Head of Behavioural Science

Location: National*

Closing Date: 22/03/2026

Interviews: week commencing 6^th March 2026 (this may be subject to change)

Grade 6

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary:

National £71,381 - £80,419
London £75,674 - £85,257

Working pattern: Full time, Part time, Flexible Working, Job share

Contract Type: Permanent

Vacancy number: 15392

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

We’re recruiting for a Head of Behavioural Science here at Ministry of Justice, to be part of our warm and collaborative Science Office.

Providing high-quality scientific advice and evidence is a core function of the Ministry of Justice Science Office. The Head of Behavioural Science plays a senior leadership role in ensuring that behavioural science is applied effectively, ethically and proportionately across the department.

This role leads the department’s behavioural science capability and shapes how behavioural science is understood, governed and deployed across policy and operational delivery. The postholder will ensure that behavioural science contributes demonstrable value, is grounded in robust evidence and evaluation, and is applied appropriately in complex justice contexts, including high-stakes and coercive environments and those involving vulnerable populations.

There are significant opportunities for behavioural science across the justice system, aligned to outcomes including protecting the public, reducing reoffending and ensuring access to justice. The postholder will provide professional leadership to ensure behavioural science interventions are credible, scalable and effective in real-world settings, and that limitations and risks are clearly understood by decision-makers.

The MoJ Science Office sits within the Data Directorate, and is led by MoJ Chief Scientific Advisor. We are the MoJ's centre of expertise for science, R&D strategy, foresight and emerging technology, ensuring that decision making across the justice system is informed by robust evidence, scientific thinking, and forward-looking insight. Our work brings together futures and horizon scanning, deep-subject specialism in natural and behavioural sciences, and the responsible application of new and emerging technologies to address current challenges and support long term, strategic decision making.

As a team we are collaborative, outward facing, and impact driven. We operate as an open innovation unit working closely with other government departments, the Government Office for Science, regulators, academics and industry partners to bring fresh thinking and robust insight into the heart of MoJ.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the programme of work required to embed behavioural insights across policy and operational challenges, prioritising effectively and building capability both within the Science Office and in teams across the department and its agencies.
• Lead end-to-end design and delivery of behavioural science projects on behalf of the Science Office using a ‘test, learn and grow’ approach; with clear criteria for stopping or scaling projects as appropriate.
• Establish and uphold clear ethical and professional standards for behavioural science, drawing on external frameworks and approaches as appropriate.
• Provide timely, robust and accessible behavioural science advice to policy and operational teams, as well as ministers and senior leaders.
• Develop a longer-term behavioural science strategy for the MoJ, working closely and collaboratively with the relevant professions across service design, analysis, forensic psychology and more to set a vision for what could be achieved and the steps we will take to get there.
• Lead engagement with behavioural science counterparts across government, academia and private sector to create a strong and trusted professional network, actively sharing MoJ successes and drawing on best practice and resource support from elsewhere in our wider behavioural science ecosystem.
• Lead a high-performing team within the Science Office and take an active role in the wider Science Office strategy and role in the department.

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Benefits

Person Specification

Essential

• Deep professional knowledge of behavioural science and behavioural insights, especially its application to public policy and government or similarly complex environments. Applying this knowledge should involve strong experience delivering behavioural science projects or interventions from end-to-end, and of using robust analysis to iteratively test and scale those with the greatest potential impact.
• Experience providing timely and clearly evidenced behavioural science advice to the most senior leaders in an organisation, taking into account competing viewpoints and wider complexities. Delivering this advice through others and drawing on wider subject matter experts as appropriate.
• Experience setting strategy, standards and longer-term vision for embedding behavioural science in an organisation, building capability by working openly and collaboratively with a range of stakeholder groups.
• Strong experience of building strategic, sustainable professional networks across disciplinary and organisational lines to drive delivery of shared objectives and continuously share learning and best practice.

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for SC.

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.

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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

How to Apply

Candidates must submit a CV and 750-word personal statement which describes how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement

Application Guidance

In MOJ, we recruit using a combination of the Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:

• Communicating and influencing
• Leadership

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held over Microsoft Teams.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based deep professional knowledge of behavioural science and behavioural insights, especially its application to public policy and government or similarly complex environments. Applying this knowledge should involve strong experience delivering behavioural science projects or interventions from end-to-end, and of using robust analysis to iteratively test and scale those with the greatest potential impact will be conducted before the sift.

When sifting applications, we’ll be assessing candidates based on the following criteria:

• Deep professional knowledge of behavioural science and behavioural insights, especially its application to public policy and government or similarly complex environments. Applying this knowledge should involve strong experience delivering behavioural science projects or interventions from end-to-end, and of using robust analysis to iteratively test and scale those with the greatest potential impact.
• Experience providing timely and clearly evidenced behavioural science advice to the most senior leaders in an organisation, taking into account competing viewpoints and wider complexities. Delivering this advice through others and drawing on wider subject matter experts as appropriate.
• Experience setting strategy, standards and longer-term vision for embedding behavioural science in an organisation, building capability by working openly and collaboratively with a range of stakeholder groups.
• Experience of building strategic, sustainable professional networks across disciplinary and organisational lines to drive delivery of shared objectives and continuously share learning and best practice.

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

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.

Terms & Conditions

Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk