Lead Behavioural Scientist

London, England, United Kingdom

5/30/2025

You desire impactful work.

You’re RGA ready

RGA is a purpose-driven organization working to solve today’s challenges through innovation and collaboration. A Fortune 500 Company and listed among its World’s Most Admired Companies, we’re the only global reinsurance company to focus primarily on life- and health-related solutions. Join our multinational team of intelligent, motivated, and collaborative people, and help us make financial protection accessible to all.

A Brief Overview

This role is open in any of RGA’s locations.

We are looking for a Lead Behavioural Scientist with a strong academic background (MSc/PhD) and experience of delivering behavioural insights in an applied setting, ideally the (re)insurance industry.

Based in London and St Louis, and with a global focus, our team are specialists in the “why” of life and health insurance decision-making. Our mission is simple to help insurers to create products, policies and communications that reflect how people really do think and behave rather than how we think they should think and behave. By doing so we can make a vital contribution to RGA’s purpose of making financial protection accessible to all.

We support life and health insurance clients across the world with key behavioural challenges. A major aspect of our work is conducting research and sharing behavioural perspectives with the industry through publishing, presenting and creating other content. We also work directly with clients to implement solutions for their challenges. Our work ranges from increasing insurance product sales to changing health behaviours. Example projects include

• Researching risks and opportunities related to how humans interact with AI in insurance.
• Improving customers’ understanding of life and health insurance products during the sales process.
• Enhancing underwriting journeys to increase the accuracy of disclosures and improve the customer experience.
• Enhancing products and sales journeys to increase conversions.
• Creating interventions to help consumers return to work quickly and safely following illness.
• Designing wellness programs with scientifically recognised behaviour change techniques.
  
  

The Lead Behavioural Scientist will be an active team member from day one, reporting to the Chief Behavioural Scientist and working closely with other team members. The role holder will have the opportunity to make an impact on the behavioural science strategy and direction within an organisation that values the discipline.

The role holder will have strong technical skills in research and applied behavioural science, and be proactive, enthusiastic and conscientious with a growth mindset. You will be happy working as part of a team, and able to collaborate and communicate with people of different levels of seniority around the business. You will also be enthusiastic about driving your own projects, working with clients, creating content and thinking strategically about directions for new research.

What You Will Do

• Identify challenges that would benefit from behavioural solutions in the life and health insurance industry
• Design and deliver impactful behavioural research and analysis ranging from lab experiments to field trials.
• Create engaging and impactful content such as presentations, publications, videos and podcasts that communicate novel behavioural science perspectives to the industry.
• Deliver presentations at industry and RGA-hosted events
• Work directly with clients to share insights, deliver training and implement behavioural solutions.
• Collaborate effectively with other behavioural science team members and other colleagues around the business.
• Occasional international travel for conferences and client meetings.
• Keep abreast of the latest developments in behavioural science and proactively network within the behavioural science community.
• Contribute to the evolving strategic direction of the behavioural science team
  
  

Requirements

• Holds an advanced degree (MSc/PhD) in behavioural science or a related discipline
• 4+ years' experience of deploying behavioural science in an applied context
• Demonstrable understanding of applications of behavioural science to life and health insurance
• A track record of leading behavioural research projects and/or consultancy
• Experience in the (re)insurance would be an advantage.
  
  

Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of behavioural science concepts and literature
• Ability to identify opportunities to apply behavioural science, adapting theories to a practical context.
• Ability to generate, develop and implement ideas for research, content and solutions.
• Ability to lead engagements with clients.
• Ability to lead large research projects from start to finish, collaborating with colleagues and suppliers.
• Expertise in experimental design or other research methods used to generate behavioural insights and evaluate solutions.
• Good data analysis skills.
• Ability to synthesise large amounts of academic material and provide conclusions and realistic recommendations.
• Strong IT skills and experience with Microsoft Office – including PowerPoint, Word and Excel.
• Willingness to travel worldwide, as necessary
  
  

What you can expect from RGA

• Gain valuable knowledge from and experience with diverse, caring colleagues around the world.
• Enjoy a respectful, welcoming environment that fosters individuality and encourages pioneering thought.
• Join the bright and creative minds of RGA, and experience vast, endless career potential.