Lead User Researcher- Department for Business and Trade
Government Digital & Data -
Lead User Researcher
Department for Business and Trade
Apply before Midday on Monday 29th April 2024
Details
Reference number
350415
Salary
£52,000 - £65,600
London: £55,365 - £65,600 / National: £52,000 - £58,000 (including allowance).
Job grade
Grade 7
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
DBT - DG COO - Digital, Data & Technology
Type of role
Digital
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
Location
Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford
About the job
Job summary
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the department for economic growth. The Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) directorate develops and operates tools and services to support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.
The Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) team develops and operates tools, services, and platforms such as great.gov.uk that enable the UK government to provide world leading support to businesses in the UK and overseas. Have a look at our video!
Work with us to constantly push boundaries in an environment free of heavy legacy, driven by curiosity, social purpose, diversity of thought, entrepreneurship, and the aspiration to offer an incredible experience to all our users.
Job description
As a Lead User Researcher, reporting to the Head of User Research, you will be helping to reinvigorate the User Research function in DBT, as part of our broader mission to champion the needs of our users. User researchers are key figures in our digital teams. They help our teams develop a deep understanding of the people - citizens, businesses, or government - who use our services. Their findings enable our teams to design and deliver better services quickly, with less risk, and at lower cost.
We’re looking to increase our influence and impact by developing agile, pragmatic ways of working, that help teams meet the CDDO service standards while reflecting the delivery pace of the department. We’re looking at how we set and assure research standards, how we innovate our approaches, and how we support teams to understand and respond to user needs. Find out more on our User Research blogs.
Person specification
It is essential that you have:
- Working with management teams and stakeholders to understand business needs and aligning research prioritisation and delivery to these needs
- Planning, designing and delivering user research projects and programmes in complex, challenging contexts
- Managing, mentoring or leading a team, ensuring they are performing against delivery goals and working to develop their capability
- Providing oversight and quality assurance of multiple user research projects at the same time
- Effectively advocating for the user and for good user research, advising stakeholders and building their buy-in of the value of user-centred practice
- Responding to delivery pressures of an agile environment, demonstrating good professional judgement, flexibility and pragmatism
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process you will be asked to upload a two page CV and complete a 750 word personal statement outlining how you meet the essential skills and experience listed above. You can use bullet points and subheadings if you prefer.
Sift will be from week commencing: Monday 29th April.
Interviews will be from week commencing: Monday 13th May.
Please note these dates are indicative and may be subject to change.
If there is a high volume of applications, we will sift looking at your CV only. You may then be progressed to full sift or straight to interview.
How we interview
At the interview stage for this role, you will be asked to demonstrate relevant Strengths, Technical Skills and Behaviours from the Success Profiles framework. These are role specific and in line with the DDaT Capability Framework.
Technical Skills
- Research Skills (including research planning and design)
- Analysis and Synthesis
- Inclusive research
- Strategic Insight (including working with stakeholders to understand business needs)
- User Centred and Agile working
Behaviours
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Seeing the Big Picture
Strengths are designed to test your innate talents so are not listed on the advert to ensure you provide a natural answer.
You will also be asked to deliver a presentation and will be informed on the topic following the sift.
How we offer
Offers may be made in merit order based on location preferences. If you pass the bar at interview but are not the highest scoring you will be held on a 12-month reserve list in case a role becomes available. If you are judged a near miss at interview, you may be offered a post at the grade below the one you applied for.
This role requires SC clearance. DBT’s requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet this requirement will result in your application being rejected and your offer will be withdrawn.
Checks will also be made against:
- departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- security services record
- location details
Benefits
If you join us, you will get:
- learning and development tailored to your role
- a flexible, hybrid working environment with options like condensed hours
- a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- annual leave starting at 25 days rising to 30 days with service
- three paid volunteering days a year
- an employee benefits programme including cycle to work
More about us
This role can only be worked from within the UK, not overseas. If you are based in London, you will receive London weighting. DBT employees work in a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in the office on average. Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DBT, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
You can find out more about our office locations, how we calculate salaries, our diversity statement and reasonable adjustments, the Recruitment Principles, the Civil Service code and our complaints procedure on our website.
Find out more about life at DBT, our benefits and meet the team by watching our video or reading our blog!
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name :ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk
- Email :ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email :ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk
