Senior User Researcher

You will join GOV.UK as a Senior User Researcher. GOV.UK is the trusted online home for government information and services, every week millions of people rely on it to complete essential and often life-changing tasks. GOV.UK also supports government colleagues to publish content, ensuring accurate and accessible information is always available to the public. See GOV.UK growth strategy here. As a Senior User Research, you will:

• make an impact: work and tackle some of the toughest challenges in public infrastructure, improving lives through solutions that informed by high quality insights 
• work that matters: join in a multidisciplinary team, driving change, delivering better value and outcomes for users and government, to empower and transform. 
• grow with us: thrive in a supportive research community that values experimentation, learning, failing fast and reflection as key steps to growth. With dedicated development resources, training and cross-government networks, you will have plenty of opportunities to grow. 

Main responsibilities as a Senior User Researcher:

• lead and conduct a wide range of user research projects (evaluative, foundational, qualitative and quantitative) aligned with GOV.UK vision and goals.  
• deliver high quality research projects end-to-end: from planning, recruiting participants, data analysis and reporting, ensuring key insights are being acted upon. 
• collaborate with multidisciplinary colleagues and stakeholders throughout the research process, and work with analytics colleagues and use a wide range of data to build a rich picture of user behaviour.
• produce impactful and reusable insights to inform, guide (or even reset) design, product and strategic decisions at team and organisational level. 
• advocate for evidence-based decision-making, persuading colleagues and stakeholders to adopt research approaches and research initiatives that can deliver significant value to GOV.UK and GDS, supporting our broader vision.
• mentoring and guiding more junior user researchers and non-user researchers to assure and improve research practice.
• consistently explore and implement innovative ways to deliver better outcomes, whether by refining existing methods or experimenting with new, creative approaches.
• help colleagues understand when and when not to do research, and advocate the value of research and demonstrate the importance of research by making sure the great impact made by research is tracked and visible to others.

Person specification

We’re looking for a Senior User Researcher for GOV.UK with strong expertise in research and influencing, and a proven track record of driving decisions and shaping direction at both tactical and strategy level. 

You don't need government experience to apply for this role.

We’re interested in people who can demonstrate:

• strong research experience in evaluative and strategic research, using a broad range of qualitative and quantitative methods, for example:
  • expertises in unearth behavior in real context of use through ethnographic research, longitudinal/diary studies and contextual inquiries. 
  • Desk research, lean research, usability/hypothesis-driven testing, expert review methods, interviews and rapid discovery, surveys, idea generation workshops etc. 
• demonstrable execution of research projects following best practice and delivery of high impact results that have directly influenced important design and product directions both tactically and strategically. 
• strong analytical skills, with the ability to distil hidden and actionable insights from diverse data sources and communicate them effectively through storytelling, for example:
  • Proficient in clustering users using techniques like personas, mindsets, and mental models to represent the nuances of people, and guide focus and priorities
  • Can effectively communicate results and illustrate suggestions in compelling and creative ways to a broad and diverse audience including senior stakeholders, and translate insights into tangible actions. 
• proven ability to advocate for research and build strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, including those who may be sceptical. Skilled in collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders throughout the product development process to drive actions and meaningful change.
• proven experience in educating and directing team(s) focusing on the right research and adopting a wide range of methods/approaches to deliver best results. 
• a good understanding of social and technological contexts and how that influences user behaviour and solutions
• demonstrable knowledge in user-centred design, usability/accessibility/inclusion, design principles, and psychology and apply them into work practice
• thrives in delivery pressure, ambiguous environments by combining pragmatism, professional judgement and flexibility (not just playing it by the book) to overcome challenges. Demonstrate tenacity and proactively seek solutions with creativity, curiosity and collaboration, while continuously reflecting on own practices to drive improvements and deliver meaningful change.

Benefits

The benefits of working at GDS

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for The King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to children's holiday play schemes across different locations in central London
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You’ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.

Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Things you need to know

Selection process details

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• Stage 1: An application screening process - hit apply. We ask for a CV and Cover Letter - up to 1000 words to use concrete examples to demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience listed above. 
• Stage 2: 60 minute interview. We will use this to understand your experience, and assess in terms of competency and behaviours. You will receive a brief beforehand if preparation is needed. This will be conducted over video conferencing. 
• Stage 3: Final stage - 2 hour research technical exercise session. In this session, we will assess your research practices and skills aligned to the Government Digital and Data framework for Senior User Researchers using a series of hands-on tasks. You will receive a brief with more info about this before attending the exercise session. This will be conducted over video conferencing. 

Whilst we value the use of AI technology to enhance our daily work, we also value the personal touch and urge applicants to write responses without the use of AI to emphasise their own unique experiences.

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is:

• strong research experience in evaluative and strategic research, using a broad range of qualitative and quantitative methods

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours: 

• Seeing the big picture 
• Delivering at pace
• Working together
• Communicating and influencing
• Changing and improving
• Making effective decisions 

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework for the Senior User Researcher role: 

• Agile research practices
• Analysis and synthesis
• Inclusive research
• Research management, leadership and assurance
• Stakeholder relationship management
• User research methods
• User-centred practice and advocacy

Recruitment Timeline

Sift Completion: 10th January 2025

Interview Dates: Starting W/C 20th January 2025

Technical Assessment: After interviews

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

You may be aware that there are plans for the Government Digital Service (GDS) & the Central Digital & Data Office (CDDO) to move into the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT). This move is to bring together the digital transformation of public services into one core department. The move itself will offer huge opportunities whilst allowing DSIT to lead the way and drive forward the new Government's digital agenda. 

As the announcement is relatively new, we are awaiting more detailed information. Therefore, we encourage you to apply for this role, and will keep you informed with updated information throughout the application process.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.