Senior Lead User Researcher — Public Sector & UCD

Scrumconnect Limited; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Scrumconnect Consulting seeks a Lead User Researcher to set research vision, governance and align activities across multiple delivery teams and client programmes. Operating at SFIA Level 6, you will shape client capabilities, establish governance and ensure research informs executive strategy, policy alignment, product roadmaps and service transformation.

You will partner with the Head of UCD to lead and grow the research capability, mentor senior researchers, and contribute to business growth

Qualifications

• Experience leading user research across large multi-team public sector programmes.
• Strong governance and ethics for research, including GDPR compliance.
• Ability to mentor and develop researchers and lead bid responses.

Responsibilities

• Establish research vision, ethical governance, safeguarding frameworks and data privacy protocols across multiple projects and client programmes.
• Align research plans across teams to build a deep understanding of complex user needs, contexts and behaviours across the entire service lifecycle (Discovery to Live).
• Engage with senior stakeholders to advocate for user-centred transformation.
• Embed inclusive research standards, accessibility guidelines and considerations for assisted digital needs across client organisations and consultancy engagements.
• Lead and oversee research quality, providing assurance and readiness for GDS Service Assessments and external standards.
• Champion modern research methodologies, including mixed-method approaches, quantitative analytics and AI-assisted research tools, to increase research speed and insight depth.
• Work with the Head of User Centred Design to recruit, line-manage, mentor and coach Senior and Mid-Level Researchers, fostering continuous learning within Scrumconnect’s UCD practice.
• Support account growth, lead the UCD element of bid responses, shape client proposals and position Scrumconnect as a premier UCD partner across the public sector.
• Proven track record as a Lead User Researcher establishing research strategies across large-scale public sector programmes or multi-team digital transformations.
• Deep expertise in research governance, ethical consent frameworks, safeguarding practices and GDPR compliance at an organisational level.
• In-depth knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including usability testing, contextual inquiry, co-design and applying data and analytics to inform design.
• Proven capability in line-managing, mentoring and developing researchers, establishing research standards and building practice capability.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience supporting business development, shaping UCD bid proposals and contributing to pre-sales activity.

Skills

User research leadership

Stakeholder management

Mixed methods

AI-assisted research

Team mentoring

Job description

Scrumconnect Consulting seeks a Lead User Researcher to set research vision, governance and align activities across multiple delivery teams and client programmes. Operating at SFIA Level 6, you will shape client capabilities, establish governance and ensure research informs executive strategy, policy alignment, product roadmaps and service transformation.

You will partner with the Head of UCD to lead and grow the research capability, mentor senior researchers, and contribute to business growth