Project Leader

at  The Decision Lab

DESCRIPTION

Everything we do at TDL is guided by SPICE: Socially conscious, Pragmatic, Inventive, Catalytic, and Evidence-based. You can read more about us and our core values here.
We started The Decision Lab because we saw a fundamental gap between behavioral science theory and application. Our consultants are at the front line of bridging this gap. We are looking for experienced consultants to join our team at the Project Leader level. Qualified individuals will play a critical role in bringing forward-thinking solutions to our clients. Ideal candidates will have previous management consulting or project management experience and demonstrated leadership in growing client relationships, as well as in people and knowledge development.
We look for bright, capable and curious candidates with a good grasp of behavioral science concepts (from points of view that may include behavioral economics, psychology, neuroscience, sociology, etc.) who have a thirst for translating evidence into practical and valuable solutions.

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.

• Candidates that do not meet the experience criteria will be considered for the consultant role.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for a candidate with professional experience in management consulting, behavioral science or psychology, including demonstrated ability leading a project or team. Key attributes of the ideal candidate include:

• Experience: 3+ years of consulting experience (incl. 1+ years as a team lead) in a top management consulting firm or in a boutique firm at the intersection between strategy, psychology & consulting with demonstrated repeated successes in connecting these worlds; familiarity with behavioral science concepts is a plus
• Client Engagement: You have proven ability to manage client engagements & relationships and are often seen as a thought leader; you own responsibility for the quality of engagements; and your strong management and communication skills give you the ability to bring together stakeholders and persuade action
• Analytic Rigor: You have a high capacity for conceptual thinking and an ability to develop leading-edge frameworks for analysis that incorporate a variety of disciplines, but are also able to communicate complex ideas effectively; 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; you are eager to take initiative and to break new ground

ABOUT THE ROLE

• Type: Fixed-term contract
• 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
• Seniority level and responsibility for this role scale based on candidate experience, on a case-by-case basis.
• Contract Duration: This role is offered as a 3–6 month contract, depending on project needs, with the possibility of renewal if the project is extended or if new opportunities become available.

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.

• Candidates that do not meet the experience criteria will be considered for the consultant role

Project Leaders play a key role on client engagements – ensuring client needs are clearly defined, supervising activities throughout to ensure these needs are met, and maintaining alignment of expectations. Responsibilities typically include:

• Leading the day-to-day execution of a client project while guiding and developing individual team members (Associates and/or Consultants)
• Managing the client relationship and teamwork progress
• Taking ownership of the overall project and its end outputs/deliverables
• Overseeing the formulation of hypotheses for research and investigation
• Uncovering and challenging client assumptions, intuitions and prior knowledge
• Structuring research/experimentation plans and advanced analysis of data (though the actual analysis may be performed/supported by our data scientists)
• Applying knowledge of behavioral / decision science and business principles
• Developing realistic and actionable recommendations
• Preparing and delivering client presentations/reports that highlight key insights in user-friendly ways
• Providing status reports to senior TDL leadership, and overseeing project budget
• Playing a key role in the development and maintenance of high-level client relationships
• As needed, performing some of the tasks typically assigned to Associates / Consultants (e.g. analyzing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative findings; conducting stakeholder interviews; etc.)
• Participating in project pitches
• Doing all of the above in varied project contexts that may include topics ranging from relatively isolated research questions to cultural diagnostics, pricing optimization, or behavioral product development
• Possibility of collaborating with the content team to support publication effort