Senior User Researcher

at  Home Office

JOB SUMMARY

Data Services and Analytics is a critical service delivery unit comprised of a number of services and programmes.
The main aim of DSA is to deliver a robust Data Analytics capability to drive an intelligence-led evidence-based organisation, in order to help make our communities safer and improve the public’s customer experience of interacting with the Home Office.
We are looking for a Senior User researcher to join our team to conduct comprehensive research into our services to ensure we deliver services to our users that allows them to function long term, the user researcher will explore the problem areas and its impacts.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We’re looking for a skilled and experienced Senior User Researcher who is passionate about what they can bring to delivering better services at the Home Office and prepared to be a vocal advocate for user needs.
You will work within a fast-paced delivery team - either across several smaller services or dedicated to one larger programme of work. Your research will inform policy, proposition, service, content and interaction design so that digital services work well for users and achieve their policy intent.
As a Senior User Researcher, you will plan and lead user research activities in large teams and on complex services. You will develop research strategy and test design, as well as leading on expansive discovery research and analysis within the broad problem space. You will lead research using a range of methods, including usability testing, contextual interviews, pop-up testing, and will lead on rapid analysis that involves the wider team whenever possible.
You will also carry out line management, mentoring, training and other activities designed to up-skill junior staff in primary research techniques, as well as recruitment activities to ensure that we continue to have the required skills within the organisation.
You’ll communicate insights from research in engaging and impactful ways to delivery teams and stakeholders to drive change and improve government services.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Research (Lead Technical Skill)
• Analysis and synthesis
• User centred and Agile practices

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £60,300, Home Office contributes £17,468 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

UK RESIDENCY AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

Please note that this role requires Security Check (SC) clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years.
However, in exceptional circumstances security clearance applications for candidates who have been present in the UK for at least 3 of last 5 years may be considered. Failure to meet this residency requirement will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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)

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Your main day to day responsibilities will be:

• leading the planning, design and execution of user research and usability testing to understand user needs and behaviours and inform the design and development of government services
• influencing how decisions are made and constructively challenging ways of thinking at both the team and senior stakeholder level
• leading other user researchers within a digital delivery team, mentoring and up-skilling researchers and supporting the growth and development of the team
• taking a user centred, evidence-based approach by turning user research findings into actionable insights that influence service/product development
• supporting digital delivery teams to build accessible digital services by ensuring that participants with access needs and low digital skills are included in all research
• sharing insights from research and examples of best practice where they can help other researchers across the Home Office
• aligning user research activities with wider organisational objectives to provide strategic insights that inform policy and proposition