Innovation Consultant - Established Behavioural Scientist in Cambridge

About Innovia Innovia Technology makes innovation breakthroughs happen for the world’s leading companies. We solve complex innovation challenges and create new opportunities so our clients can outperform competitors and change the world for good.

The Opportunity Deeply knowledgeable about human behaviour and ready to deliver real‑world impact for clients? We have a mid‑level consulting role that is suited to candidates who are looking to broaden their professional experience, taking on client and project responsibility. What’s different about a role at Innovia is that you won’t join an isolated behavioural science department, but instead will jointly own complex problems with colleagues of a wide range of backgrounds — from product design to veterinary medicine, theoretical physics, plant science, engineering, business strategy, and many more. Consultants at Innovia work at the front‑end of innovation — ideation, experimentation, concept testing, prototyping, and idea development. While experience in managing innovation projects is not a prerequisite for this role, we look for someone with the motivation to take full ownership of complex multidisciplinary innovation projects and the ability to take ownership of substantial tasks.

Key Responsibilities

• Apply behavioural science expertise to solve innovation problems across a wide range of sectors.
• Structure ambiguous problems using analytical and creative thinking to generate and evaluate early‑stage ideas aligned with client objectives.
• Contribute to our primary research capabilities: planning studies, analysing and interpreting data.
• Contribute behavioural insight to projects through pragmatic application of behavioural theory and existing evidence.
• Collaborate closely with consultants from different fields, integrating perspectives and contributing to shared problem ownership.
• Take on project management responsibilities for innovation projects, with ownership increasing over time and support or training as needed. This involves planning, supplier and client liaison, team coordination, and day‑to‑day delivery.
• Work within defined ethical guidelines, applying appropriate standards of rigour to commercial project work.
• Contribute to selling new projects, including creating compelling proposals and work programmes, and embedding awareness of client‑business issues into project delivery.

The Candidate Essential Capabilities

• Postgraduate degree (PhD or MSc) in behavioural science, psychology, or a closely related applied field.
• Strong understanding of human behaviour and motivation, with curiosity about how behavioural insight can be applied in practice.
• Experience applying behavioural science in health, medical, technology, or related fields through prior roles, qualifications, or applied outputs.
• Some experience working in a clinical, industrial, or commercial setting.
• Experience designing and delivering quantitative and/or qualitative research appropriate to the problem context.
• Confidence using quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques (e.g. multiple regression, Bayesian analysis, thematic analysis), with judgement about appropriate levels of rigour.

Consulting and Commercial Capability

• Provided behavioural insight or advice to stakeholders to support decision‑making.
• Able to present insights and recommendations clearly to clients or internal stakeholders.
• Show awareness of commercial, regulatory, and organisational constraints and work within them.
• Broadly aware of sociopolitical issues impacting individuals, businesses and societies.

Collaboration and Ways of Working

• Work effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrate strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Motivated to engage with projects and sectors where behavioural science may not be the dominant discipline.
• Show curiosity, adaptability and a willingness to apply core principles pragmatically to unfamiliar problems.

Desirable Experience

• Addressing challenges within complex systems such as public or private healthcare.
• Providing professional services within health‑related or technology‑led organisations.

Important Practical Considerations

• Office attendance: hybrid working on Mondays and Fridays, with a new joiner expected to come to the office more frequently in the first few weeks for induction and stakeholder meetings.
• Remote working: not suitable for applicants who wish to work 100% remotely.
• Hours: full‑time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
• Role type: Permanent.
• Tech: primarily use Apple laptops.
• Right to work: must have the right to work in the UK at commencement.
• Visa sponsorship: may be available subject to Home Office eligibility.
• Confidentiality: maintain confidentiality at all times; cannot share detailed work publicly without agreement.

Benefits

• Free buffet lunch provided daily.
• Casual dress code.
• Innovation and consultancy training.
• True multidisciplinary working and collaboration.
• Closely integrated into project teams.
• Fully accessible office and adaptations to interview - tell us about your needs.
• Free parking and bike racks monitored by CCTV.