Consultant / Senior Consultant - Human Factors & Usability

PDD; Slough; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

PDD is seeking a mid-to-senior consultant to help clients create products, services and experiences that are safe, intuitive, relevant and desirable. Working within multi-disciplinary teams of researchers, designers and engineers, you will plan and deliver people-centred research and human factors activities, translate evidence into design direction and build trusted client relationships.

The role can flex toward human factors and usability, qualitative and contextual research, or a blend of

Qualifications

• Experience applying human-centred research methods in commercial or consultancy settings.
• Ability to plan and deliver qualitative research, fieldwork, analysis and synthesis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with clients and teams.
• Willingness to travel internationally.
• Healthcare or medical-device development experience is desirable.
• Experience mentoring colleagues and supporting business development is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Plan, scope and deliver research, human factors and usability work across the project lifecycle.
• Apply methods such as contextual inquiry, interviews, usability studies, or journey mapping.
• Moderate research sessions and workshops in the UK and internationally.
• Translate findings into actionable insights, requirements and strategic recommendations.
• Produce proposals, plans, protocols and client presentations.
• Lead or contribute to multidisciplinary project teams and manage scopes and budgets.
• Build trusted client relationships and identify opportunities for repeat and new work.
• Collaborate with business development to shape proposals and services.
• Maintain professional knowledge and continue development.

Skills

Human factors

Qualitative research

Client communication

Project management

Team leadership

Travel international

Education

Degree in human factors or related

Job description

Summary

PDD is seeking a mid-to-senior consultant to help clients create products, services and experiences that are safe, intuitive, relevant and desirable. Working within multi-disciplinary teams of researchers, designers and engineers, you will plan and deliver people-centred research and human factors activities, translate evidence into clear design and business direction, and build trusted client relationships.

The role can flex toward human factors and usability, qualitative and contextual research, or a blend of both, depending on the successful candidate’s strengths. At senior level, the role includes greater ownership of complex global projects, commercial performance, client development, service development and mentoring. International travel will form part of some activities.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• Plan, scope and deliver research, human factors and usability work across the project lifecycle, from proposal and study design through fieldwork, analysis, reporting and presentation.


• Select and apply appropriate methods, which may include contextual inquiry, ethnographic research, interviews, formative and validation usability studies, task or heuristic analysis, expert review, co-creation workshops, or journey mapping.


• Moderate research and usability sessions and facilitate workshops in the UK and internationally, adapting approaches to different participants, cultures, products and project contexts.


• Analyse and synthesise qualitative and usability evidence, translating findings into actionable insights, design requirements, risk controls, opportunity areas and strategic recommendations.


• Produce clear, accurate and engaging deliverables, including proposals, research plans, protocols, technical reports and client presentations, tailored to the audience and purpose.


• Lead or contribute to multi-disciplinary project teams; manage scope, schedules, budgets, resources, quality and project risks in line with agreed client expectations and PDD processes.


• Build trusted client relationships throughout delivery, identify and resolve issues early, and help generate repeat and new work through high-quality consulting and sound commercial judgement.


• Collaborate with business development, sales and marketing colleagues to shape proposals, estimates, campaigns and a compelling service offering.


• Contribute to the evolution of PDD’s human sciences capabilities, methods, procedures and knowledge sharing, including awareness of changing client needs, market practice and relevant regulation.


• At senior level, provide day-to-day direction, coaching and constructive feedback to colleagues and support the development of junior team members.


• Maintain professional knowledge and undertake continuing development relevant to the role.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Practical experience applying human-centred research, human factors, ergonomics, usability or user-centred design methods in commercial, consultancy, academic or other applied settings.


• Ability to plan and deliver qualitative research or usability activities, including participant-facing fieldwork, analysis and synthesis.


• Strong analytical judgement and the ability to turn complex evidence into clear, useful recommendations for products, services, experiences or business strategy.


• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate technical or complex material clearly to clients and multi-disciplinary teams.


• Confidence working directly with clients and collaborating effectively with researchers, designers, engineers and commercial colleagues.


• Strong organisation and self-management, including the flexibility to balance priorities and deliver high-quality work across concurrent projects, deadlines and budgets.


• Experience preparing high-quality study protocols, reports or other technical documentation.


• Experience in healthcare or medical-device development, including applying relevant human factors regulatory expectations across one or more markets.


• Ability to learn unfamiliar sectors, technologies and evidence bases quickly and apply that knowledge responsibly.


• Willingness and practical ability to travel internationally when projects require it.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience working in a consultancy or another client-facing environment, including contributing to proposals, estimates or business development.


• Experience leading complex, multi-site or international research or usability programmes and maintaining strong client relationships.


• Experience with drug-delivery devices or other safety-critical products and with use-related risk management, such as hazard identification, use-related FMEA, use-related risk analysis or residual-risk evaluation.


• Experience designing and evaluating instructions for use, quick-reference guides, training content or other instructional materials.


• Breadth across methods such as ethnography, contextual research, co-creation, journey mapping, persona development, task analysis, heuristic review and usability evaluation.


• Information or visual design capability that helps make complex findings accessible and persuasive.


• Experience mentoring colleagues, guiding project teams or contributing to the development of a research or human factors service offering.


• A degree or postgraduate qualification in human factors, ergonomics, psychology, anthropology, product design, usability engineering, cultural studies, another human or social science, or a related discipline would be relevant. Equivalent applied experience and evidence of strong professional practice will also be considered. Chartered status, or progress toward it, is welcome but not required.