Contract position: Full-time position, for 12 months with the possibility of extension

Location: Remote, with a strong preference for candidates within UTC -/+5 time zones

Fee range: $5,000 – $6000 monthly. This is a contractor role, which means you will be responsible for payment of all income taxes, health insurance and any other remittances that may arise, including other obligations required in your place of residence. The fee range may be extended for candidates with significant additional experience/networks.

Travel: 10-20%, depending on project needs

Reports to: Individual Project Managers of Common Thread projects, with overall support and supervision from Human-Centred Design and Behavioural Science Leads

Start date: August/September 2024

Closing date for applications: 31st July 2024

Is this you?
Keep reading if you’re someone who enjoys finding solutions to the world’s toughest health problems. We are looking for a person with strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills with a passion for innovative research design and implementation to join our dynamic, globally remote team. You will have experience designing and/or conducting research projects within the field of behavioural science, public health and development – and translating those insights into opportunity. You love connecting the dots, and you can simplify complex ideas into compelling stories. Your approach to work is rigorous, positive, adaptable, and sparks joy for the team and our clients! If this sounds like you, there may be an opening with your name on it at Common Thread.

The Role

• Here’s some of the exciting things you can expect to do in this position
• Support the design and implementation of Common Thread projects (85%)
• Contributing to research development and processes from start to finish
• Defining research questions, developing qualitative and quantitative research tools, exploring the potential of different methodologies to meet client’s needs at onset of project
• Identifying key data requirements
• Conducting research, including primary data collection
• Conducting literature reviews and remote interviews
• Undertaking country visits and assessments in predominantly low and middle income countries (particularly Sub Saharan Africa) to support the project leads, according to project needs
• Analysing data and synthesising and presenting research insights from Common Thread’s research projects
• Organising, analysing and prioritising data collected to support project objectives
• Synthesising insights and developing presentations on key findings and action-oriented conclusions from data
• Preparing presentations on insights
• Translating research insights into design opportunities
• Providing design recommendations and advising on the creation of prototypes to test
• Developing user testing tools and protocols
• Supporting the facilitation of co-creation workshops
• Participating in internal team meetings and external client meetings
• Presenting key findings, design recommendations, etc.
• Facilitating collaboration sessions
• Supporting facilitation of capacity building sessions on behavioural science and human-centred design
• Project coordination and internal collaboration
• Facilitation of capacity building sessions on behavioural science and HCD
• Supporting project coordination where needed

Business development (10%)

• Identifying new projects, partners, talent or growth opportunities for Common Thread within the human-centred design, behavioural science or public health space
• Supporting the development of written proposals for Request for Proposals (RfPs), where relevant and needed
• Contributing to thought leadership: writing articles, doing speaking engagements, attending conferences, and internal presentations
• Networking within the behaviour change community, particularly in the health and social development space with a focus on partners in the Global South, to increase Common Thread’s network and expertise
• Support on any other tasks that contribute to Common Thread that are of interest, and are agreed upon with the core Common Thread team

Innovation and best practice (5%)

• Advising on latest thinking, tools and techniques including qualitative and quantitative research, human-centred design, behavioural science and ethnographic research
• Reviewing academic research and journals for relevant findings, innovation and tools
• Developing research tools and processes that are easily replicable

What we’re looking for
Here are some of the more essential things we’re looking for:

• 3-5 years experience conducting applied behavioural change research and interventions
• A strong background in consulting and/or project-based work in a fast-paced environment
• A degree in Public Health, Psychology, Behavioural Science, Anthropology or an equivalent mix of education, experience and training in the behavioural change/research field.
• International experience, especially in the Global South
• Proven ability to deliver client-ready work
• Experience with effectively managing tasks across multiple workstreams
• Fluency in English with excellent communication skills (both written and verbal)
• Expertise in workshop facilitation and design research processes
• Experience applying and testing behavioural science or human-centred design learnings to complex environments
• In-depth understanding of or demonstrated interest in behavioural science and design principles and their application to public health and development
• A high degree of digital literacy—you’re able to use and learn online collaboration and project management tools to effectively work with a remote team

Though not required, it would also be helpful if you are:

• Based in the Global South
• Knowledgeable about key public health issues
• Experienced with UN official languages
• Fluent in additional languages, in particular French or Spanish

We expect every member of our team to:

• Work as a “Manager of One”; you are highly independent and can build goals and execute on them independently
• Be driven by our mission and passionate about applying your skills and time towards improving the lives of others, particularly those who are most vulnerable
• Have a growth mindset—be curious, passionate about learning, and see feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow
• Champion our team values in your work at CT

Not-so-fun fact: Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalised folks tend to only apply when they check every box. Think you have what it takes, but don’t meet all the criteria? Please apply anyway. We’d love to talk and determine together whether you could be a great fit!

Common Thread is an equal opportunity company, and we value diverse voices, backgrounds, and perspectives on our team. We don’t discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or status as an individual with a disability.

What we offer

• Flexible working hours and location. You may design your hours, and work from a location of your choice, provided you are available during the company’s “golden hours” (12-4pm GMT)
• An annual bonus scheme for all full-time, 12 month contractors that can amount to up to 20% of your annual earnings, depending on individual and company performance.
  20 days of paid time off and 7 days of national holidays, based on your place of residence
• A management team that listens and responds to your needs—we generally offer one additional paid week during the December holiday season and last year we experimented with reduced summer hours (4.5 day week in July/August)
• A global retreat once a year, where we all come together in a beautiful part of the world
• If you stay with us for more than 1 year, you can also access:
  A Thrive Stipend paid annually to help cover the costs for something you feel could help you maintain your health, balance and vigour, or help you thrive at work, like a new laptop
• A Professional Development Stipend and paid time-off for professional development opportunities (after 6 months)
  Accrual of additional paid time off after 3 years of being on our team

Who we are
We are a curious and creative bunch of experts and innovators who share in the belief that a change in behaviour can change the world. We believe that human behaviour—however illogical—is never a fault or a flaw. It’s a feature. We seek to understand it. We see people as a critical, yet too often ignored part of successful health initiatives. Our clients include the world’s leading organisations in public health, international development, and philanthropy. By connecting behavioural insights with community insights, we design public health solutions rooted in the social and cultural minutiae of communities across the globe.

How we work
We’re a virtual company, based across multiple time zones and countries. All our team members are contractors who have the flexibility to choose where they live, though we try to ensure a core block of hours when everyone can be collaborating. Strong communication and collaboration skills are essential to success in this role! We search hard for creative team players who can work independently, but also collaborate with a talented team, learn together, and design powerful behavioural solutions that blend the best of HCD, behavioural science, anthropology, marketing and other disciplines.