User Researcher

Sanderson Government & Defence; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

Travel to client sites

Job summary

Sanderson Government & Defence is seeking an experienced User Researcher to join our growing digital consultancy. You will collaborate with Product Managers, Designers and Developers to deliver user-centred services, guiding teams with evidence-based research throughout the product lifecycle.

You will lead research activities, inform design decisions and promote best practices for user research across multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading user research programmes.
• Experience across discovery, exploration, design and delivery.
• SC clearance eligibility and UK residency.
• Experience with Government Digital Service (GDS) service standards.
• Excellent communication, storytelling and facilitation skills.
• Experience in multidisciplinary agile teams.
• Familiar with prototypes to test hypotheses and evaluate journeys.
• Knowledge of remote and in-person research methods.

Responsibilities

• Partner with cross-functional teams to plan and deliver high-impact user research.
• Develop deep understanding of users to inform product and service design decisions.
• Lead research activities within teams and choose methodologies to generate insights.
• Plan and conduct qualitative research (remote and in-person interviews, observations, diary studies, usability testing).
• Use quantitative methods (surveys) and collaborate with analytics to enrich findings.
• Consider end-to-end user journeys with business and technical constraints.
• Present findings clearly and foster analysis and empathy across teams.
• Support adoption of user-centred design principles and research best practices.

Skills

Lead user research

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Stakeholder management

Qualitative research

Quantitative research

GDS service standards

Communication & storytelling

Agile teams

Prototypes to test

Remote & in-person research

Education

Bachelor's degree in Psychology / Sociology / Anthropology / HCI

Job description

User Researcher About the Role

We are looking for an experienced User Researcher to join a growing digital consultancy and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to create user-centred products and services.

You will work closely with Product Managers, Designers, Developers and fellow User Researchers to deliver impactful research that deepens understanding of user needs and behaviours. Your insights will help shape products and services that solve real-world problems and create meaningful user experiences.

As the lead researcher within your team, you will recommend and deliver the most effective research approaches, ensuring teams can make informed, evidence-based decisions throughout the product lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with Product Managers, Designers, Developers and other User Researchers to plan and deliver high-impact research.
• Develop a strong understanding of users to inform product and service design decisions.
• Lead user research activities within your team, selecting appropriate methodologies to generate valuable insights.
• Plan and conduct qualitative research, including remote and in-person interviews, observations, diary studies, concept testing and usability testing.
• Use quantitative research methods, such as surveys, to uncover actionable insights and work alongside analytics specialists to enrich findings.
• Consider the end-to-end user journey, including business, policy and technical constraints that may influence the user experience.
• Present research findings clearly and engage teams in analysis and synthesis activities to build empathy for users.
• Support the adoption of user-centred design principles and user research best practices across teams and the wider organisation.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Proven experience leading user research programmes using a range of behavioural and attitudinal research methods, with a strong understanding of when to apply them.
• Experience working across multiple stages of the product or service lifecycle, from discovery and exploration through to design and delivery.
• Existing Security Check (SC) Clearance or eligibility to obtain it, including meeting UK residency requirements.
• Experience working with Government Digital Service (GDS) Service Standards and applying GDS design principles.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, stakeholder management and facilitation skills.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary agile teams, leading research activities and influencing product or service design through user insights.
• Familiarity with using prototypes to test hypotheses, validate assumptions and evaluate user journeys.
• Knowledge of tools and techniques used for both remote and in-person research.

Desirable Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Human-Computer Interaction, User Experience or a related discipline.
• Experience recruiting and engaging diverse user groups to support the delivery of accessible and inclusive services.
• A passion for continuous learning and applying emerging technologies and approaches to enhance research practices and client outcomes.

About You

You are passionate about user-centred design, critical thinking and problem solving. You enjoy collaborating with others, sharing knowledge and helping teams create intuitive digital products and services that meet genuine user needs.

You are comfortable working in fast-paced, collaborative environments and are excited by the opportunity to influence the design and delivery of impactful digital services.

What's on Offer

• The opportunity to join a growing and collaborative digital community that actively shares knowledge, expertise and best practice.
• Exposure to a broad range of complex and meaningful projects across both public and private sector organisations.
• Ongoing opportunities for professional development, learning and career growth.
• Hybrid working arrangements.
• Opportunities to travel to client sites when required by project needs.

Reasonable Adjustments

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.