Careers

We seek inquisitive, resourceful, analytical individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit. A passion for understanding human behavior, pursuing innovation, and promoting the social good is critical, but prior expertise or training in behavioral science or psychology is not required. At ideas42, all team members play an active role on multiple projects across several domains, and make significant contributions to the development and structure of the organization. All positions provide a pathway to more senior roles within ideas42 and are excellent preparation for a wide range of roles in both the private and public sectors.

Current Openings

Managing Director, Global Development
Location Flexible; can be based in the U.S. or other regions where we work (e.g., sub-Saharan Africa)

Chief Executive Officer
New York, NY

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Are you hiring? We recruit Associates and Senior Associates in cycles. If there are no current postings, we don’t have any open positions at the moment but check back the following September. Are you accepting internships? At this time we are not accepting applications for internships. Please check back later. How do I submit an application? Fill out our online application. In addition to some demographic information, you will be asked to upload a resume and cover letter and provide contact information for two references. What happens after I submit an application? You will receive an email confirming that we’ve received your application. Once your materials are reviewed, we will notify you of your application status. How long does the hiring process take? Timelines vary greatly depending on when you submit your application, but we strive to move all applicants through our process in a timely fashion. Candidates who pass the resume review will have one week to complete a written case study. Candidates who pass the case study will be invited to interview (in person or via Zoom) with a member of our Senior Team. Candidates who are recommended at that stage will interview with one of our Executive Directors for a final hiring decision. If I’ve applied in the past, can I reapply this year? Yes. In your cover letter, please note any significant changes since your last application. Does ideas42 sponsor employment visas? At this time, ideas42 is not able to sponsor visas. Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of application. What are you looking for in a candidate? We seek inquisitive, resourceful, analytical individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit. A passion for understanding human behavior, pursuing innovation, and promoting the social good are critical, but prior training in behavioral science or psychology is not required. Which position should I apply for? Most Associates have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and 0-3 years of full-time work experience. Senior Associates typically have a Bachelor’s degree and 4-7 years of full-time work experience, or a Master’s degree and 3-6 years of full-time work experience. Vice Presidents typically have 7+ years of full-time work experience. Is there any way I can prepare for the hiring process once I’ve submitted my resume and cover letter? Deepen your understanding of our work by reviewing the materials highlighted on our resources page and exploring the ideas42 projects described on our website. I have additional questions. How can I find out more? Check our careers page to find out whether we’ll be hosting an info session near you or email us at careers@ideas42.org

Those who are successful in our application process usually have an understanding of the principles of behavioral science and a strong commitment to social impact. To learn more about behavioral science, we suggest you follow us on Twitter @ideas42. We also recommend the following multimedia resources:

Books

Videos

We encourage you to check out these videos by Richard Thaler, who is a member of our Scientific Advisory Board, and Sendhil Mullainathan, our co-founder.  

We conduct information sessions at a number of colleges and universities, as well as outside of the university setting. Our information sessions are designed to provide potential applicants information about ideas42 – who we are, our unique approach to solving social problems, and the opportunities available to join our team.   Would you like to schedule an information session in your area? Email careers@ideas42.org

 

What We Do

We’re a rapidly growing organization with a team of over 75 people working on more than 85 projects in the U.S. and abroad. We apply our expertise to a range of domains, including consumer finance, criminal justice, poverty alleviation and economic opportunity, health, higher education, and environmental conservation. Our work begins with re-conceptualizing problems, designing new solutions and testing them in the field, then finally scaling them up to reach millions of people. Examples of projects include:

  • Partnering with public universities to design and test behavioral strategies for increasing student retention and degree completion rates, such as an innovative mechanism for disbursing financial aid refunds at community colleges 
  • Working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a “behavioral audit” of the welfare system 
  • Partnering with some of the nation’s largest financial institutions to design and refine consumer-centered products such as prepaid credit cards, and help underserved individuals build a better financial future with improved tools for tracking their spending and managing debt 
  • Working with service and technical assistance providers to improve the quality of family planning and reproductive health services in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
  • Conducting executive education classes to teach senior-level executives

Diversity Statement

As an organization committed to bettering the world through behavioral science, ideas42 seeks to produce the best outcomes for the people touched by our work. We put a high value on hiring people with diverse experiences, backgrounds, and skills because we know that when it comes to solving hard problems with uncertain solutions, heterogeneous teams produce better work. In order to ask the right questions, we must engage in robust debate, empathetic inquiry, and rigorous analysis. These practices depend on a team with a wide array of knowledge, built through both formal training and lived experience. In constructing our team, we look for talented and hard-working people who share our mission and core values, and who can expand the perspectives and skills of the ideas42 team.

 

Our Team

Meet the people of ideas42

Learn

More behavioral science resources

Explore our Work

Our active and completed projects

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