Principal

Description

Everything we do at TDL is guided by SPICE : S ocially conscious, P ragmatic, I nventive, C atalytic, and E vidence-based. You can read more about us and our core values here .

We launched The Decision Lab to turn cutting-edge behavioral science into action that actually moves the needle for people and organizations.

Principals are the stewards of that mission : you’ll shape our thinking, guide our teams, and nurture partnerships that push the field forward. If you’ve led consulting engagements, grown client relationships, and built up the people around you—not just the P&L—you’ll feel right at home.

We’re drawn to minds that are bright, curious, and a little restless. Whether your toolkit leans on traditional management consulting acumen or psychology, what matters most is your drive to translate evidence into pragmatic solutions that work in the messy real world.

Room to shape, not just follow. We build tailored solutions—no plug-and-play templates—so you’ll have genuine influence over methods and outcomes, without the pressure to reinvent the wheel every week.

Collaborative, sharp teammates. You’ll work with people who balance rigor and empathy and who care as much about learning from each other as landing the next contract.

Meaningful responsibility. Principals set direction on several projects at once and see ideas through to delivery, while still having the support of directors and specialized experts.

Variety with purpose. From financial decision-making to digital health, our projects span sectors but share a common goal : translating evidence into impact that matters.

What you'll be working on

Principals work closely with Directors and Project Leaders in leading client engagements, including larger, multi-year efforts that are part of a portfolio of projects. They ensure that client needs are clearly defined, supervising activities throughout to ensure these needs are met, and maintaining alignment of expectations. Responsibilities typically include :

• Leading the day-to-day execution of several client projects while guiding and developing individual team members (PLs, Associates and / or Consultants)
• Ensuring that projects are scoped, planned and executed according to both the client's strategic goals as well as TDL's overarching goals in that area of practice
• Taking ownership of the overall project and its end outputs / deliverables while overseeing the formulation of hypotheses for research and investigation
• Uncovering and challenging client assumptions, intuitions and prior knowledge
• Structuring research / experimentation plans and advanced analysis of data (though the actual analysis may be performed / supported by our data scientists)
• Preparing and delivering client presentations / reports that highlight key insights in user-friendly ways
• Providing status reports to senior TDL leadership, and overseeing project budgets (including for the portfolio or projects)
• Playing a key role in the development and maintenance of high-level client relationships
• As needed, performing some of the tasks typically assigned to PLs / Consultants (e.g. analyzing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative findings; conducting stakeholder interviews; etc.)
• Participating in project pitches
• Doing all of the above in varied project contexts that may include topics ranging from relatively isolated research questions to cultural diagnostics, pricing optimization, or behavioral product development
• Possibility of collaborating with the content team to support publication efforts

What we are looking for

We are looking for a candidate with professional experience in management consulting, behavioral science or psychology, including demonstrated ability leading a project or team. Key attributes of the ideal candidate include :

Experience : 4+ years of consulting experience (incl. 2+ years as a team lead) in a top management consulting firm or in a boutique firm at the intersection between strategy, psychology & consulting with demonstrated repeated successes in connecting these worlds; familiarity with behavioral science concepts is a plus but not requires

Client Engagement : You have proven ability to manage client engagements & relationships and are often seen as a thought leader; you own responsibility for the quality of engagements; and your strong management and communication skills give you the ability to bring together stakeholders and persuade action

Analytic Rigor : You have a high capacity for conceptual thinking and an ability to develop leading-edge frameworks for analysis that incorporate a variety of disciplines, but are also able to communicate complex ideas effectively; good grasp of qualitative and quantitative methods, experimental design and statistics is a plus

Design Thinking Mindset : You are able to move your ego aside and understand that the most successful solutions are not based on ideology but on a combination of empathy, pragmatism and evidence-based iteration

Business Sense : You are a holistic, strategic thinker who constantly connects the dots between ideas, problems, organizations, and how ethical & sustained impact can be achieved; strong verbal & written skills are a must

Culture : You are an independent thinker comfortable working in an often ambiguous and dynamic environment; you are eager to take initiative and to break new ground

About the role

Type : Full Time Employment

Hybrid : 3 days remote, 2 days in office

Vacation : 4 week paid vacation

Benefits : Medical / Dental

The Decision Lab is a socially-conscious applied research firm. We provide consulting services to some of the largest organizations in the world, carry out research in priority areas and run one of the largest publications in applied behavioral science. In the past, we have helped organizations such as the Gates Foundation, Capital One and the World Bank solve some of their thorniest problems using scientific thinking.