Behavioural Researcher

We are looking to recruit a Behavioural Researcher to join the growing Behavioural Team at Thinks. In our team, we combine scientific rigour with practical and creative design to influence the behaviours that matter most to our clients. 

This job is a unique opportunity to work with clients across the corporate, public and third sectors to apply behavioural science to a wide and exciting range of challenges. We find that these challenges most often cover four areas: driving sustainability, encouraging better financial and health decisions, and promoting inclusive design. 

We use a full spectrum of research methods, analysis techniques and strategic thinking tools to create behavioural interventions and behaviour changing ideas. Most of our work can be grouped under four broad headings:  

• Applying behavioural frameworks to primary research: We select and apply theoretical frameworks to the design, delivery and analysis of research. Supporting clients and colleagues across the business to explain and influence behaviour. 
• Behavioural consultancy: Sharing the literature, providing expert advice, training and review for our clients so they can take advantage of the latest behavioural science findings from academic, commercial and government sources. 
• Behavioural design: Developing behaviour change interventions (digital/physical/process), through creative ideations and application of behavioural science literature.  
• Gathering evidence about what works: Testing interventions through designing, running and analysing experiments (e.g. RCTs).  

We are part of Thinks Insight & Strategy. Thinks is a B-Corp founded in 2010 – we have over 80 colleagues today. In 2019, Thinks became an employee-owned business, ensuring that we all share in the company’s financial success.  

Thinks’ success to date is rooted in a number of factors:  

• We understand the wider context: We are known for our grasp of the social, cultural and political context. Clients come to us with challenges where identifying the right strategy relies on that broader knowledge and experience.   
• We build lasting client relationships: We build strong partnerships with our clients. It is why our clients stay with us, take us when they move organisation, and recommend us to their peers.  
• We are brave, agile and innovative: We have a reputation for taking on the most complex challenges with tenacity and creativity and delivering to a standard that exceeds client expectations.  
• We do great work: Challenging ourselves (and often our clients) to get the best and the most out of every project.  

But most of all, our clients praise the fantastic people in our business. We are a talented team with a strong culture: Life at Thinks is fast-paced, intellectually stretching and rewarding. We support one another and ensure everyone has opportunities to grow, pursue their talents and do work they are proud of.  

About the role  

Behavioural Researchers are enthusiastic and organised contributors in the early years of their careers. Your role will be to support delivery of a wide range of creative and impactful projects working with private, public and third-sector clients. This is a special role within Thinks as you will be joining the Behavioural Team as we go through an exciting period of growth, meaning that the role will have significant room for personal development as the team matures. 

You will work across the Thinks business in mixed teams, sometimes led by the Behavioural Team, sometimes by the other teams at Thinks. You will be expected to contribute right through our projects. This could include reviewing the behavioural science literature and contributing your creative ideas for its application, or planning and conducting qualitative research with support from senior colleagues. You might also be asked to draft and administer surveys, collaborate with colleagues to turn analysis into ideas for effective interventions and conduct experiments. You will be expected to contribute effectively during brainstorm sessions and in preparing presentations for clients. At Thinks, we often support other teams on other deadline-driven tasks.  

In this role you have opportunity to apply and develop specific skills and experience. This could involve turning a creative intervention idea into a designed prototype (using Figma/Adobe/etc), drafting a trial or research protocol, or conducting quantitative or qualitative data analysis. You will always be provided with the support and coaching of more senior colleagues to make sure you grow and learn as well as deliver great work.  

As the Behavioural Team grows, you will be given the chance to share in our success whether that is through training, promotion or other development funded by the team’s growth.  

Essential: 

• Entrepreneurial, client-focused and able to thrive in a fast-paced, intellectually stretching commercial organisation. 
• Passionate about behavioural science – you have a wide knowledge of the literature from study and constantly update it by reading the latest findings from a range of sources.   
• Confidence explaining where and when taking a behavioural approach is likely to be useful – and where it might not be. We are looking for a strong communicator to join our team who can explain the unique value our team offers to colleagues, clients and suppliers. 
• Ability to swiftly and creatively apply rigorous findings from the literature to propose novel intervention ideas – we will test this in the interview process. 
• Knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative research methods – confident and highly proficient in conducting a range of methods online and in person.  
• Strong project management skills – and ability to evidence where you have successfully delivered projects/managed suppliers to time.  

Desirable: 

• 1-2 years of relevant professional experience (this can include a mix with academic experience for those with PHDs) – and can provide strong evidence of contributions to previous projects (e.g. conducting research, designing behavioural interventions and/or designing and analysing experiments). 
• Hard skills in intervention design (e.g. with Figma) and/or experimental analysis with R, or as a bonus both! 
• Knowledge of process for systematic and semi-systematic literature reviews. 
• Experience in one of the various schools of user journey mapping, behavioural mapping, logic modelling and theory of change development. 
• Experience applying behavioural frameworks (e.g. COM-B, ISM) to both design and interpret exploratory research from qualitative to survey to data science. 
• Experience managing the delivery of experiments (e.g. RCTs) according to the trial protocol or design document, or managing suppliers to deliver to exacting requirements.

Our Offer  

• We offer a competitive salary starting from £30,000, commensurate with experience and expertise.
• Pension: After three months at Thinks, we will commence pension contributions equivalent to 8% of your gross salary into the pension scheme. 
• Bonus scheme: We reward individual performance through salary increases and promotions. Bonuses are paid out to reflect the performance of the company as a whole. Thinks is majority owned by an Employee Ownership Trust. This means that all colleagues can participate in any distribution of company profits. The Trust normally seeks to make a distribution twice each year, and colleagues receive a share proportional to their salary over the relevant period. As we are employee-owned, the first £3,600 of any bonuses within each tax year is free of income tax. 
• Holiday: 30 days per calendar year*.  
• 19 in 20 working days: Staff who opt into this policy are eligible for one additional day off every 4 weeks, this is on top of your annual leave allowance (*opting into this scheme is reflected in a 1.5 day reduction in your AL allowance). 
• Core hours: To support individual working styles and responsibilities we operate a policy of core working hours from 10am-4pm.   
• Notice period: One month.  
• Group insurances: Group Life Assurance cover from day one for all employees. After a successful probation period you will be eligible for cover under two our further group insurances (Group Life Assurance, Group Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover).  
• Private Medical Insurance: We offer private medical insurance through Vitality as a taxable benefit to all staff after a successful probationary period. Thinks Insight & Strategy will cover your premium, while you only need to cover the tax implications. 
• Parental leave policies: We offer generous, enhanced, and equitable maternity/paternity/adoption leave policies to all staff who have been with us for more than a year. 
• Sick pay policy: We offer an enhanced company sick pay for all staff following a successful probationary period.   

To apply, please send your CV and a covering letter (max 2 paragraphs) in one document, to careers@thinksinsight.com by 12pm Thursday July 31st.

Successful candidates will be required to provide proof of right to work in the UK.