Senior Behavioral Scientist

Surgo Health solves big health problems with precision. Our approach precisely and personally identifies the “why” behind human behavior – because there’s no such thing as a general population or general patient. Our products combine behavioral science and data science  to enable clients to deliver equitable care to the right person at the right time.

Our product team, scientists, and healthcare experts use behavioral science, data science, and artificial intelligence to build innovative scalable solutions that improve and save lives. We are a growing team with ambitious plans to launch our first data-centric product and are in search of top-class talent who want to roll up their sleeves and work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. As a start-up based in DC, this is a fantastic opportunity for someone who thrives in a start-up culture and wants to help shape the future of how our products deliver value to healthcare clients. We believe our product can make healthcare more precise, personalized, and equitable and has the opportunity for impact at scale.

What you’ll do

Measuring drivers of people’s decisions about their health underlies all of Surgo’s work, from social determinants of health to their personal beliefs and attitudes. You will be identifying opportunities to collect and source such data at enormous scale, whether through public data, commercial vendors, web scraping, or other means. Your innovations will drive accurate person-level insights and recommendations in our products.

  • Provide expert guidance to help Surgo product and client teams identify the best approaches for collecting data on the factors influencing target behaviors of interest, with a focus on big data

  • Use Surgo’s proprietary behavioral framework to conceptualize, design and execute quantitative and qualitative research instruments across Surgo’s priority areas in US healthcare

  • Work with team members to develop products to scale Surgo’s work, with a focus on reaching people who experience health inequities

  • Synthesize cutting-edge and interdisciplinary approaches from the private and public sectors, and apply these to different problems in healthcare and public health

  • Distill analyses into clear, actionable insights for both internal and external audiences

  • Present to partners and collaborators and prepare scientific communication for journals and conferences

  • Contribute to business development by writing proposals and preparing pitches

What we’re looking for

This position is ideal for a behavioral scientist with private-sector experience looking to innovate on behavioral research and big data in health.

  • Passion and affinity for thinking innovatively about data sources and novel methods for collecting data on behavior, e.g. internet searches, social media, commercial data vendors

  • Graduate degree in behavioral science or related field (PhD preferred, or master’s with equivalent professional experience)

  • 2+ years’ private sector experience e.g. healthcare, life sciences, consulting, consumer research

  • Technical knowledge and experience designing and implementing quantitative and qualitative research, using multiple research methods such as surveys and decision-making experiments to collect behavioral data

  • Deep knowledge of interdisciplinary literature on behavior, and excellent ability to synthesize and evaluate evidence, and make recommendations

  • Strong relationship management with a diverse set of partners, and collaborative work within the Surgo research team

  • Entrepreneurial and curious in spirit, and a strong problem solver with a passion for applying your skills to tackle the most pressing health and social issues

  • Excellent communication skills, including writing for academic and non-academic audiences, preparing and presenting compelling slide decks

  • Ability to work in a fast-paced start-up environment, and to pivot quickly and make decisions under uncertainty

Location: Headquartered in Washington, DC / This role is remote friendly

Travel: Some travel possible

What you’ll love about Surgo:

  • Fantastic colleagues and opportunity to solve tough challenges in healthcare

  • Ability to be entrepreneurial and tremendous opportunities for growth

  • Public Benefit Corporation with an impact and equity mission

  • Competitive compensation and health benefits

  • Generous PTO, 10+ holidays

  • Highly competitive 401K

  • 3 months paid parental leave

  • Cell phone reimbursement

  • Professional development opportunities

  • Hybrid environment

  • Fantastic colleagues and opportunity to solve tough challenges in health

Our hiring philosophy

We hire for passion and core competencies. 

We look for problem solvers and lateral thinkers. 

We love it if you have done different things with your time. 

If you think you are ideal for this position, write to us even if your experience doesn’t match all the requirements listed above.

Application

  • Interested applicants, please apply here.

  • Short-listed applicants will go through several steps: screening interview, interview with the hiring manager, a take-home project, presentation, and an “on-site” (virtual or in person) with the team.

Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy

Surgo believes a diverse, inclusive staff makes a stronger team and more impactful organization and we are committed to building and developing this team and environment. Qualified people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, ages, sex, genders, sexual orientation, gender identities and expressions, languages, social class, marital status, religions, veterans status, and disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.