT selects staff according to our company values. All our staff believe passionately in always prioritising social impact; empiricism and humility; fresh thinking, collaboration; and public service.

The Research and Evaluation Team works with each of our policy teams to test the impact of behaviourally informed policies in the UK and overseas. The output of this work helps to define how governments and international organisations – like the World Bank and the UN – respond to some of the most crucial policy challenges of our time.

The research team is at the forefront of a revolution in evidence based policy, conducting randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in fields ranging from health, to energy, to charitable giving and employment. A crucial component of this work is capturing in-depth qualitative data which can help us understand if the intervention has been implemented as intended, why it may or may not be effective and the first hand affect upon the recipients. We use qualitative research extensively in the development and/or selection of interventions for randomised trials and there is a growing number of standalone qualitative projects which help us understand and contextualise complex issues.

The team, which leads the design, implementation and their analyses, is responsible for ensuring the rigour of research is kept to the highest possible standard, while ensuring it continues to have a social impact. Few organisations offer the opportunity to work on as wide a variety of research as the Behavioural Insights Team. This role will suit a candidate with a background in psychology, anthropology, sociology or qualitative research methods.

• Experience in designing and conducting robust qualitative research or evaluations
• Experience in processing, coding and analysing qualitative data
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (and will be able to translate academic work to non-academic audiences)
• A clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies, including those that (s)he is not an expert in.

Finally, it would be desirable if you have:

• Experience conducting research on sensitive topics and/or with vulnerable groups and young people
• Experience in handling large data sets
• Experience using software packages for qualitative analysis (e.g. Nvivo or Dedoose)
• Holds a Masters or could be working towards a PhD in a relevant subject area (including, but not limited to behavioural science, public policy, economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, education or evaluation methods)