Associates and Consultants (Behavioral Science)

Keystone is a premier economics, technology, and strategy consulting firm built to help companies lead through transformation. As breakthrough innovations reshape industries, redefine competition and change our society, complex and highly competitive ecosystems emerge. Keystone advises technology leaders, Fortune 100 companies, their legal counsel, and governments on business, economic, litigation, and regulatory strategy in relation to these innovations and competitive eco-systems. We operate globally from offices in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, London, Dubai, and Washington, D.C.

About The Role

This role sits at the intersection of technology, markets, and human behavior, applying behavioral science to high-stakes business, regulatory, and litigation questions. You are a versatile Associate or Consultant who will bring a behavioral-science perspective to interdisciplinary engagements spanning economics, strategy, and technology. You will help translate complex business, regulatory, and legal questions into testable behavioral hypotheses and rigorous analytical approaches. You will execute analytical workstreams and synthesize findings for high-stakes decision-making.

You will use behavioral economics, psychology, and marketing science to analyze how consumers respond to information, incentives, defaults, switching frictions, and choice architecture. Specifically, how these behaviors affect firms, competition, and market outcomes.This includes designing surveys and experiments, analyzing observational and market data, reconstructing customer journeys, and integrating academic research, regulatory evidence, internal documents, and original empirical analysis to assess consumer beliefs, decision-making, and market outcomes.

Your work will support expert opinions and inform regulatory assessments, litigation strategy, and other high-stakes business and policy decisions.

Examples of Recent Work

• Analyzing how defaults, disclosures, and information design affect consumer and advertiser behavior.
• Conducting conjoint and simulation-based studies to assess switching, preferences, and competitive effects.
• Evaluating consumer understanding of data use, privacy practices, and platform communications.
• Designing experiments to assess how marketing claims and disclosures influence purchasing decisions and willingness to pay.

Keystone teams are highly interdisciplinary. While you will specialize in behavioral science, you will contribute across a broad range of questions and practice areas.

Final levelling is determined by education, experience, and interview performance.

Key Responsibilities

As an Associate or Consultant, you will:

• Own core analytical workstreams from design through execution.
• Work across economics, strategy, and technology engagements.
• Adapt quickly to new problem areas and apply your skillset in unfamiliar contexts
• Synthesize findings into clear, decision-relevant insights

Data Analysis

• Design and execute surveys, behavioral experiments, and simulation-based studies.
• Analyze observational and experimental data using Python, R, Stata, or similar tools.
• Apply methods such as conjoint analysis, choice modeling, and causal inference.
• Evaluate robustness, test alternative specifications, and assess limitations to ensure defensible results.
• Own end-to-end workstreams, from study design through analysis and interpretation.

Research

• Conduct targeted research across behavioral economics, psychology, and marketing science.
• Review academic literature, prior cases, and regulatory materials.
• Adapt established methodologies to case-specific questions.
• Develop hypotheses and analytical approaches by integrating qualitative and quantitative evidence.

Report Writing

• Translate analyses into clear, precise, and persuasive narratives.
• Draft sections of expert reports explaining methodology, results, and implications.
• Develop exhibits (tables, charts, figures) to communicate findings effectively.
• Ensure all work is well-documented, reproducible, and able to withstand scrutiny.

What You’ll Bring

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Behavioral Economics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Marketing, Statistics, Data Science, Public Policy, or a related field (target GPA 3.6+).
• Graduate degree a plus.
• Experience in consulting, academic research, market research, or a related analytical role.
• Hands-on exposure to experimental design, survey methods, or behavioral research.
• Evidence of academic or professional excellence and leadership.

Analytical Skills

• Strong foundation in behavioral economics, microeconomics, psychology, or marketing science.
• Experience designing or analyzing surveys, experiments, or quasi-experimental studies.
• Ability to work with and analyze large or complex datasets using Python, R, Stata, or similar tools.
• Familiarity with conjoint analysis, choice modeling, or causal inference preferred.
• High standards for methodological rigor and defensible analysis.

Communication & Mindset

• Ability to clearly communicate complex ideas in writing and presentations.
• Ability to translate academic research into applied, real-world insights.
• Comfort working on ambiguous, high-stakes problems.
• Strong attention to detail and quality.
• Intellectual curiosity, coachability, and motivation to grow as a consultant.
• Clear interest in behavioral science, consumer decision-making, and its application in litigation and regulatory contexts.

In addition to annual salary, we provide an annual discretionary bonus, 401k contribution, and competitive benefits package. Actual Compensation within the range will depend upon the level the individual is hired into based on their skills, experience, and qualifications.

Annual Salary Range

$110,000—$176,000 USD

At Keystone we believe diversity matters. At every level of our firm, we seek to advance and promote diversity, foster an inclusive culture, and ensure our colleagues have a deep sense of respect and belonging. If you are interested in growing your career with colleagues from varied backgrounds and cultures, consider Keystone.