Lead User Researcher

at  Department for Work and Pensions

JOB SUMMARY

Are you an experienced Lead User Researcher?
Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment continually looking to evolve?
If this sounds like you, this may be the perfect opportunity for you!
We’re looking for a driven and passionate Lead User Researcher to join our Retirement Leadership Team.
In Retirement Services, we are responsible for running and transforming digital services. We ensure people over state pension age can plan for and secure all the support they need to live a life without unnecessary hardship.
Every year we pay over £120 billion to 18million DWP customers, including 1 million overseas customers residing in 229 countries.
We are a key part of DWP’s modernisation story with commitments to deliver end-to-end service transformation across the support we provide to citizens and DWP staff.

JOB DESCRIPTION

You will oversee research activities within Retirement Services, , ensuring best practices are defined and followed, and high-quality research is delivered. You’ll influence research strategy at both the organisational and program levels, promoting diverse user research methods to address user needs effectively.
In addition, you’ll mentor and support other User Researchers, helping them to grow as practitioners and deliver top-tier research services. You will advocate for user-centered design and champion its value within the department.

Your responsibilities will include but are not restricted to, the following:

• Plan programmes of research and identify appropriate research strategies aligned with program and product roadmaps.
• Ensure user research across Retirement Services is efficient, effective and aligned to standards and the quality expected to meet the department’s strategic vision.
• Work together and collaborate with other senior roles within the department and project teams to provide project direction, championing standards and insights derived from user research. Influence other roles during the decision making process to ensure user research needs are considered throughout.
• Support and lead teams in examining and understanding research data and synthesising findings. Drive prioritisation of actions from research and ensure these are fed into the program back log.
• Maintain knowledge of the latest best practice methods and approaches to be used in your field, using it to provide leadership and expertise. Additionally, encourage and support the use of innovative and creative approaches within the practice.
• Advise, negotiate and share with other areas of the department appropriate resource allocation for User Researchers, acting as a Subject Matter Expert on resource requirements to deliver success.
• Be an advocate within the department for user needs and understanding the business drivers behind the digital products and service offering, creating and nurture a culture of user centric design. Ensure that programme decision making, and design rationale is based on user needs to make things clearer and simpler.
• Proactively collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders in DWP, across government and relevant outside bodies and policy makers, to shape the service vision and priorities.

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)

TYPE OF ROLE

Customer Insight
Digital
Market Research
Operational Research

Your responsibilities will include but are not restricted to, the following:

• Plan programmes of research and identify appropriate research strategies aligned with program and product roadmaps.
• Ensure user research across Retirement Services is efficient, effective and aligned to standards and the quality expected to meet the department’s strategic vision.
• Work together and collaborate with other senior roles within the department and project teams to provide project direction, championing standards and insights derived from user research. Influence other roles during the decision making process to ensure user research needs are considered throughout.
• Support and lead teams in examining and understanding research data and synthesising findings. Drive prioritisation of actions from research and ensure these are fed into the program back log.
• Maintain knowledge of the latest best practice methods and approaches to be used in your field, using it to provide leadership and expertise. Additionally, encourage and support the use of innovative and creative approaches within the practice.
• Advise, negotiate and share with other areas of the department appropriate resource allocation for User Researchers, acting as a Subject Matter Expert on resource requirements to deliver success.
• Be an advocate within the department for user needs and understanding the business drivers behind the digital products and service offering, creating and nurture a culture of user centric design. Ensure that programme decision making, and design rationale is based on user needs to make things clearer and simpler.
• Proactively collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders in DWP, across government and relevant outside bodies and policy makers, to shape the service vision and priorities