Sr. Lead, Behavior-Centered Design & Development

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,300 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable.

We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve. 

For over 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. Nine out of nine times in the last decade, IJM’s Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence between 50% and 85% for very large populations of people in poverty. Our vision is to scale our impact to protect 500 million people living in poverty from violence. Embedded within the Strategy and Portfolio Management team of the Legal, Governance, Risk, and Compliance (LGRC) division, the new Sr. Lead, Behavior-Centered Design and Development role will play a critical part in achieving that vision as swiftly and effectively as possible.

This role will ensure that all LGRC projects and initiatives have the greatest impact possible by incorporating evidence-based principles from behavioral science into the division’s design of risk-management solutions. The role will own the creation and implementation of a Behavior-Centered Design Framework and programs along with a complementary Behavior-Centered Learning & Development Methodology, which will enable all subfunctions of LGRC to drive behavior change that is vital to effectively manage risks, seize opportunities presented by uncertainty, and accelerate mission success.

This position is hybrid (onsite Tuesdays and Thursdays) if located in the Washington, DC area or remote for non-local candidates. It is only available to US-based candidates if they have the right to work in the United States. It reports to the Director of Strategy and Portfolio Management.

Strategic Behavior-Change Leadership

• Lead a collaborative process that co-creates and deploys within LGRC a bespoke Behavior-Centered Design (BCD) Framework that puts behavior front and center in our management of prioritized risks, and provides a structure, process and resource suite for identifying desirable behaviors that are vital to the success of strategic objectives, developing clever solutions to overcome behavioral obstacles, measure success, and iteratively learn and improve.

• Ensure the BCD Framework will:

  • Equip LGRC teammates with a pragmatic, user-focused process rooted in behavioral science and human-centered design that enables rapid, effective risk management and accelerates strategic goal achievement.

  • Enable the translation of priorities into motivational goal statements and behavior-centric OKRs.

  • Incorporate into the Framing and Discovery phases the power of identifying crucial moments -- specific situations where behavior has a disproportionate impact -- and linking them to vital behaviors, which are high-leverage actions that drive prioritized outcomes.

  • Incorporate into the Framing and Discovery phases an identification of the drivers of behavior most relevant to fostering motivation and building ability to engage in the targeted vital behaviors.

  • Incorporate effective measurement that not only tracks results but motivates vital behavior.

  • Equip users with tools and other resources enabling them to nimbly identify vital behaviors and design behavior-centered solutions that make it easier for people to engage in those behaviors that are vital to scaling protection of people living in poverty from violence.

• Lead the adoption, integration, and utilization of the BCD Framework across LGRC.

• Be an adviser and hands-on coach to interested leaders and other stakeholders outside LGRC, helping them learn and apply the BCD Framework to drive success.

• Provide behavioral insights and data to inform strategic planning, risk mitigation strategies, and divisional transformation initiatives.

• Promote a culture that embraces the notion that most risks – whether operational, financial, legal, or reputational – are either caused or exacerbated by human decisions and actions, and that by understanding the behavioral drivers behind these actions, IJM at every level can better predict and prevent them.

Strategic Behavior-Centered Learning & Development (BCLD) Leadership

• Drawing deeply from the Owens-Kadakia Learning Clusters Design model (or a comparable, behavior-centric learning design model), lead a collaborative process that co-creates and deploys within LGRC a bespoke Behavior-Centered Learning and Development (BCLD) Methodology and resource suite to drive sustainable behavior change vital to managing priority risks and opportunities well.

• The BCLD Methodology will:

  • Complement and integrate fully into the BCD Framework.

  • Develop behaviorally anchored OKRs aligned with business outcomes.

  • Enable the efficient, iterative design of multiple, comprehensive, interconnected learning and development assets and experiences that deliver sustainable change in targeted vital behaviors across multiple touchpoints.

  • Ensure learning L&D experiences are adaptive, scalable, accessible, culturally relevant, and learner centric.

• Lead the adoption, integration, and utilization of the BCLD Methodology across LGRC.

• Be an adviser and hands-on coach to interested leaders and other stakeholders outside LGRC, helping them learn and apply the BCLD Methodology to drive success.

• Champion the development and use of creative, behavior-centric, capacity-development solutions that go beyond traditional training methodologies focused mostly on knowledge transfer.

Develop and Curate BCLD Content

• Create BCLD assets and experiences that support LGRC risk-management work and enhance engagement and adoption.

• Lead and/or advise Problem Solver Pools and other LGRC teams that are creating BLCD assets and experiences that support LGRC risk-management work.

• Oversee the effective use of learning management systems (LMS) and other L&D technologies to deliver, track, and manage BCLD solutions.

Capacity Building within LGRC

• Build robust LGRC capacity to apply the BCD Framework and the BCLD Methodology.

• Collaborate on individual development plans aligning with divisional and organizational goals.

• Create rhythms, channels/platforms, resources, and content for intra-divisional LGRC communications.

• Promote an active and eager LGRC culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Partnership and Communication

• Take a human-centered approach to delivering results in every responsibility area, actively listening to, engaging, empathizing with, collaborating with, and co-creating with internal customers and other stakeholders.

• Serve as an internal thought leader and trusted advisor-coach behavior change, learning innovation, and risk-aligned capability building.

• Lead LGRC’s communication practices with the rest of the organization.

Measurement, Learning, Reporting, and Innovation

• Support the adoption and effective use by LGRC of behavior-centric OKRs.

• Support the development of effective measurements that do not merely track progress and results, but also drive attention, motivation, and learning.

• Support the establishment of LGRC practices that regularly assess the effectiveness of behavior-change initiatives and use those learnings to fuel continuous improvement.

• Stay informed on emerging trends in behavioral science, adult learning, and instructional design to enhance risk-management effectiveness.

• Bachelor’s degree in behavioral science, organizational psychology, L&D or instructional design, or other relevant field.

• 7+ years progressive experience in a professional setting in behavior-change design, learning experience design, or related fields, with at least 3 years in a senior or lead role. Experience in a risk-management context preferred.

• Proven track record of designing solutions to drive measurable, targeted behavior change.

• Strongly preferred:

  • Experience with Human-Centered Design (Design Thinking), with Systems Thinking, or in User Experience design.

  • Demonstrated experience applying the Owens-Kadakia Learning Cluster Design model (or a comparable learning design framework) in real-world settings preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to intentionally and successfully design and implement programs, projects, and processes that drive sustainable behavior change.

• Demonstrated ability to produce deliverables that are practical, intuitive, accessible, easy to implement, and experienced by internal customers as solutions to significant workday problems rather than as initiatives to be implemented.

• Demonstrated ability to design and successfully roll out with high levels of adoption/engagement suites of integrated, multi-asset learning solutions targeted at behavioral change, and to use and manage learning technologies.

• Proven track record of successfully engaging and building trust with stakeholders as users, customers, collaborators, and as co-creators.

• Exceptional cross-cultural communication and facilitation skills with a proven ability to influence opinions and decisions at all organizational levels.

• Demonstrated ability to translate strategic goals into measurable behavioral outcomes.

• Critical thinker with a growth mindset.

• Mature Christian faith and an eager commitment to IJM’s Core Values: Christian, Professional, and Bridge-Building.

• Orientation to lead and collaborate with empathy, humility, emotional intelligence, and cultural intelligence.

• Commitment to enabling others to thrive in their roles.

• Creativity and curiosity – a passion for reimaging how people learn and change at work.

• Comfort with ambiguity, openness to experimentation, and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment requiring the management of multiple priorities/

• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and with minimal supervision.

Upload Resume, Cover Letter & Statement of Faith* in one PDF document.

*What is a statement of faith?
A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how you see it as relevant to your involvement with IJM. The statement can either be incorporated into the cover letter or submitted as a separate document and should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current fellowship or place of worship.

• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision benefits

• Monthly commuter and parking benefits in the DC metro area

• Retirement benefit options

• Paid leave starting at 23 days

• 12 holidays (plus early release the day prior)

• Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation

• Robust staff care resources

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidates value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes.

At IJM, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce through fair and equitable employment practices. IJM encourages people of any race, color, age, sex, marital status or political ideology to apply for employment. While we welcome everyone into this work, we truly believe that the work we are doing is God’s work, not our own, and practice spiritual disciplines together daily. That’s why we legally require under SEC. 2000e-1 [Section702] of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that all employees practice a mature orthodox Christian faith, as defined by the Apostles’ Creed.

IJM requires a background check, police clearance and thorough review of references with an employment offer and/or employment contract.