[Hiring] Behavioural Science Consultant @Whisk

Role Description

We're looking for a behavioural-science specialist to take ownership of a set of currently unratified behavioural parameters inside an AI-powered weight management coaching engine, and to help shape the engagement mechanics (nudges, loop design) that sit on top of it. This is a fixed-scope consulting engagement structured around five defined deliverable milestones, not an ongoing support role.

• Working against a live backlog of flagged parameters across the engine's logic and content files.
• Reviewing agent behaviour against COM-B and related behaviour-change frameworks.
• Helping design the daily/weekly engagement loops for a beta product surface.
• Collaborating closely with product managers and the content team.
• Reviewing material from specialist freelance writers across a range of target behaviours.
• Assessing whether the logic holds up against behaviour-change theory, not making clinical calls.

Primary project deliverable: Close the provisional-parameter backlog to "no unowned parameters" in the shipped coaching engine, delivered as:

• A completed ratification register (item, decision, evidence, standing).
• Reviewed and edited instructions guiding the engine's decision-making steps.
• A behavioural-guardrail evidence pass confirming the product's safety-adjacent behavioural patterns.
• Flagging and framing anything needing medical sign-off.
• An agreed pass bar and scored golden set for currently uncalibrated evaluation criteria.
• Nudge/engagement-loop design recommendations for beta surfaces.
• Behavioural sign-off on intervention contracts as they arrive from the freelance programme.

Success metric/acceptance standard:

• All seven deliverables are complete with flagged items carrying a cited decision or replacement value.
• The engine's decision-making steps have delivered reviewed diffs.
• The evaluation criteria carry an agreed pass bar and a scored golden set.
• Items needing medical sign-off are flagged and framed on a standing basis.
• Review turnaround on shipped engine changes is ≤2 working days, measured weekly.
• All target-behaviour intervention contracts have received a behavioural sign-off within 5 working days of receipt.

Project Milestones

• Finish reviewing the highest-priority behavioural rules and settings by 15 Nov 2026.
• Finish checking the behavioural guardrails by 15 Dec 2026.
• Finish reviewing the engine's decision-making steps by 15 Jan 2027.
• Finish reviewing how the system performs with real (beta) users by 15 Feb 2027.
• Update the review scoring system using real user data by 15 Apr 2027.

What This Role Does Not Cover

• Final medical sign-off and batching/routing of flagged items to the clinical reviewer.
• Content authoring (freelance specialists own first-draft writing).
• Final product or engineering decisions.

Engagement Details

• Structure: Hourly, with a weekly hours cap (max 20 hours).
• Duration: 6-month term.
• Location: Meaningful overlap with UK/CET working hours is preferred.

Qualifications

• Strong grounding in behaviour-change theory (COM-B or equivalent), ideally with a research background.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating or designing behavioural loops, nudges, or habit-forming product mechanics.
• Comfortable working with structured, protocol-style content (reasoning rules, decision trees).
• Experience working with cross-functional product/engineering teams on shipped features.

Application Notes

Please share examples of behavioural frameworks you've applied to a shipped product feature.