BEHAVIOURAL SCIENTIST COMMUNICATIONS

City of Toronto; Toronto; On-site; CAD 105,000 - 161,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Toronto is seeking a senior leader to advance behavioural science across communications and digital strategy. You will oversee research, evaluation and campaigns, guiding teams and external consultants to deliver evidence-based messaging that supports city priorities.

You will apply advanced research methods, build stakeholder relationships, and present actionable insights to senior leadership. On-site role at City Hall with a focus on city-wide campaigns.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in Behavioral Science, Psychology, Public Policy, Human-Centered Design, or related field.
• Extensive experience with research, data collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting.
• Experience in designing and implementing rigorous evaluation methodology including randomized trials and advanced statistical techniques.
• Technical practice in theory, principles and methodologies of behavioural science.
• Specialized knowledge of related research in organizational behaviour, psychology or behavioural economics.
• Knowledge of statistical programming languages (R, Stata, Matlab, SAS, SPSS, etc.).
• Strong influencing, mediation and negotiation skills to gain support for initiatives.
• Understanding of public policy factors impacting program development and approvals.

Responsibilities

• Develops and leads behavioural science initiatives aligned with City priorities.
• Conducts qualitative and quantitative research to inform messaging and campaigns.
• Oversees budget planning and ensures expenditures stay within limits.
• Provides leadership to project teams and consultants to ensure high-quality delivery.
• Builds collaborative relationships across divisions to implement communications activities.
• Translates research into practical recommendations for communications professionals.
• Measures effectiveness of communications and adapts strategies to improve outcomes.
• Delivers briefings to senior leadership on issues impacting city operations and reputation.

Skills

Behavioural science

Research & data analysis

Evaluation methodology

Statistical programming

Policy & public affairs

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Master’s degree or higher in Behavioral Science, Psychology, Public Policy or related field

Job description

Salary Range: $105,241.00 – $160,649.00

• Job Category: Communications & Marketing
• Division & Section: Communications, Marketing, Comms & Digital Strategy
• Work Location: City Hall, 100 Queen St. W Toronto, ON
• Job Type & Duration: 1 Full-Time Temporary (18 month) Vacancy

• Shift Information: Monday to Friday, 35 Hours per week
• Affiliation: Non-Union
• Number of Positions Open: 1
• Posting Period: 19-Oct-2026 to 02-Nov-2026

Major Responsibilities:

• Implements detailed plans and recommends policies/procedures regarding program specific requirements.
• Conducts research into assigned area(s) ensuring that such research takes into account developments within the field, corporate policies and practices, legislation and initiatives by other levels of government.
• Provides input into and administers assigned budget, ensuring that expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations.
• Provides leadership in behavioural science and develops work plans for multiple projects.
• Oversees and provides guidance to project teams and consultants, including reviewing of work, to ensure successful delivery of the project goals, teamwork and high standards of work quality.
• Provides strategic advice and practical recommendations in the development and evaluation of corporate and divisional communications and campaigns for both the public and internal staff that are aligned with City-wide priorities, programs, services, initiatives and projects.
• Informs approaches and execution of various confidential communications plans, including strategies that protect and/or enhance the City¿s reputation by applying behavioural research and insights, human-centered design and evidence-based strategies.
• Provides senior leadership with behavioural based information about a broad range of issues that are critical to the effective operations of the organization by researching and analyzing issues and delivers recommendations that impact communication strategies and key messaging to address desired outcomes.
• Analyzes confidential employee data related to workplace culture and practices.
• Provides confidential staffing and labour relations assistance for projects and attends meetings where confidential labour relations information is discussed including labour disruption, workforce strategy, organizational change, employee research initiatives, etc.
• Uses in-depth knowledge of analytical model assumptions, statistical analysis, evaluation methodologies/tools and interpretation to make evidence-based decisions.
• Builds collaborative relationships with senior management, partner Divisions, external partners and staff across the Communications Division to ensure effective implementation of communication activities and to have insight into emerging issues and risks that can affect the City’s reputation and the achievement of its goals.
• Assesses various policy or program challenges and designs science-based solutions to encourage change in targeted behaviours to align with City strategic initiatives.
• Accesses and deals with confidential and sensitive information regarding operations, proposed or new management initiatives, strategies or programs.
• Defines and implements a roadmap for maturing the behavioural science practice, including sustainability recommendations and foundational documents.
• Establishes and develops operational processes, tools, templates, standards and guidelines for behavioural science requests, project intake, prioritization and evaluation.
• Plans, designs and manages various evaluations related to selected projects or initiatives, informing and impacting various policies and program/service development and implementation.
• Gains support for initiatives in alignment with City priorities from various partners.
• Assesses client needs, formulates options and makes recommendations to resolve complex problems.
• Conducts qualitative and quantitative research/analysis/evaluation to inform audience motivations, barriers and decision-making patterns.
• Makes recommendations to senior divisional management with regard to business process simplifications or modifications based on research and behaviour being assessed that could result in alternate service delivery, changes in staffing levels and resource allocation.
• Translates academic behavioural science approaches and findings into practical recommendations for communications professionals.
• Partners with and supports communications teams to design and refine messaging, campaigns and digital content using behavioural principles and integrating behavioural insights into new and existing programs.
• Conducts research to test communication effectiveness and analyze results.
• Works collaboratively with communications professionals and senior leadership to measure effectiveness of communications to determine if they met the objectives and intended outcomes and to identify gaps and opportunities for future communication.
• Explains technical concepts and provides scientific expertise, interpretations and briefings to diverse audiences, clients and partners.
• Develops and leads training, workshops and capability-building sessions for City Communications and Public Health Communications staff to embed behavioural science-based foundational competencies across teams.
• Applies behavioural insights through an equity lens to reach residents of all backgrounds and evaluate potential unintended consequences of messaging.

Key Qualifications:

Your application must describe your qualifications as they relate to:

• Master’s degree or higher in Behavioral Science, Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Public Policy, Human-Centered Design, or a related field
• Extensive experience with research, data collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting
• Experience in designing and implementing rigorous evaluation methodology, including randomized controlled trials, cluster randomized trials, stepped wedge trials, difference evaluation, regression discontinuity and propensity score matching
• You have technical practice competencies focusing on the specialized aspects of theory, principles and methodologies of behavioural science, obtained through academia or extensive work experience in the field
• Specialized knowledge of related research (e.g. organizational behaviour, psychology, behavioural economics)
• Knowledge of statistical competency in at least one programming language (e.g. R, Stata, Matlab, SAS, SPSS, etc.)
• In-depth knowledge of the assumptions, suitability, and interpretation of analytical models
• Demonstrate strong influencing, mediation, conflict resolution, persuasion, consensus building and negotiation skills to gain support for initiatives and promote consensus among groups with competing interests
• Demonstrate political acuity and an understanding of factors impacting public policy, program or service development, legislation, implementation, as well government decision-making and approvals structures
• Excellent organizational skills, change management skills and can deal with competing priorities, unexpected changes, and short deadlines

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The City is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to creating a workplace culture of inclusiveness that reflects the diverse residents that we serve. Learn more about the City’s commitment to employment equity .