Why THF cares about this role:
The Human Factor was created to be a different kind of consultancy. Primarily, to develop strategy that will sustain change beyond a final presentation by focusing on deep context, understanding the nuance of what it is like to be a player in the complex ecosystems that make the world work. The Strategist role is at the leading edge of developing that nuanced point of view and lasting strategy. This means that we look for capable and curious candidates with a strong grasp of how humans think, with expertise based in negotiation, mediation/conflict management, design strategy, qualitative research, or behavioral sciences. We place high value on a commitment to translating evidence (be it desk research, experiments or analytics) into practical and valuable insights and solutions for private clients or public good. Everything we do at THF is guided by our core values. Primarily, to be relentlessly human first. This applies to the work we do: we courageously prioritize human outcomes. And, how we do the work: we are a fast-paced organization, and we recognize the importance of rest and respect for your life outside of work.
Why you care about this role:
The Human Factor is a place where you can learn to use evidence-based approaches to support innovation within diverse and complex challenges. Rather than reusing the same behavior and organizational change frameworks, THF develops custom solutions for our clients’ challenges – this means that in addition to being evidence-based and human-first, your role will be creative at its core. You will work alongside colleagues who lead with optimism, pragmatism, and empathy. All our team members bring a rich set of tools and frameworks that you can adapt and adopt, and likewise we expect to learn from the tools and perspectives that you bring to the table, too. It is our intention that you take intellectual ownership of the projects you work on—we will hold you to our values and commitment to our clients, but not specific tools for getting the work done.
What you’ll work on
Uncovering and challenging client assumptions, intuitions, and status quo
Performing desk research, data analysis, and qualitative research with stakeholders to understand and document the project context
Finding and synthesizing relevant research across our areas of expertise
Adapting and developing data-gathering instruments to uncover insights and barriers
Leveraging frameworks to better understand stakeholders’ perspectives, interests, and objectives
Generating hypotheses and validating them through experimentation and iteration
Analyzing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative findings to answer core questions
Prioritizing findings and distilling key insights by collaborating with other consultants and directors to produce client-facing deliverables that make tangible recommendations
Presenting findings to internal and client stakeholder groups, effective storytelling and establishing a front-of-room presence with clients
Support publication efforts, both for our own promotion and for exposure in industry and academia
What we are looking for
Experience: 4+ years consulting experience or in a cross-disciplinary role within an organization; familiarity with design strategy, negotiation, conflict management and/or behavioral sciences (qualitative research, frameworks, analysis of diverse evidence) is desired.
Human-First Posture: 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. You are not satisfied with obvious answers that compromise either our clients’ objectives or salient human needs.
Analytic Rigor: You are committed to holding data accountable and using rigorous testing to decide the right course of action, rather than relying on assumptions; a strong grasp of qualitative and quantitative methods, experimental design, stakeholder or system analysis is a plus.
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.
Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: You approach new topics, develop your perspective, articulate nuance, and productively challenge the status quo. Equally, you must approach productive disagreement with curiosity, and adjust your stance when new evidence is introduced.
Integrity within Conflict: You are willing to start the conversation on tough challenges in a global world, without assumed vilification of any stakeholder. Approaching real world problems is core to our work; open discussion of our values and biases is a must.
Culture: You are an independent thinker comfortable working in an often ambiguous and dynamic environment; proactivity is a must.
