Senior Behavioural Scientist

Salary: Starting Salary £45,000 (Negotiable Dependent on Experience).

Potential for performance-based bonus.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Hybrid. Team members are expected to work from our Chester office every Thursday and Friday, with additional flexibility for remote working and collaboration. We also have quarterly team meetups to foster team cohesion and innovation.

Travel: Some travel within the UK is required.

Company Overview

At SoMoCo, we harness data-driven insights and applied behavioural science to understand the drivers and determinants of human behaviour. Our insights guide the design of strategies and interventions capable of achieving measurable behaviour change. We take pride in our track record of delivering impactful results and are dedicated to cultivating a working environment where the best minds will thrive.

We are seeking talented people who not only excel in their functional field, but who are driven by curiosity, innovation and purpose. Our people are our greatest asset – collaborative problem-solvers who always seek to elevate each other and our work.

If you are an ambitious, high performer who is committed to pushing boundaries and achieving excellence within a collaborative and supportive team, we want you on our team.

As we continue to experience growth and expand into new markets, we are focused on strengthening our team to drive this momentum forward. This role is pivotal to that growth, and we are looking for people who can actively contribute to and excel in this evolving landscape. With growth comes opportunity and we need people who are ready to grow with us, embrace the challenges and play a key role in shaping our future.

Have a look some of our most recent projects at www.SoMoCo.co.uk/work

Job Description

As a Senior Behavioural Scientist, you will:

• Lead and Manage People and Projects: Oversee the delivery of complex behavioural science projects from inception to completion, ensuring alignment with defined outcomes, objectives, and timelines. Mentor and manage junior team members and associates to support their growth and development.
• Apply Behavioural Science Frameworks, Principles and Insights: Utilise advanced behavioural models and frameworks to conduct research and develop actionable strategies and interventions. Ensure all strategies and solutions are empirically tested to drive real-world impact.
• Empirically test, hypothesis and interventions to ensure that our strategies and solutions are not just theoretically sound but are capable of adding meaningful value in the real world.
• Client and Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with clients and stakeholders, effectively communicating complex behavioural insights in an accessible manner. Work closely with them to understand, clarify, and refine their needs and expectations.
• Contribute to Business Growth: Foster long-term relationships with existing and prospective clients. Identify new business opportunities, prepare compelling proposals, and participate in pitches to secure new contracts. Promote the business through articles, blogs and social media posts developing SoMoCo’s reputation in thought leadership.
• Research and Development: Stay abreast of the latest developments in behavioural science. Contribute to the company knowledge base through research, writing thought pieces, and participating in professional forums.

Key Responsibilities

• Applying advanced behavioural science frameworks and methods to complex real world problems and client projects.
• Designing and implementing behavioural science strategies, interventions and research.
• Analysing complex behavioural data to extract meaningful insights and inform strategies.
• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews and synthesise scientific research to inform project strategies and evidence-based solutions.
• Producing and delivering impactful reports, presentations and publications tailored to various audiences.
• Act as a trusted advisor and liaison to clients, building relationships and translating behavioural science into strategic recommendations and help guide their decision-making processes.
• Agile project programming and management of delegated projects including regular client liaison and day-to-day support to ensure timely delivery of high-quality outcomes.
• Lead, mentor, and develop junior and mid-level team members to enhance both individual and team performance, and foster a culture of continuous professional learning and growth.
• Contribute to business growth by building client relationships, identifying new opportunities, developing persuasive proposals, driving innovative service offerings and enhancing our thought leadership through strategic content and social media.
• Develop and deliver training and workshops in behavioural science.
• Remaining open and flexible. As with any consultancy, there will be occasions when you are asked to take on other roles/tasks that are necessary to meeting client or operational needs.

Knowledge, Experience and Qualifications

Essential Experience:

• Postgraduate Degree or equivalent in Applied Behavioural Science, Behavioural Economics or related field
• Minimum of 4 years' experience in a commercial setting, ideally in a consultancy with involvement in various aspects of consultancy work
• Proven track record of leading successful behavioural science projects with evidence of client engagement and retention
• Demonstrable experience in applying behavioural science principles in campaigns, communications, interventions and strategies
• Strong expertise in applying behavioural science principles and frameworks to intervention design
• In-depth knowledge of nudge theory and practice and the ability to understand relevance of contextual moderators and the challenges in scaling or replicating solutions.
• Agile project management experience with proven ability to work to deadlines, meet targets and deliver high-quality outputs within scope
• Ability to explain and present complex theoretical and scientific concepts in simple terms appropriate to the audience
• Extensive experience in designing, facilitating and implementing workshops
• Ability to write clearly and concisely and unsure that messages have been understood and received
• Proven experience in direct line management, including leading teams, driving performance and mentoring junior and mid-level colleagues to achieve personal growth
• Proven ability to provide specialist advice to influence decision making and to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to influence outcomes such as services and delivery.

Desirable Experience:

• Ability to guide analysis of large datasets.
• Project management qualifications such as APMG Agile or PRINCE2
• Familiarity with project management tools such as Avaza or similar
• Experience of both private and public sector clients
• Research methods qualifications
• Competency in statistical analysis software (R, Stata, SPSS)
• Able to develop a strategy and identify gaps and weaknesses.
• Experience in designing research and evidence gathering to inform behavioural interventions and in evaluating the impact of behavioural interventions.

Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Proven organisation and coordination skills
• Strong ability to inspire and lead teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Ability to synthesise multiple sources of information into actionable insights.
• Proficiency in mapping insights to aligned behavioural levers and embedding these in intervention design.
• Experience in empirically testing hypotheses and the efficacy of behaviour change interventions.

Benefits

At SoMoCo, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Hybrid working: We want to give you the flexibility to work remotely for a certain number of days, so you can reduce your work commute and improve your work-life balance.
• Generous time-off: We want you to take time to recharge and enjoy life outside of work, so enjoy a competitive annual leave package of 33 days (inclusive of public holidays), increasing to 38 days after 3 years of service.
• Secure your future: We want you to build a comfortable and secure retirement, so benefit from our contributory pension scheme.
• Inclusive culture: We want you to feel valued and respected, so join a workplace that celebrates diversity from all backgrounds.
• Prioritising your wellbeing: We want you to feel supported and the best version of yourself, so we will invest deeply in your physical and mental wellbeing, including offering annual mental health and volunteer days.
• Meaningful impact: We want you to come to work happy and with purpose, so start each day knowing your work is contributing to meaningful change and outcomes that shape a better future for everyone.
• Private healthcare for peace of mind: We want you to receive top-tier medical care when you need it most, so we are trialling a one-year private healthcare subscription scheme.
• Monthly flex day: We want you to have some flexibility for personal commitments, so if you build up your time, take a monthly flex day without using your annual leave, offering flexibility while ensuring it does not disrupt team schedule or operations

Sound good? We think so too. Use your proactive mindset and behavioural expertise to make a real difference. Apply now and let’s shape the future together