Head of Behavioral Science & Research, Psychometrician

A venture-backed technology company developing advanced behavioral assessment and decision-support tools is seeking a senior behavioral science leader to guide the scientific development, validation, and research strategy behind its platform.

The organization operates at the intersection of behavioral science, decision science, and applied technology. Its products combine structured assessments, behavioral modeling, and data-driven insights designed to help individuals better understand their motivations, preferences, and patterns of decision-making. These tools are used by individuals navigating complex questions about career direction, life priorities, and long-term decision frameworks.

The Head of Behavioral Science & Research will serve as the scientific leader responsible for ensuring that the organization’s frameworks, assessments, and behavioral insights are grounded in rigorous methodology and credible research traditions.

This role combines several responsibilities that are rarely found together in a single position:

• behavioral science research leadership
• psychometric assessment development
• applied research translation into product environments
• scientific publication and external credibility.

The position requires someone who is comfortable operating in both academic and applied contexts. The successful candidate will work closely with product, engineering, and leadership teams to translate behavioral theory into tools that can be deployed at scale while maintaining scientific integrity.

This individual will also shape the organization’s long-term research agenda, including validation studies, new assessment development, and external research collaborations.

Behavioral Science Leadership

• Define and lead the organization’s behavioral science strategy across its portfolio of digital assessments and decision-support tools.
• Ensure that conceptual frameworks, user insights, and behavioral models are grounded in credible research traditions within psychology, decision science, and behavioral economics.
• Establish scientific standards that guide product development and research activities across the organization.

Psychometrics and Measurement Science

• Lead the design and refinement of behavioral assessment instruments using modern psychometric techniques.
• Oversee item development, scale construction, factor analysis, and reliability testing.
• Design validation frameworks that measure construct validity, predictive validity, and measurement stability across populations.
• Develop norming strategies as assessment tools scale to larger and more diverse audiences.

Research and Validation

• Design and execute empirical studies evaluating the effectiveness and predictive value of behavioral assessment tools.
• Develop research protocols and oversee statistical analysis of behavioral data.
• Interpret findings and translate results into improvements in assessment design and user insights.
• Ensure that the platform’s behavioral models continue to evolve based on empirical evidence.

Product Collaboration

• Partner with product managers, engineers, and designers to integrate behavioral science into the platform’s digital user experience.
• Translate theoretical constructs into practical decision-support tools that are accessible to a broad audience.
• Contribute to the design of assessment feedback systems and behavioral insights delivered to users.

Scientific Advisory Role

• Serve as the organization’s internal authority on behavioral science methodology and evidence-based design.
• Review product concepts and behavioral models through the lens of empirical research.
• Provide guidance on how to distinguish robust behavioral insights from weak or unsupported claims.

External Research and Partnerships

• Build relationships with academic researchers, research labs, and applied behavioral science organizations.
• Establish research collaborations that strengthen the platform’s scientific credibility.
• Support the organization’s thought leadership through research publications and public presentations.

Education

• PhD in Behavioral Science, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Decision Science, or a closely related discipline from a recognized research institution.

Psychometric Expertise

• Demonstrated expertise in psychometric measurement and assessment development.
• Experience designing or substantially improving structured behavioral or psychological assessment instruments.
• Strong understanding of statistical techniques used in measurement validation, including factor analysis and reliability testing.

Applied Research Experience

• Experience translating academic behavioral research into practical tools, interventions, or products used in real-world environments.
• Backgrounds in applied behavioral science organizations, technology companies, research institutes, or consulting groups are particularly relevant.

Research Communication

• Proven ability to communicate research findings to both scholarly and non-specialist audiences.
• Experience writing research papers, reports, white papers, or similar publications.

Analytical Skills

• Strong quantitative and analytical capabilities.
• Experience working with behavioral datasets and research analytics tools.

Working Style

• Collaborative and intellectually curious.
• Comfortable challenging assumptions and advocating for evidence-based decisions.
• Able to operate in environments that combine scientific rigor with rapid iteration.

• Experience working within applied behavioral science teams, decision science labs, or technology research environments.
• Familiarity with behavioral economics, personality psychology, cognitive psychology, or related fields.
• Experience collaborating with interdisciplinary teams including product managers, engineers, and data scientists.
• Experience conducting large-scale behavioral experiments or longitudinal validation studies.
• Prior work involving behavioral assessment platforms, human capital analytics, or digital decision-support tools.
• Experience developing research partnerships with universities or external research organizations.
• Experience contributing to thought leadership through public writing, speaking, or research dissemination.