Director of Behavioural Science
Our Future Health, United Kingdom
Job Description
About Our Future Health
Our Future Health will be the UK’s largest ever health research programme, bringing people together to develop new ways to detect, prevent and treat diseases. We are a charity, supported by the UK Government, in partnership with charities and industry. We work closely with the NHS and with public authorities across all nations and regions of the UK. Despite big improvements in healthcare in our lifetimes, today millions of people in the UK still live in poor health as they get older. Diseases like cancer, dementia, diabetes, and heart disease affect the lives of many people in our communities. Our goal is to create a world-leading resource for health research, to improve our understanding and spot the patterns of how and why common diseases start, so treatments can begin sooner and be more effective. Our plan is to bring together 5 million volunteers from right across the UK who will be asked to contribute information to help build one of the most detailed pictures we have ever had of people’s health. Researchers will be able to use this information to make new discoveries about human health and diseases, so future generations can live in good health for longer.
As the Director of Behavioural Science at Our Future Health, you will work closely with the Chief Behavioural Scientist to build the Behavioural Science Team, bringing behavioural insights across the organisation. To be successful in the role, you will need to work closely and effectively with the Platform and Products team, Communications team, Study Operations team, and other teams on a range of activities. Leading other members of the Behavioural Science team, you will contribute to the successful recruitment of participants to the research programme via a range of activities, including by informing the design of products and procedures (e.g. invitations, questionnaires, consent processes, and other public-facing materials), and other activities such as public attitude tracking. As a result of your human-centred approach to intervention development, potential and actual participants will make more informed choices about participating, as well as about receiving personal genetic and non-genetic health-related information. You will also apply behavioural science methods to the offer and return of personal health related information, including the communication of risk and uncertainty. A further aim of this role is to lead in the application of behavioural science methodologies and approaches across the organisation, including testing, learning and adapting products and processes during the pilot and main phases of participant recruitment.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Lead on the design and implementation of behavioural science research using quantitative methods (e.g. surveys) and qualitative methods (e.g. interviews, focus groups) to inform the design and evaluation of the research programme during the pilot and main phases
- Bring behavioural insights to the development, design, delivery and implementation of processes and products to provide participants with personal genetic and non-genetic health-related information arising from the research programme
- Lead a team working to ensure the robust and accurate reporting of the pilot study outcomes and successful recruitment to the main phase of the research programme
- Engage with and involve people from underrepresented ethnic and socioeconomic groups to inform the design, implementation, and recruitment into the research programme
- Apply behavioural science methodologies to support the development and evaluation of questionnaires
- Contribute to the development of public-facing and participant-facing information and resources
- Lead work on e-consent that is informed by an understanding of human behaviour
- Conduct and write up literature reviews and syntheses of relevant research
- Commission suppliers of services on behalf of the organisation, e.g. to gain behavioural insights and design behaviourally informed products and processes
- Support the Chief Behavioural Scientist in the development of the ongoing team and organisational objectives, strategy and planning
- Line manage members of the behavioural science team
- Deputise for the Chief Behavioural Scientist where necessary or appropriate
- Act as an ambassador for the organisation with external stakeholders, including in academia, to raise awareness of the project, consult with stakeholders and promote Our Future Health
- Advocate for ‘the human at the centre of everything’ that Our Future Health does
Requirements
Qualifications, experience and knowledge
Essential:
- PhD in psycholog