Senior Director, Behavioral Scientist

Travelers; Hartford (CT); On-site; USD 127,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Retirement plan contributions

Paid Time Off (PTO) and holidays

Wellness program

Volunteer encouragement

Job summary

Travelers seeks a senior Behavioral Scientist to apply behavioral science methods across the claim lifecycle. You will design experiments, analyze data, and work with product, data science, and marketing teams to drive measurable outcomes.

The role emphasizes research leadership, design thinking, and evidence-based interventions within the Property and Casualty insurance space.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of applied industry experience.
• Ph.D. in Data Science or related field.
• Proven ability to design, conduct, analyze and communicate research results as business cases.
• Proficiency with Excel, R, SAS, and/or Python.
• Experience in NLP and/or text analysis methods.
• Experience designing semi-structured interviews or user research.
• Group-led facilitation using design thinking software.
• Strong project management and prioritization across multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Collect and analyze quantitative data and conduct interviews.
• Apply behavioral science frameworks to test interventions and inform product design.
• Collaborate with designers, data scientists, PMs, marketing to run projects and proofs of concept.
• Develop and document research to support recommendations for the Claim line.
• Implement interventions with sponsors and measure outcomes.
• Apply insights to influence organizational changes and adoption of research.

Education

PhD in Data Science

Master’s Degree in Behavioral Science or related field

Behavioral research

Research design

Statistical analysis

Communication

Project management

Team collaboration

Tools

Excel

R

SAS

Python

Job description

Who Are We?

Taking care of our customers, our communities and each other. That’s the Travelers Promise. By honoring this commitment, we have maintained our reputation as one of the best property casualty insurers in the industry for over 170 years. Join us to discover a culture that is rooted in innovation and thrives on collaboration. Imagine loving what you do and where you do it.

Job Category

Claim

Compensation Overview

The annual base salary range provided for this position is a nationwide market range and represents a broad range of salaries for this role across the country. The actual salary for this position will be determined by a number of factors, including the scope, complexity and location of the role; the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; and other conditions of employment. As part of our comprehensive compensation and benefits program, employees are also eligible for performance-based cash incentive awards.

Salary Range

$126,500.00 - $208,700.00

Target Openings

1

What Is the Opportunity?

Within the Claim Behavioral Science function, apply behavioral science frameworks, the scientific method, and design thinking to practical business challenges across the Property and Casualty Insurance industry. Acting as an internal consultant, researcher, and data analyst, conduct pilots and implement evidence-based interventions that influence customer, claimant, and employee decision‑making throughout the claim lifecycle — spanning initiatives such as digital adoption, change management, and product development. Work collaboratively with fellow behavioral scientists and key stakeholders, contributing independent project management and research expertise to design, execute, and analyze experiments with rigor and creativity to achieve measurable business outcomes.

What Will You Do?

• Collect and analyze quantitative data, conduct semi‑structured interviews, facilitate group design thinking sessions, and conduct test‑and‑learns with follow up measurements to calculate financial impact.
• Apply behavioral science frameworks to test interventions that inform product design and experiences, and that impact financial results.
• Collaborate with product designers, data scientists, project managers and marketing and communications to design, develop, conduct and evaluate projects and proofs of concept.
• Help to develop and document research to support multiple recommendations to improve Claim business line results.
• Implement agreed upon interventions in partnership with various sponsors.
• Apply insights internally to influence how employees within the organization react to and manage transformational changes.
• Provide insights, best practices, tools, and training to help develop organizational capabilities in the application of behavioral science.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What Will Our Ideal Candidate Have?

• 5+ years of applied industry experience in a business setting.
• Ph.D., with certification and/or applied experience in Data Science.
• Proven ability to design, conduct, analyze and communicate research results and recommendations as business cases.
• Proficiency with Excel, R, SAS, and/or Python.
• Experience in natural language processing and/or statistically based text analysis methods.
• Experience in designing and conducting semi‑structured interviews or user research for Behavioral Science interventions.
• Group‑led facilitation using design thinking collaboration software across multi‑disciplinary groups.
• Natural curiosity is key - demonstrated ability to understand problems and ask the right questions.
• Strong research and analytical skills including an ability to observe and record behaviors.
• Experience advocating for and influencing business partners to adopt behavioral science research, experimentation, and interventions.
• Strong Project Management Skills and the ability to bring projects from idea to testing, and implementation; ability to balance priorities while working on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment and effectively collaborate across business areas.
• Insurance or financial services industry experience.

What is a Must Have?

• Master’s Degree in Behavioral Science, Psychology, Economics, HCI, UX, People Analytics or a related field.
• 2 years of experience applying behavioral science frameworks, insights, and experimental research in a business setting.

What Is in It for You?

• Health Insurance :Employees and their eligible family members – including spouses, domestic partners, and children – are eligible for coverage from the first day of employment.
• Retirement: Travelers matches your 401(k) contributions dollar‑for‑dollar up to your first 5% of eligible pay, subject to an annual maximum. If you have student loan debt, you can enroll in the Paying it Forward Savings Program. When you make a payment toward your student loan, Travelers will make an annual contribution into your 401(k) account. You are also eligible for a Pension Plan that is 100% funded by Travelers.
• Paid Time Off: Start your career at Travelers with a minimum of 20 days Paid Time Off annually, plus nine paid company Holidays.
• Wellness Program: The Travelers wellness program is comprised of tools, discounts and resources that empower you to achieve your wellness goals and caregiving needs. In addition, our mental health program provides access to free professional counseling services, health coaching and other resources to support your daily life needs.
• Volunteer Encouragement: We have a deep commitment to the communities we serve and encourage our employees to get involved. Travelers has a Matching Gift and Volunteer Rewards program that enables you to give back to the charity of your choice.

Employment Practices

Travelers is an equal opportunity employer. We value the unique abilities and talents each individual brings to our organization and recognize that we benefit in numerous ways from our differences.

In accordance with local law, candidates seeking employment in Colorado are not required to disclose dates of attendance at or graduation from educational institutions.

If you are a candidate and have specific questions regarding the physical requirements of this role, please send us an email so we may assist you.

Travelers reserves the right to fill this position at a level above or below the level included in this posting.

To learn more about our comprehensive benefit programs please visit http://careers.travelers.com/life-at-travelers/benefits/.