Behavioral Insights Specialist

National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA)

Position: Behavioral Insights Specialist (Remote)

Background on NASWA

The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) is the national organization representing all 50 state workforce agencies, plus those in D.C., and the U.S. territories. These agencies deliver training, employment, career, and business services, in addition to administering unemployment insurance (UI), veteran reemployment, and labor market information programs. NASWA provides policy expertise, shares promising state practices, and promotes state innovation and leadership in workforce development.

Background on the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center, ARPA, and Behavioral Insights

NASWA operates the national UI Integrity Center. The Center serves as the core entity providing UI support services to states. NASWA has received additional grants from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), including those under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to expand its support to states to improve state operations, integrity efforts, and to help reduce UI fraud and improper payment rates (IPR). NASWA’s enhanced tasks include providing subject matter expertise, project implementation support, and facilitating knowledge of best practices to/among states.

NASWA Behavioral Insights provides behavioral science methods and expertise, evidence-based insights, and implementation to help state workforce agencies achieve better outcomes on challenging program problems. More than 20 states have expressed interest in collaborating and receiving support from NASWA Behavioral Insights for their grant-funded projects and other initiatives.

Overview of the Position

The Behavioral Insights Specialist (BIS) will primarily provide facilitative support for project planning, developing, and contracting for State Workforce Agencies’ (SWAs’) behavioral projects.

This position’s primary Behavioral Insights responsibilities will include:

• Drafting project Scopes of Work and Task Order Requests to solicit proposals from NASWA’s competitively procured pool of behavioral subcontractors,
• Collaborating in the development of contracts and subcontracts related to states’ projects,
• Facilitating the procurement process with SWAs,
• Drafting project budgets and data-sharing agreements,
• Serving as the primary administrator for NASWA Behavioral Insights’ secure data server and document-sharing platform,
• Developing project tracking spreadsheets and reports, and
• Reviewing vendor reports and invoices and assisting in the development of NASWA Behavioral Insights and ARPA team reports.

Additionally, the BIS may create internal resources and processes for improving internal team efficiencies and for project coordination and tracking. Further, working closely under the direction of Behavioral Insights management, the BIS will assist with strategic planning, helping to shape overall team direction.

Secondarily, the BIS will provide Behavioral Insights subject matter expertise and project support to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). Support to states may range from conducting qualitative or quantitative research, to reviewing and providing recommendations or revisions of communications, processes, and systems, to behavioral diagnosis, quality assurance reviews, and intervention design. The BIS also may help to plan, curate, and/or develop original content for the Behavioral Insights Toolkit.

The BIS also may provide support to the NASWA’s ARPA projects, which may include supporting State Engagement and NASWA ARPA staff by assisting with ARPA project reports, the planning and implementation of projects, tracking project deliverables, and recommending appropriate metrics for project impact.

• Collaborate with NASWA project leads including NASWA’s State Engagement manager and state points of contact to develop the full operational vision for states’ behavioral insights projects.
• Develop Scopes of Work and Task Order Requests for NASWA’s competitively procured pool of behavioral subcontractors that articulate this vision.
• Draft project budgets to ensure projects will be appropriately resourced.
• Assist in the drafting of contracts for behavioral projects.
• Facilitate procurement process with SWAs for behavioral projects.
• Draft data-sharing agreements with states and subcontractors. Serve as the primary administrator for NASWA Behavioral Insights’ secure data server and document-sharing platform.
• Develop and maintain tracking spreadsheets for behavioral projects and assist with the same for ARPA projects.
• Assist in the development of monthly and quarterly reports and other reports, as requested.
• Assist in the review of vendor reports and invoices.
• Collaborate with Behavioral Insights project staff and other NASWA colleagues in supporting states’ ARPA projects, participating in planning and brainstorming meetings and conducting quality control reviews.
• Provide behavioral subject matter expertise and technical support for NASWA and/or SWA staff for short-term (e.g., guidance offered in a single email or single meeting) and long-term (e.g., state projects, curriculum development) efforts.
• Collaborate with the Behavioral Insights Project Director on project and strategic planning; researching and recommending ways to better serve SWAs; and expanding Behavioral Insights educational and resource offerings on the use of behavioral insights in SWAs.
• Assist in the planning, curation, and development (research and writing) of relevant resources for the Behavioral Insights Toolkit to ensure that it effectively serves its community of users and stays fresh and relevant.
• Create internal resources and processes for the Behavioral Insights project.
• Assist with the preparation of required summary reports for NASWA’s funding agencies.

Education

Required

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with primary coursework or at least one year of work experience in behavioral insights, behavioral science, behavioral or experimental economics, psychology, or related discipline.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in one of the above-named disciplines, or more than one year of work experience in behavioral insights, behavioral science, behavioral or experimental economics, psychology, or related field.
• Prior work experience in grant or contract writing and reporting.

Competencies

Required

• Experience with applied behavioral insights and how it can help solve complex problems in government programs.
• Strong writing skills with fluency in English; ability to apply rules of composition and grammar; ability to convey meaning and relevance of concepts clearly and concisely to non-expert audiences.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office products, particularly Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage work on multiple projects at a time.
• Proven ability to work independently.

Experience

Preferred

• Prior work experience in using behavioral insights with government programs.
• Prior work experience with user experience, customer experience, usability testing, human-centered design, and/or plain language.
• Proficient with Smartsheet.

 Personal Qualities

• Uphold NASWA’s organizational values of integrity, diversity, flexibility, innovation, collaboration, and customer focus in approach to work.
• Work well independently and as a member of a team. As part of a small team, the successful candidate will need to be reliable, collaborative, and willing to take responsibility for elements of projects, meetings, and daily routines.
• Flexible and adaptable to manage work in a sometimes-ambiguous and often-dynamic environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills, respectful and professional demeanor toward colleagues, members of the Association, callers, stakeholders, and vendors.
• Ability to develop collaborative partnerships with colleagues throughout the organization, contractors/vendors, state and federal partners, and stakeholders.
• Effective time and task management skills, paying close attention to detail and keeping errors to a minimum.

Location:                     Remote position

Reports to:                 Director, Behavioral Insights

Position Type:           Full Time

Benefits:  NASWA offers competitive benefits including an exceptional health care package, 401(k) available at 6 months, educational assistance, a remote work stipend, plentiful time off, and other great options.

Travel: Minimal travel will be required around the country for conferences, meetings, or training.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

NASWA is an equal opportunity employer. NASWA does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, military status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by federal or District of Columbia law. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all facets of employment, including recruiting, hiring, employment, promotion, demotion, dismissal, compensation, and training opportunities.

Please send a cover letter and resume demonstrating experience meeting the job requirements and responsibilities to kswann@naswa.org no later than February 9, 2024.