User Researcher

IBM; Abbots Worthy; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Sabbatical programs

Private medical & pension

Job summary

IBM Consulting UK FutureNow is seeking a Senior Experience Consultant in Research to lead end-to-end user research across digital services. You will shape research strategies, mentor teams, and ensure insights influence policy, service design, and delivery across the lifecycle.

The role requires managing complex research programmes, using advanced qualitative and quantitative methods, and communicating insights to senior stakeholders. A strong focus on accessibility and inclusivity is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience leading planning, design, and execution of end-to-end user research using qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Ability to shape research strategies that drive decision-making and align with client needs and objectives.
• Provide guidance, mentoring, and quality assurance to researchers to improve practice across teams.
• Develop artefacts such as service-level journey maps, research frameworks, and behavioural models.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive user research plans aligned with project goals and priorities.
• Design and carry out research activities to build deep understanding of users across government services.
• Document insights clearly, producing personas, journey maps, research summaries, and repositories.
• Champion user research and ensure evidence informs policy, service design, and delivery.
• Lead workshops with senior stakeholders to prioritise research needs and embed evidence-based decisions.
• Conduct expert reviews and cognitive walkthroughs to assess and improve user experience quality.

Skills

End-to-end research leadership

Qualitative & quantitative methods

Stakeholder facilitation

Mentoring researchers

Research strategy

Accessibility testing

Service design knowledge

Policy influence

Job description

A Senior Experience Consultant specializing in Research provides strategic leadership in shaping, delivering, and championing user research across digital services. The role leads complex research programmes, oversees methodological decisions, and ensures insights directly influence policy, service design, and delivery across the lifecycle. This includes advanced qualitative and quantitative approaches such as ethnographic studies, generative discovery, large-scale surveys, workshops, prototype testing, and accessibility evaluations. Senior researchers interpret complex data, synthesise insights at scale, and guide teams in understanding user needs, behaviours, and systemic challenges. Key activities:

• Develop comprehensive user research plans, aligned with project goals and wider organisational priorities.
• Design and carry out research activities that help teams develop a deep understanding of users and their needs across government services.
• Document user insights clearly and consistently, producing high-quality outputs such as personas, journey maps, research summaries, and insight repositories.
• Champion user research
• Ensure research evidence effectively informs policy, propositions, service design, content design, and interaction design to achieve both user and policy outcomes.
• Actively participate in customer craft communities, contributing IBM best practices, frameworks, and thought leadership to strengthen capability.

Required technical and professional expertise

• Experience leading planning, design, and execution of end-to-end user research using a broad range of qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Skilled at shaping research strategies that drive decision-making and align with client needs and organisational objectives.
• Provide guidance, mentoring, and quality assurance to researchers, improving research practice across teams.
• Develop advanced artefacts such as service-level journey maps, research frameworks, behavioural models, and thematic insight repositories.
• Facilitate workshops and collaborative sessions with senior stakeholders to prioritise research needs and embed evidence-based decisions.
• Conduct expert reviews, heuristic evaluations, and cognitive walkthroughs to assess and improve user experience quality.
• Communicate complex insights clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences, including senior leaders.
• Champion user-centred design principles and influence product and service direction across multidisciplinary teams.
• Remain current on emerging research methodologies, accessibility standards, and best practices in user-centred design.

This role is suited to a highly skilled, senior professional dedicated to understanding user behaviour and shaping accessible, equitable, and effective public services. If you are an influential, strategic, and analytically strong research leader able to drive impact at scale, we encourage you to apply.

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government's Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personal Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NVS) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Experience with advanced analytics, A/B testing, card sorting, or contextual inquiry.
• Experience mentoring or line-managing junior researchers.
• Familiarity with digital accessibility standards and specialised accessibility testing tools.
• Knowledge of behavioural science, service design, or systems thinking.
• Experience using insight repositories or researchOps platforms.

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

About you

At IBM Consulting UK FutureNow, you'll build a career at the forefront of hybrid cloud and AI, working with leading clients across the public and private sectors. You'll collaborate with top industry professionals, gain hands on experience with cutting edge technologies, and deliver solutions that create real business impact. From day one, you'll work on meaningful, high profile programmes that stretch your skills and accelerate your growth. We invest heavily in you--supporting continuous learning, in demand skills development, and long term career progression. You'll thrive in a flexible, inclusive environment that values curiosity, encourages reinvention, and recognises what makes you unique.

• Tools and policies to support your work-life balance from flexible working approaches, sabbatical programs, paid paternity leave, maternity leave and an innovative maternity returners scheme
• More traditional benefits, such as 25 days holiday (in addition to public holidays), private medical, dental & optical cover, online shopping discounts, an Employee Assistance Program, life assurance and a group pension plan through salary sacrifice.