User Researcher

NHS Ayrshire & Arran; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Flexible working options

Learning resources

Staff discounts

Job summary

Public Health Scotland seeks a User Researcher to lead all aspects of user research, ensuring products and services meet user needs. The role is based in Edinburgh or Glasgow with hybrid working and a 36-hour week, Monday to Friday.

You will plan, conduct and analyse user research to inform design decisions, advocate for users, and contribute to our user-centred delivery approach. Applicants should have a graduate-level degree or professional certification in a related field, with substantial

Qualifications

• Graduate level degree or professional certification (or equivalent) in user research, service design, customer relations or stakeholder management.
• Significant experience planning, designing and delivering user research to support product/service design.
• Experience identifying and involving diverse users in inclusive, ethical research aligned to compliance.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct user research using appropriate methods for each project.
• Analyse findings and translate insights to influence design decisions.
• Advocate for the voice of the user and the value of user research.
• Manage multiple user research projects concurrently.
• Contribute to establishing user research as part of our user-centred design approach.

Skills

Graduate degree or cert

User research experience

Interpersonal skills

Communication & facilitation

Education

Graduate degree or professional certification in user research

Job description

About The Organisation

Public Health Scotland launched 1st April 2020 as a national health board, employing around 1200 people, and with an annual budget of around £101 million. Public Health Scotland wants to see a Scotland where everybody thrives, a Scotland where life expectancy improves and the difference in life expectancy between our poorest and wealthiest areas gets smaller.

The Post

Would you like to apply your passion for meeting users’ needs to the development of products and services that contribute to Public Health Scotland’s mission? As our User Researcher, you will lead on all aspects of user research to help us gain a deeper understanding our users and ensure that the products and services we design meet their needs.

You Will Achieve This By

• planning and conducting user research, choosing the right user methods to suit the needs of the project or the problem to be solved
• analysing and producing user research findings and actionable user insights, and communicating them to influence product and service design decisions
• advocating for the voice of the user and the value of user research
• managing multiple user research projects concurrently
• contributing to establishing our user research practices as part of our user-centred design and delivery approach

The Candidate

You will have:

• a graduate level degree or professional certification or equivalent experience in a user research, service design, customer relations, stakeholder management discipline
• significant experience of planning, designing, and delivering user research to support the design, development, and continual improvement of a range of products and services
• demonstrable experience of identifying and involving different kinds of users in appropriate research activities, and running inclusive, ethical research aligned to organisational compliance requirements
• excellent interpersonal skills to establish credibility and build effective working relationships with colleagues, users, and stakeholders
• highly developed communication, negotiation, influencing, presentation and facilitation skills

If you choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced by AI or similar technologies.

Location and Working Pattern

The post is based in either Gyle Square, Edinburgh or Bothwell Street, Glasgow. We are currently hybrid working; therefore, you will be expected to spend time in both PHS offices as well as the option to work at home.

Working pattern will be Monday to Friday, 36 hours per week.

PHS is a flexible employer, and we are happy to discuss requests for alternative working patterns.

During times of public health emergency, or other urgent business need, you may be required on a temporary basis to work your normal contracted working hours over 7 days including weekends, in order to meet the needs of the service.

It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with PHS.

Benefits

Our benefits package includes pension scheme, comprehensive range of work life balance policies, occupational health services, learning resource centres and discounted leisure, financial and shopping benefits. Click here to view the full range of the PHS Employee Benefits.

Inclusion

Public Health Scotland (PHS) is a national NHS board committed to being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming employer.

We support a range of flexible working options to help colleagues balance work and personal responsibilities.

As an Established Carer Positive employer, we are committed to supporting staff with caring responsibilities and fostering a flexible, understanding workplace culture.

We offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support colleagues to grow and thrive. Staff are also welcome to join our active equality networks.

As an equal opportunities and Disability Confident Employer, we aim to guarantee an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, and we are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive recruitment experience.

PHS is working towards becoming a trauma informed organisation and recognises that trauma may affect people in different ways, including during the recruitment process.

We are an equal opportunities employer and as committed participant in the disability confident scheme, guarantees to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies however, where exceptionally high application volumes make this impracticable, a fair and proportionate shortlisting approach will be applied in line with Disability Confident guidance.

Further Information

For an informal discussion on the post, please contact Mary Flora Conner, Product Development Lead at [e-mail] or 07771 506543.

Closing date for completed applications is 1st September 2026.

Further information on PHS is available from: www.publichealthscotland.scot

Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail only, so please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders).