Overview
Senior Behavioural Insight and Trials Advisor – Croydon – Ruskin Square
About the job
Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you’re seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
Customer Understanding and Behaviour (CUB) Team Overview
We are looking for a Senior Behavioural Insights and Trials Advisor to join our group of behavioural specialists in the longest established behavioural insight function in UK government. Our enthusiastic and supportive team is an international leader in applying behavioural insights to tax, savings, and financial decision-making.
We are a highly collaborative group, working with analysts and researchers in HMRC’s diverse and multidisciplinary Customer Understanding and Behaviour (CUB) team within the Customer Experience Directorate (CXD) to embed behavioural insight.
The other CUB teams are:
- Cross-Channel Analytics – Maximising cross-channel analysis to drive improvements to customer experience and HMRC services.
- Customer Insight and Immersion – Turning evidence and data into actionable insight leading to improvements. Building empathy and connecting staff to customers.
- Customer Lab – Timely, innovative, in-house research for service design and optimisation.
- Customer Research – Externally-commissioned research focussing on strategy and operations.
- Data Insight – Exploiting data and the latest innovations for analysis, to generate data-driven insights.
Job description
The Senior Behavioural Insight & Trials Advisor will work on a range of behavioural insights projects across different subject areas, including scoping, problem solving, behavioural diagnosis, intervention and evaluation design, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and reporting. The team functions like an internal consultancy, forming relationships with stakeholders and communicating results with influence and impact are core components of the role.
Person specification
The role can be adapted to the strengths and interests of the successful candidates.
Key responsibilities are likely to include:
- Independently leading complex behavioural projects in a timely and organised manner.
- Pro-actively identifying opportunities for behavioural trials and using your knowledge and influence to bring your ideas to life.
- Using theory, evidence, and primary research to diagnose behavioural problems and design and implement creative behavioural interventions.
- Running behavioural field evaluations, such as randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
- Designing and managing online surveys.
- Analysing data from evaluations and reporting the results.
- Building and maintaining excellent stakeholder relationships internally, externally, and sometimes internationally.
- Providing behavioural advice to address varied challenges across tax, savings, communications, and customer experience.
- Delivering clear and persuasive presentations and workshops to promote the application of behavioural insight across the business.
- Developing behavioural insight and research capability within CUB and HMRC more widely.
The successful candidate will be expected to work collaboratively with colleagues across CUB. This may include supporting or temporarily joining other teams within CUB and CXD to help deliver shared priorities, projects, and outcomes. For further information, contact the vacancy holder.
Essential Criteria:
- A degree in behavioural science or a related discipline, or significant relevant work experience. Related disciplines include psychology and cognitive science, as well as sociology, economics, political science, social research, or another degree with a substantial behavioural element.
- Strong understanding of behavioural insights theory and experience of applying it to address real-world problems.
- Experience turning insights into creative ideas for new interventions designed to bring about behaviour change
- Understand the ethical considerations of applying behavioural insights.
- Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, both in writing and verbally.
- Ability to effectively communicate behavioural insights concepts and results to a non-technical audience.
- Knowledge of evaluation methods and experience of using research methods to produce robust evidence.
- Applied knowledge of statistics.
- Ability to form effective stakeholder relationships and negotiate confidently with staff, including senior leaders.
- Experience planning and managing projects and delivering to deadlines.
Desirable Criteria:
Desirable criteria may be used to differentiate candidates with equal interview scores.
- We would be interested to learn if any of the following apply to you.
- Knowledge about tax administration or financial decision-making.
- Experience of creating engaging content using storytelling, visual design and digital platforms.
- Experience with any of the following software packages: Google Analytics, R, Qualtrics.
Transitional Sites
For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it’s important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.
These sites are:
- Benton Park View, Newcastle – moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage
Leeds Locations
Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRC’s Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.
Qualifications
A degree in behavioural science or a related discipline, or significant relevant work experience. Related disciplines include psychology and cognitive science, as well as sociology, economics, political science, social research, or another degree with a substantial behavioural element.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Presentation lasting no more than 5 minutes and will be on a relevant behavioural insight project that you have worked on. You will be expected to answer questions on your presentation.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £45,544, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £13,194 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name-blind CV including your job history, qualifications and previous experiences up to your last 3 roles – maximum of 750 words.
- A 500-word Personal Statement. Your personal statement should show how you meet the requirements for the role and the essential criteria.
Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at sift or interview.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Sift
At sift your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview, you will be assessed on Behaviours and Technical presentation. The presentation will last 5 minutes and will be on a relevant behavioural insight project that you have worked on. You will be expected to answer questions on your presentation.
Interviews will take place face to face at the Stratford and Leeds Regional Centres. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:
This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants – GOV.UK.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
