User Researcher

RM plc; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job description

Would you like to help enrich the lives of learners around the world?

At RM, we’ve been pioneers of education technology since 1973. We provide technology and resources to the education sector, supporting over 10 million students worldwide. We work with over 28,000 schools, nurseries, and education trusts in 115 countries to deliver customer-centric solutions that improve education outcomes.

What we do helps learners at all stages of their lives, from preschool to higher education and professional qualification; we partner with schools, examination boards, central governments and other professional institutions to enrich the lives of learners.

RM Group operates through three businesses: Technology (Managed Services, Software and Infrastructure for Schools), Assessment (Software and Services) and TTS (Educational Resources).

Within the assessment market we are experts in providing solutions for online exam testing and marking and the management and analysis of educational data. We work with government ministries, exam boards and professional awarding bodies for high stakes assessment such as GCSEs, A Levels, and professional qualifications. Each year, our software is used globally to conduct hundreds of thousands of on-screen tests and to mark millions of paper-based scripts. For over a decade we have been partnering with the world’s leading awarding bodies to deliver intuitive, secure, and reliable e-marking solutions.

Visit our website to find out more: www.rm.com/assessment

Hybrid, 1 day in the office per week. Plus monthly in-person workshops in Abingdon head office, and occasional travel for user research and customer workshops.

We are looking for a seasoned User Researcher to join our growing UX and Service Design team. In this role, you'll be instrumental in establishing a cross-platform user research initiative that spans all UX and CX segments, working closely with our lead designer.

As a User Researcher, you will play a crucial role in understanding user behaviour and needs to inform the design and development of user-centred products, services, and experiences. Your ability to be flexible, resourceful, and creative in your approach will be essential in navigating the digital assessment landscape and our matrixed environment.

Portfolio Context

You will be responsible for meeting the user research needs across our Assessment portfolio. This means you'll be working upstream in strategy, helping to identify new opportunities and validate product concepts before significant resources are invested. At the same time, you'll be deeply involved in the product development process, working with design and engineering teams to enhance user experiences. Your ability to quantify the impact of UX changes and demonstrate the ROI of user-centred design will be key in fostering cross-functional collaboration and securing buy-in for UX initiatives.

We're looking for someone who can confidently present research findings to diverse stakeholders, from C-suite executives to customers and product managers, and effectively communicate how these insights can drive business growth and product success. If you're excited about using research to influence both strategic direction and tactical execution, this role offers the perfect opportunity to make a significant impact.

Main Responsibilities

1. Develop and lead assessment research strategy: Create and implement a research plan that aligns with our cross-platform vision and focuses on measuring and improving user outcomes. Collaborate across product teams and business areas to maximise the impact of research efforts.
2. Conduct comprehensive user research: Employ a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g. data analysis of software usage, user interviews, contextual inquiries, usability testing of assessment tools) to gain deep insights into users and the effectiveness of various assessment types within a digital context.
3. Analyse and synthesise insights: Transform complex assessment and user data into clear, actionable insights. Present findings to cross-functional teams to underpin evidence-based decision making.
4. Champion data-driven design: Ensure all assessment development is grounded in psychometrics and measurement science. Advocate for fair, valid, and reliable assessment practices throughout the product lifecycle, emphasising accessibility and equitable evaluation for all students.
5. Collaborate cross-functionally: Partner with internal and external business areas to share insights and inform product design. Lead other researchers and designers to build out a coherent experience across user journeys.
6. Contribute to portfolio expansion: Conduct exploratory research to guide the development of new digital assessment types and assessment solutions. Along with research artefacts, such as personas and journey maps, craft research proposals to align stakeholders and clarify scope.
7. Stay ahead of industry and research trends: Continuously monitor developments in educational measurement, assessment technology, and emerging research methodologies to ensure our digital assessment experiences are aligned with best practices and emerging trends.
8. Actively contribute to internal design capability: Coach others on research best practices and help them improve their own research skills.

Experience

You have proven experience working as a UX designer or product designer within cross-functional teams, taking a user-centric approach to design and collaborating effectively to build high-quality software products or services.

Technical excellence

• Expert knowledge and proven skills with a broad methodological toolkit, ideally including interviews, usability testing, field studies, diary studies, surveys, and quantitative analysis.
• Extensive experience leading user research initiatives for digital and non-digital products and services. Ideally you have experience with SaaS B2B solutions.
• Familiarity with design thinking principles and user-centred design processes.
• Experience with UX research tools and software (e.g., UserTesting, Qualtrics, Optimal Workshop).
• Strong visual communication skills, including the ability to create compelling, visually appealing artifacts to present research findings.
• Experience in packaging insights into easily digestible formats for various audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to influence product strategy and decision-making through research findings.
• Champion for accessibility.

Ownership of design

• Comfortable leading on research activities across a range of different projects and with a high level of autonomy.
• Proven experience adapting research approach to different project contexts.
• Apply metrics to gauge if product goals and objectives are being met.

Communication skills

• Able to communicate the rationale, value, and next steps of user research.
• Experience in presenting work at various stages of the design process to different levels within an organisation, and to non-design stakeholders.
• Can solicit, receive, and action feedback.

Collaborative, strategic approach

• Proactively engage with internal stakeholders, teams and customers.
• Demonstrated ability to gather support for and lead cross-functional projects independently.
• Attend monthly workshops for in-person collaboration and fostering strong working relationships.

While we’re looking for a generalist user researcher, you’ll get bonus points if you’re T-shaped and have expertise in one or more of the following:

• visual design
• visual communication
• data visualisation
• content design
• workshop facilitation
• service design.

What’s in it for you?

At RM we have My Work Blend @RM which provides office-based colleagues with multi location and hybrid working options. As well as your office base, you can spend a proportion of your time working at other locations that suit your role and your life, including home, other offices, customer sites, distribution centres or on the move. We encourage you to discuss arrangements for this role with your potential line manager during the recruitment process.

As well as a competitive salary and our core benefits package which includes private medical healthcare, life assurance and a Group Personal Pension Plan with higher contribution levels available, some roles are also eligible for a performance-related bonus. There are lots of voluntary benefits too. You could buy additional annual leave, join our dental plan, sign up for a health assessment, or take part in our cycle to work scheme. You could even earn yourself an extra bonus for successfully recommending a friend or family member for a position within RM.

To better reflect the society that we serve, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. To achieve this, we create teams of talented people from different backgrounds and experiences and strive to be a business where our people can bring their whole selves to work, we also want to make the recruitment process as inclusive as possible for everyone. Should you require additional support with your application or through the interview process, please contact us at [e-mail].

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.