Manager, Behavioural Insights Unit
Clerk Grade: 11/12
Annual Salary Range: $149,739 - $173,174 plus superannuation
Employment Type: 2 x temporary roles (up to 12 months), open to part-time or job share possibility for extensions or future permanent roles
Location: Sydney
* Are you passionate about improving public services for people and experienced in applying behavioural insights (including through practices like sludge audits, randomised controlled trials, evaluation or policy appraisal)?
* Do you lead teams and build relationships that are collaborative and focused on the growth of people?
* Are you looking for a purposeful role with the opportunity to grow your career and explore new challenges?
Yes? The award-winning NSW Behavioural Insights Unit are looking for you!
As part of the management team for the Behavioural Insights Unit, your role is to sharpen our focus on impact, tell our story and grow our people. There are currently five managers. Each manager brings different but complementary skills and experience to the role, ensuring our unit has leadership in design, customer experience, evaluation, data science and applied behavioural insights.
You will manage a portfolio of client-driven behavioural insights projects to provide salient advice to government. Your projects are likely to include behavioural challenges in many different policy, community and service settings (employment, education, healthcare, the environment, industry, justice). Our project partners span all the NSW Government, such as the Small Business Commissioner, the Aboriginal Services Unit at Communities and Justice or Service NSW.
You will draw on your own behavioural research or related toolkits to support the design, delivery and evaluation of behavioural interventions by project leads (e.g. through randomised controlled trials, sludge audits, A/B tests).
You will support project delivery with strategic judgment and operational pragmatism. As a people leader of a team of three to six people you will foster a motivated, collaborative mindset that enables innovation and personal growth.
By working with us you will enhance your reputation for delivering results, you will cultivate relationships with senior stakeholders across the sector and you will share each day with teammates who love learning, care deeply and bring themselves (and their fun) to work.
What we need from you
Review the role description and apply by submitting an up-to-date resume and cover letter.
Your cover letter should highlight your motivation for applying and, with reference to the position description, tell us about your:
* Experience in leading a portfolio of behvioural science projects and getting things done in or with government
* Experience in leading, engaging and motivating staff, and developing capability and potential in others
* Experience generating and using evidence to improve customer experience and placing customer needs at the heart of service improvement
Candidates invited to interview will be required to complete additional assessments.
A talent pool may be created from this recruitment process to fill future ongoing and temporary opportunities.
About NSW Behavioural Insights Unit
The NSW Behavioural Insights Unit uses the latest behavioural science research about how people think and act to help NSW Government agencies deliver better services to citizens. We work in partnership across government, applying and testing insights, supporting implementation, and creating impactful relationships. Our work is driven by a commitment to evidence, ethics and empathy, with the customer and their needs at the heart of everything we do. To learn more about what we do, visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/behavioural-insights-uni
Salary Grade 11/12, with the base salary for this role starting at $149739 base plus superannuation
Click Here to access the Role Description.
For enquiries relating to recruitment please contact Meg Rapley via .
Visit the Capability Application Tool to prepare for the recruitment process by accessing practice application and interview questions based on the focus capabilities listed in the role description.
Closing Date: Wednesday 13 May 2026 at 9:59am
Careers at Department of Customer Service
A career at the Department of Customer Service (DCS) gives you the opportunity to help improve government services and be part of reform that benefits people across NSW. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service, digital transformation, and regulatory reform. Come join us and influence the future of our great state.
Belong in our diverse and inclusive workplace
The strength of our workforce lies in its diversity and embracing difference, while the key to our success is leveraging the contributions of employees with different backgrounds and perspectives.
You can view our full diversity and inclusion statement here.
We want you to bring your best self to this application process. If you have any support or access needs that may require adjustments to allow you to fully participate in this selection process (including an alternate format of the application form) please contact or 02 9494 8351.
For more information, please visit
Information on some of the different types of disabilities
Information on adjustments available for the recruitment process