Senior User Researcher

Government Recruitment Service; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior User Researcher to lead research activities in complex areas. This role involves supervising other researchers, communicating findings to influence service delivery, and embracing inclusive research practices. The ideal candidate should have strong experience in user research and the ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams. This position contributes to building services that meet government standards and enhance user experiences.

Qualifications

• Experience in conducting user research in complex subject areas.
• Proven track record of leading user research teams.
• Ability to effectively communicate research findings.

Responsibilities

• Conduct user research in complex areas and supervise other researchers.
• Communicate user research findings to influence delivery.
• Help build inclusive user research practices in teams.

Skills

User research

Communication skills

Agile methodologies

Inclusive research practices

Job description

About us

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has a clear mission - to grow the economy. Our role is to help businesses invest, grow and export to create jobs and opportunities right across the country. We do this in three ways.

Firstly, we help to build a strong, competitive business environment, where consumers are protected and companies rewarded for treating their employees properly.

Secondly, we open international markets and ensure resilient supply chains. This can be through Free Trade Agreements, trade facilitation and multilateral agreements.

Finally, we work in partnership with businesses every day, providing advance, finance and deal-making support to those looking to start up, invest, export and grow.

The Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) directorate develops and operates tools and services to support us in this mission. The team have been nominated four times in a row for ‘Best Public Sector Employer’ at the Women in Tech awards!

As a Senior User Researcher, you'll play a key leadership role in our User Centred Design Community working as part of a multidisciplinary team collaborating with teams across DBT. You will be conducting your own research, championing quality, innovation, and creativity in how we approach all aspects of design and how we bring concepts to life for stakeholders to effect change. Within your role you will understand the importance of inclusive research practices, taking pride in ensuring research is representative of a wide range of people and communities that DBT serve.

Senior User Researchers at the Department for Business and Trade plan, design and carry out research activities with users that help teams develop a deep understanding of the people that use government services, citizens, businesses, and government. User research informs policy, proposition, service, content, and interaction design so that services work well for users and achieve policy intent.

As a Senior User Researcher, reporting to a Lead User Researcher, you will need to be an experienced practitioner who can plan, design, and conduct user research activities in larger teams and on complex government services.

Main responsibilities

You will:

• Conduct user research in complex subject areas, and supervise and develop other user researchers to ensure research practice is high quality, ethical, and safe
• Build user-centred practices in multi-disciplinary teams using agile and iterative user-centred design methods
• Effectively communicate user research findings to the team and the wider organisation, to influence delivery
• Help teams to research inclusively with a wide range of users, including those with additional needs and other hard-to-reach groups
• Take a dynamic role in the DBT user research community, helping develop and improve our practice across the department
• Help teams build services that apply the Government Service Standard, supporting teams to prepare for service assessments in line with GDS guidelines for building a good service
• Identify metrics and other data that’s available to support user research and use this data to enhance your team’s understanding of user needs
• Lead on planning, designing and preparing a range of user research activities to support the design, development and continuous improvement of our services