JOB SUMMARY

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is a new arm’s-length body which is being set up, at unprecedented pace, to administer compensation to people whose lives have been impacted by the infected blood scandal.
Are you driven and ready for an opportunity which will make a real impact? This is an exciting, challenging and fulfilling role that requires pace, impact, sensitivity, and compassion.

The multidisciplinary teams are organised around delivering our mission and priorities. These are:

• to create a user-centred, empathetic end-to-end service at the heart of IBCA;
• to provide the means of paying compensation to those eligible; and
• to iterate our service through starting small and scaling fast, through a test and learn approach.

Opportunities to move to the new Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). At the moment all IBCA roles are hosted by Cabinet Office within the Civil Service. However, once IBCA becomes operational, it is anticipated that most of these roles will transfer to IBCA, which is a new Arms Length Body (ALB) separate from the Cabinet Office. Roles that transfer to IBCA from Cabinet Office will maintain the same or substantially the same terms and conditions of employment that are overall no less favourable. It is anticipated that employees who move from Cabinet Office to IBCA will be able to continue to participate in the Civil Service Pension arrangements with no break in their pensionable service. Roles commencing after IBCA has become operational will be with IBCA itself on similar terms and conditions. All successful candidates will receive full details of the terms and conditions of employment for their role with their formal job offer.
Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

JOB DESCRIPTION

This role aligns against the Lead User Researcher role from the Government Digital and Data Framework.
The Lead User Researcher will report to the Head of Product and will sit within IBCA’s Digital Service Design Directorate. The role includes line management responsibility for Senior User Researcher(s).
You will oversee research activities across the IBCA Digital Service team, 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-centred design and champion its value within the department.

As the Lead User Researcher in IBCA you will be responsible for:

• Planning programmes of research and identify appropriate research strategies aligned with program and product roadmaps;
• Ensure user research across IBCA Digital is efficient, effective and aligned to standards and the quality expected to meet the strategic vision;
• Work together and collaborate with other senior roles 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;
• Maintain knowledge of the latest best practice methods and approaches to be used in your field, using it to provide leadership and expertise;
• Be an advocate across the organisation for user needs and understanding the business drivers behind the digital products and service offering, creating and nurturing a culture of user centric design. Ensure that decision making, and design rationale is based on user needs to make things clearer and simpler;
• Proactively collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders 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)
• 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

As the Lead User Researcher in IBCA you will be responsible for:

• Planning programmes of research and identify appropriate research strategies aligned with program and product roadmaps;
• Ensure user research across IBCA Digital is efficient, effective and aligned to standards and the quality expected to meet the strategic vision;
• Work together and collaborate with other senior roles 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;
• Maintain knowledge of the latest best practice methods and approaches to be used in your field, using it to provide leadership and expertise;
• Be an advocate across the organisation for user needs and understanding the business drivers behind the digital products and service offering, creating and nurturing a culture of user centric design. Ensure that decision making, and design rationale is based on user needs to make things clearer and simpler;
• Proactively collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders to shape the service vision and priorities

The following essential criteria will be used to establish suitability for role and this is what we will be sifting applications against.

• Proven experience building and leading a research team and expert understanding of different research methods;
• Extensive experience as a User Researcher or appropriate experience of other fields of research;
• Strong analytical ability to identify patterns and connections in research outcomes;
• Expertise in designing, facilitating, and analysing a wide range of research using a variety of methods to build a rich picture of users;
• Expertise in user centred design practices and embedding them into an agile workflow;
• Experience of advocating for inclusive practices - conducting research that includes all kinds of users, understanding of research ethics, safeguarding and data management