Consultant

A little bit about us

The Decision Lab is a socially-conscious applied research firm. We provide consulting services to some of the largest organizations in the world, carry out research in priority areas and run one of the largest publications in applied behavioral science. In the past, we have helped organizations such as the Gates Foundation, Capital One and the World Bank solve some of their thorniest problems using scientific thinking.

EXAMPLES OF THINGS WE DO

• Our collaboration with the World Bank – on incentive frameworks for knowledge sharing
• Our work with Capital One – a study we did on helping Americans undo the effects of stress on financial decisions.
• Our insights – we are one of the largest publications in applied behavioral science
• Our biases – we provide resources for organizations to learn about how behavioral science works

Why this role is important for TDL

We started The Decision Lab because we saw a fundamental gap between behavioral science theory and application. The Consultant role is at the front line of bridging this gap. This means that we look for bright, capable and curious candidates with a strong grasp of behavioral science concepts (from the point of view of behavioral economics, psychology, neuroscience, sociology, etc.) who have a thirst for translating evidence (be it desk research, experiments or analytics) into practical and valuable solutions and content for private clients or public consumption.

Why this role is great for you

The Decision Lab is a place where you can learn to use evidence-based approaches to solve diverse & complex challenges. You will work alongside intelligent & free-thinking colleagues who lead with optimism, pragmatism and empathy. Rather than reusing the same behavior change frameworks, TDL develops custom solutions – this means that in addition to being evidence-based, your role will be fundamentally creative and you will have the opportunity to evolve and express your thinking in the work you do. Our team members help and empower each other and we have a rich set of tools and frameworks that you will be exposed to, but you will ultimately be responsible for your work – past hires tell us they are surprised to what extent they are able to take intellectual ownership of the projects they work on.

What you’ll be working on

• Uncovering and challenging client assumptions, intuitions and prior knowledge
• Performing desk research, data analysis and stakeholder interviews to understand and document the project context
• Finding and synthesizing relevant research across behavioral science-related fields
• Leveraging established frameworks to better understand the precursors of the targeted behavior
• Adapting proprietary and third-party data gathering instruments to uncover barriers associated with these precursors
• Conducting randomly controlled trials in both laboratory and field settings
• Generating hypotheses and validating them through targeted fieldwork
• Analyzing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative findings to answer core questions
• Prioritizing findings and distilling key insights by collaborating with other consultants and directors to produce client-facing deliverables
• Presenting findings to internal and client stakeholder groups
• Producing reports that highlight key insights in user-friendly ways
• Participating in project pitches, guiding Associates and others in performing the necessary research
• Collaborating with the content team to support publication efforts

What we are looking for

We are looking for a candidate with professional experience in management consulting, behavioral science or psychology, or an MSc. in a related field.  Key attributes of the ideal candidate include:

• Experience: 2+ years experience in a top management consulting firm or in a boutique firm at the intersection between strategy, psychology and consulting and have demonstrated repeated successes in connecting these worlds; familiarity with behavioral economics concepts (biases, heuristics, frameworks) is a plus
• Analytic Rigor: You have an obsession with data and are keen on using rigorous testing to decide what the right course of action is rather than relying on intuition; good grasp of qualitative and quantitative methods, experimental design and statistics is a plus
• Design Thinking Mindset: You are able to move your ego aside and understand that the most successful solutions are not based on ideology but on a combination of empathy, pragmatism and evidence-based iteration
• Business Sense: You are a holistic, strategic thinker who constantly connects the dots between ideas, problems, organizations, and how ethical & sustained impact can be achieved; strong verbal & written skills are a must
• Culture: You are an independent thinker comfortable working in an often ambiguous and dynamic environment

About the role

• Type: Both permanent and contractual positions available (6m)
• Work general takes place on-site at our sunny Saint-Henri office – we’re located 5 minutes from downtown, overlooking a canal, have the best coffee in the city and access to kayak & bike paths
• Possibility of remote work until Covid-19 situation is resolved (or on a permanent basis if required for the right candidate)
• Seniority level and responsibility for this role scale based on candidate experience, on a case-by-case basis.

Applications Instructions

Do you feel like this role is right for you? If so, please apply through this link.

About The Decision Lab

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Decision Lab is an equal opportunity employer; applicants are considered for all roles without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, marital, parental, veteran or military status, unfavorable military discharge, or any other status protected by applicable law.

OUR VALUES

As a social enterprise, we have a deep-rooted belief that better decisions make a better world. However, improving decisions is a messy and difficult thing. For this reason, we have laid out a clear set of criteria for what constitutes good work. Our approach is inspired by many of the organizations and individuals we use as role models.

We believe that a good approach to creating social impact is SPICE: Socially conscious, Pragmatic, Inventive, Catalytic and Evidence based. We use these criteria to evaluate ourselves, our work, the clients we choose to take on and the people we make part of our team. Read more about SPICE below:

Socially conscious

We create positive and fair outcomes for individuals, organizations and societies.

The outcomes that societies want to achieve are constantly being discussed and revised, always a work in progress. They are not defined from the outset or from the outside. For these outcomes to be sustainable, they must integrate societal, environmental and economic dimensions.

Pragmatic

We develop solutions that are practical, effective and attainable.

We are deeply committed to bringing our ideals to life. To do so, we let the problem be the guide for our attention. We are agnostic regarding approaches and dispassionate in our assessment of candidate solutions. This unwavering focus on the problem allows us to employ the full range of tools at our disposal, deploying the right ones for each context.

Inventive

We develop solutions that are not constrained by the current reality.

When no existing solution is adequate to the problem at hand, we must move from curation to creation. Success in these contexts requires a commitment to exploration and an openness to inspiration.

Catalytic

We develop solutions that spark rapid transition to a new paradigm.

When we reach a tipping point, a small nudge sparks a change from one equilibrium state to another. By starting small and iterating quickly, we manage the change in a deliberate and responsible manner, ensuring that the catalytic reaction is positive when unleashed at scale. We can also help manage the journey to the tipping point, creating pre-conditions for catalytic projects to take off.

Evidence-based

We develop solutions that use evidence as a compass.

We are deeply committed to using evidence to guide our actions. We build evidence in-house through robust experimentation, and integrate our findings into a wider body of knowledge, coming from many people and many places. This cohesive landscape of insights allows us to triangulate the best course of action.