Senior User Researcher - Government Digital Service - G7

Location

Bristol, London, Manchester

About the job

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

1. joining up public sector services
2. harnessing the power of AI for the public good
3. strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
4. elevating leadership and investing in talent
5. funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
6. committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.

Job description

We are hiring 3 Senior User Researchers for GOV.UK. GOV.UK is the trusted online home for government information and services, every week millions of people rely on it to complete essential and often life-changing tasks. GOV.UK also supports government colleagues to publish content, ensuring accurate and accessible information is always available to the public.  

As a Senior User Research, you will:  

• make an impact: work on and tackle some of the toughest challenges in public infrastructure, improving millions of people’s lives through solutions that are informed by high quality, evidence-based, insights 
• deliver work that matters: driving change, delivering better value and outcomes for users and government, to empower and transform. 
• grow with us: thrive in a supportive research community that values experimentation, learning, failing fast and reflection as key steps to growth. With dedicated development resources, training and cross-government networks, you will have plenty of opportunities to grow.  

Your main responsibilities are:  

• to lead and conduct a wide range of user research projects that are aligned with GOV.UK’s vision and goals using a range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
• to deliver high quality research projects end-to-end: from planning, recruiting participants, data analysis and reporting, ensuring key insights are acted upon 
• to collaborate with multidisciplinary colleagues and stakeholders throughout the research process, and work with analytics colleagues and use a wide range of data to build a rich picture of user behaviour
• to produce impactful and reusable insights to inform, guide (or even reset) design, driving, tactical product and strategic decisions at both the team and organisational level
• to advocate for evidence-based decision-making, persuading colleagues and stakeholders to adopt research approaches and research initiatives that can deliver significant value to GOV.UK and GDS
• mentor, guide and line manage more junior user researchers to assure and improve research practice
• consistently explore and implement innovative ways to deliver better outcomes, whether by refining existing methods or experimenting with new, creative, approaches
• help colleagues understand when and when not to do research and advocate the value and demonstrate the importance of research by ensuring that impact is tracked and visible to others
• be a reflective practitioner who continually strives to improve their own practice and will contribute to our thriving User Research Community to share knowledge, case studies and examples of best practice

Person specification

You don't need government experience to apply for this role. We’re interested in seasoned research practitioners who are experienced in both evaluative and foundational research, leveraging a wide range of data and techniques. You should be a skilled communicator with a proven track record of influencing stakeholders and advocating for users, driving decisions and shaping direction at both tactical and strategic levels.  

We want people who can demonstrate: 

• the execution of research projects following best practice, delivering high impact results that have directly influenced important design and product directions both tactically and strategically
• strong analytical skills, with the ability to distil hidden and actionable insights from diverse data sources and communicate them effectively through storytelling
• a proven ability to advocate for research and build strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders. Skilled in collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders throughout the product development process to drive actions and meaningful change
• proven experience in educating and directing team(s) focusing on the right research and adopting a wide range of methods/approaches to deliver best results. 
• demonstrable experience in developing engaging and impactful team workshops to assist with research scoping, prioritisation of research insights, and ideas generations 
• a good understanding of social and technological contexts and how that influences user behaviour and solutions; and accessibility and inclusion practices. 
• someone who thrives on the demands of delivery pressure, ambiguous environments by combining pragmatism, professional judgement and flexibility (not just playing it by the book) to overcome challenges
• tenacity and proactivity: seek solutions with creativity, curiosity and collaboration, while continuously reflecting on own practices to drive improvements and deliver meaningful change
• educated to at least Batchelor's level in a field related to User Centered design (e.g. HCI, Human Factors, Anthropology, Design, Psychology) or related work experience