Senior Behavioral Scientist

M+C Saatchi Group•Washington, DC

2h•$120,000 - $140,000•Hybrid

About The Position

M&C Saatchi World Services is a full-service marketing company renowned for using commercial advertising to solve the world’s toughest challenges. World Services is a specialty branch of M&C Saatchi Group, and we provide strategic communications, behavior change, and marketing support to Public Sector clients with special emphasis on the US Federal Government and State, Local, Tribal, & Territorial leaders. M&C Saatchi World Services US is seeking a Senior Behavioral Scientist to apply behavioral science, psychology, human factors, and sociological frameworks to understand how stakeholders make decisions, process information, and engage with federal programs within a large federal and DoD-aligned mission environment. This role analyzes emotional and cognitive drivers, behavioral barriers, communication patterns, motivation factors, and adoption challenges impacting mission effectiveness and program engagement. The Behavioral Scientist provides research-driven insights to inform modernization strategies, program communications, user experience enhancements, performance optimization, and change management across multiple mission areas. This role supports both qualitative and quantitative research, behavior-driven analytics, and strategic recommendations grounded in human-centered behavioral science. This is a hybrid role; however, the ideal candidate will live in the greater NYC area or the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region.

Requirements

Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
Excellent communication skills for conveying behavioral insights to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to synthesize complex psychological and behavioral factors into concise recommendations.
Strong interpersonal skills for conducting interviews and qualitative research.
High attention to detail and methodological rigor.
Strong knowledge of behavioral science frameworks, decision models, and motivational psychology.
Familiarity with qualitative research methods (interviews, observation, ethnography).
Experience with quantitative analysis, survey design, or behavioral data interpretation.
Understanding of human-centered design and human factors principles.
Experience conducting behavioral studies, qualitative/quantitative analysis, and user behavior research.
Experience supporting federal, DoD, or large enterprise programs.

Responsibilities

Analyze stakeholder behavior, motivations, emotional drivers, and engagement patterns using behavioral science methods.
Study cognitive and psychological factors influencing adoption of federal programs, communications, and digital services.
Conduct qualitative research (interviews, behavioral mapping, ethnographic studies) and quantitative research (surveys, behavioral datasets, pattern detection).
Identify behavioral barriers, friction points, and psychological drivers affecting program usage and mission outcomes.
Develop behavioral personas, decision-making models, and influence frameworks.
Analyze mission communications to ensure they align with behavioral insights and motivation science.
Produce research-backed recommendations to improve engagement, adoption, retention, and user trust.
Partner with product teams, UX designers, PMO staff, and analysts to align behavioral insights with program decisions.
Support A/B testing, pilot evaluations, and behavioral experiments to validate hypotheses.
Document research findings, behavioral models, and insights in reports, presentations, and briefings.
Track emerging behavioral science trends, tools, and methods relevant to mission operations.

Benefits

Competitive salary ($120,000-$140,000)
Family & parental support
12 weeks’ full pay for Primary Carers and 6 weeks for Secondary Carers (after one year of service; return requirements apply for subsequent leave)
Applies to birth, adoption, and surrogacy
Up to 10 days’ paid fertility leave per year (5 per cycle)
2 days’ paid leave for new grandparents
$2,500 annual interest-free parental loan
$6,000 interest-free fertility treatment loan
Healthcare & wellbeing
Three medical plans (HSA at $0 cost; EPO 75% employer funded; PPO 65% employer funded)
$0 employee-cost dental and vision
10 days’ health leave per year (mental and physical)
24/7 mental health support through Self Space
Wellhub subscription
Financial & practical support
401(k) match (3% after 3 months; 4% after 1 year)
Pre-tax commuter benefits
10 days’ paid military leave
Full pay for jury duty (state/city payments declined)
Uber/taxi home after 9:30pm
Time off & flexibility
23 days’ PTO (with 3 discretionary carryover days; CA/CO policies follow state mandate)
10 federal holidays, plus the day after Thanksgiving
Option to swap 2 federal holidays (excluding Thanksgiving and the day after)
Office closed between Christmas and New Year
10 days’ special emergency leave (including bereavement)
10 days’ volunteering leave (5 paid, 5 unpaid)
Half-day for blood donation
Work from anywhere for up to 2 weeks per year (subject to approval)
Culture & development
$300 annual cultural stimulation allowance (accrued monthly; available after 90 days)
Weekly Thursday happy hour
Mentorship and Buddy programmes