User Researcher

at  Ofgem

JOB SUMMARY

Ofgem is the leader in the Energy Sector for supporting the public and making sure the industry has the direction it needs to make the right choices. We’re looking for a User Researcher to lead research on how people interact with our services, helping us create accessible and effective solutions that support energy consumers.
Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator. We ensure that every household and business has access to a safe, affordable, and sustainable energy supply. With the energy sector undergoing rapid transformation, our work has never been more vital - or more exciting.
We’re offering a 12 month fixed term position where you’ll play a key role in developing research-led insights that shape service design and policy. This is an opportunity to influence high-impact projects and improve digital and operational services across Ofgem.
As a User Researcher, you will ensure our services meet users’ needs by leading in-depth research on how people interact with them. You will be involved in exciting work to discover users’ needs, analyse their behaviours and create solutions that deliver for them. At every step of the journey, you will be vital to informing, testing and supporting projects and will work with a huge range of engaged parties across Ofgem and beyond to make sure our solutions are the best they can possibly be, and user-centred thinking is at the heart of our decision-making.
We’re looking for someone with professional experience as a User Researcher, working alongside User Centred Design disciplines. You should have experience influencing and engaging stakeholders, including sceptical colleagues, and be confident in conducting inclusive research to ensure services meet the needs of all users. The ability to select and apply the right qualitative and quantitative research methods to deliver meaningful insights is essential.
In return, we offer an environment where you have everything you need to thrive, from flexible working options to outstanding perks and benefits. What’s more, you’ll have access to professional development opportunities to support your growth, whilst contributing to a mission-driven organisation that’s shaping the future of the UK energy sector and leading the drive towards Net Zero.
We have a critical purpose to ensure that the public have an Energy Industry that works for them and services that are designed around their needs.
Read on and apply today.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Ofgem works on behalf of energy consumers to ensure that every household and business in the UK can rely on a safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy supply. We are playing a vital part in accelerating the transition to Net Zero and a carbon neutral energy system – a goal that everyone wants to achieve.
As a User Researcher, you will help ensure our services meet users’ needs by leading thorough research on how people interact with our services.
You will plan and do research to understand our users’ behaviours, needs, and motivations. You will plan and conduct research using different techniques such as usability tests, surveys, diary studies, card sorting, and interviews. You’ll work with designers, developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to turn research into actionable insights for product development and innovation.
Strong analytical, communication, presentation, and problem-solving skills are essential. You will work independently on projects with guidance from senior designers and researchers.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

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

• Please refer to the Candidate Pack and Role Profile attached for full details.

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £34,123, OFGEM contributes £9,885 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.
You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘personal statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the essential and desirable skills and capabilities.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expect all candidates to abide by these principles. Ofgem take any incidences of cheating very seriously. Please ensure all examples provided are of your own experience. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant applications will be withdrawn from the process.
Things you need to know

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)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan, design and prepare a range of user research activities to support the design, development and continuous improvement of complex government services;
• Carry out a wide range of user research activities from recruiting participants, preparing discussion guides and moderating research sessions;
• Lead colleagues to analyse research data and synthesise clear and actionable findings
• Communicate user research findings to help the wider team and organisation develop a deep understanding of users and their needs;
• Work closely with product managers, designers and developers to turn user research findings into stories and actions that lead to valuable product and service features;
• Contribute to UCD strategic planning, to align user research activities with wider plans to inform service propositions;
• Help build user-centred practices in project teams;
• Develop and ensure good user research practice, sharing knowledge with other user researchers;
• Contribute to the wider user research community - including presenting at meetups, writing blog posts and leading on aspects of practice development.