User Researcher

As a User Researcher you are a key figure in the teams that design and deliver data products, services and guidance across the journey to use and share government data in a trusted, ethical and effective way. You will work within a multi-disciplinary team on a wide range of  user research activities to help teams understand the needs of people,  businesses and government colleagues who use GOV.UK.  

You’ll be expected to work independently, but with support and guidance from more senior  user researchers. 

To learn more about what User Researchers do in government, please review the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework.

As a User Researcher you’ll:

• plan, design and prepare a range of user research activities to support the design, development and continuous improvement of data services
• carry out user research activities including recruiting participants, preparing  discussion guides and moderating research sessions
• analyse research data and synthesise clear and actionable user research findings to help the team and wider organisation  develop a deep understanding of users and their needs - including presentations at show and tells, designing and maintaining research outputs - team wall, formal reports and research repositories
•  work closely with product managers, designers and developers to turn user  research findings into insights that feed into product or service decisions 
• mentor and guide more junior user researchers to assure and improve research  practice
• contribute to the wider user research community - including presenting at meetups and writing blog posts 

Person specification

We’re interested in people who have:

• experience and understanding of a range of user research methods, quantitative and qualitative, when to use those methods and how to apply them correctly
• a good understanding of the diversity of users of government services, and the ability to include many kinds of users in appropriate research activities to make services usable and accessible for everyone who needs to use them
• the ability to understand what problem your team is trying to solve, and decide on user research activities to inform decision making and action
• experience and understanding of a range of techniques for analysis of research data, synthesis of findings, and presentation of clear findings that colleagues can understand and use
• experience of involving your team in research activities, and in the analysis and synthesis
• a good understanding of the social and technological context for government services, and the ability to align user research activities to help their team understand changing user behaviour
• an understanding of agile approaches and experience of working in agile teams

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:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 60 minute video interview

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.

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

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

• experience and understanding of a range of user research methods, quantitative and qualitative, when to  use those methods and how to apply them correctly

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:

• Working together
• Making effective decisions
• Managing a quality service

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 User Researcher role:

• User research methods
• User-centred practice and advocacy
• Agile research practices

Recruitment Timeline

Role closes: Sunday 16th March

Sift completion: Monday 24th March

Panel interviews: Week commencing 31st March

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.

Other information: Occasionally, business pressures, priorities or critical delivery may mean that we move you into a different team or work area within GDS. This will always be within the same grade and discipline within which you were hired, but does mean that your focus or objectives may shift in order to deliver GDS business.

You may be aware that there are plans for the Government Digital Service (GDS) 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.