Senior User Researcher

Job description

Job responsibilities

As a Senior User Researcher, you will be working autonomously to lead user research activities including recruitment, preparing research materials, conducting research using a range of methods and analysis; your responsibilities include:

• Focus on leading and doing user research for complex and high profile agile projects, programmes and/or portfolios of work.
• Leading on planning, recruiting and conducting user research for new data product testing, including playing back user research to stakeholders and digital teams.
• Be a knowledge expert in the user research field and lead on user research and strategic issues, through effective planning, implementation and review.
• Working with user researchers and service managers to develop and advocate appropriate research strategies to understand user needs for a service, and to continually test and improve the service.
• Foster a culture of team involvement in user research, team analysis, design rationale and decision making based on user needs
• Managing and mentoring other user centered design staff to ensure quality of research, and drive improvements in practice.
• Planning, designing, preparing and running user research activities to support the design, development and continuous improvement of digital government services (including contextual discovery, experience mapping, diary studies, early stage concept and prototype testing, lab based and contextual usability and accessibility testing).
• Designing and running contextual and discovery research to develop a deep understanding of the needs of all users of a service.
• Managing the usability and accessibility testing process from recruiting participants, designing test tasks, and preparing discussion guides, to test moderation, analysis and presenting results.
• Designing, executing and analysing quantitative surveys.
• Leading colleagues to analyse research data and synthesis findings so that research is shareable and traceable.
• Understanding the service problem then aligning user research activities to influence and support decision-making.
• Effectively communicating user research findings to the team and the wider organisation, so that they share a strong and empathetic understanding of their users (including presentations at show and tells, designing and maintaining research outputs on the team wall, formal reports)
• Working closely with designers and developers to turn user research findings into stories and actions that lead to valuable product and service features.
• Working closely with analytics colleagues to define user centred KPIs, to create a rich picture of user behaviour to tell the full story of how and why people use our services

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Identify, discuss and action own professional performance and training / development needs with your line manager through appraisal / individual development plan. Attending internal / external training events
• To participate in all mandatory training as required, i.e. fire safety, information governance and all other mandatory training.

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include;

Internal Stakeholders

• Staff across all disciplines and at all levels within the DA&S Data Operations Directorate
• Senior management across all UKHSA directorates
• Staff in the Customer Comms & Innovation and Technology groups
• Executive Directors across UKHSA
• Leadership Teams
• Matrix UKHSA Directorate leads for Programme Management, Communications, Engagements, and Strategy & Planning

External Stakeholders

• Department of Health and Social Care
• Secretary of State and Cabinet Office
• NHS England & Improvement
• NHS Digital
• ONS
• HSCIC
• Other Government Departments
• Commercial Organisations
• Third Sector Organisations
• Members of the public

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrable knowledge, experience in and passion for user centered design practices for web, service or software development
• Experience of understanding user needs for web content, tools and transactional services, especially those with the most complex user journeys
• Experience of designing, facilitating and analysing a wide range of qualitative and quantitative user research methods
• Experience of advocating for user research and engaging sceptical colleagues and stakeholders
• Experience of presenting user research findings in a wide variety of formats and contexts
• Experience introducing and establishing user research practices in an organisation
• Experience of working in an agile development environment with designers and developers and product managers to create new digital services
• Strong understanding of strengths and limitations of different research methods
• Ability to turn research data into clear findings that inform decisions
• Knowledge of the technologies used to build and operate digital services
• Ability to manage your own workload with limited supervision
• Ability to understand complex problems a team is trying to solve. Align user research activities to inform decision-making and action.
• Experience in line management
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Desirable Criteria

• Previous experience within government services

Qualifications

Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level

Desirable: Degree in User Centered Design, Cognitive Psychology or related field

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Selection Process

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Strengths

. Stage 1: Application & SiftAs part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Statement of Suitability in no more than 750 words providing examples of how you meet the essential criteria. It should also detail what you and your experience can bring to the role.

This part of the selection process should outline how you consider your skills, experience and achievements, and provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria outlined.

You will also be asked to provide information within the Employer/ Activity history section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history. This will be used in sifting process and will be scored

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview

Stage 2: Panel Interview

All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed on behaviours, experience and technical through Success Profiles.

At interview you'll be assessed on the Behaviours and Technical skills listed below:

• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

The following Technical skills will be assessed at interview:

• User Research

You'll also be required to prepare a 10-minute presentation on the Technical skill: User Research.

Details will be provided to the successful candidates 5 working days prior to your interview date. You can present in any format you like, i.e. written, visual or verbal.

Benefits

• Alongside your salary of £49,592, UK Health Security Agency contributes £13,390 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Range of health and wellbeing support

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.

Reserve List:

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.

If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

DBS - People working with government systems must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which includes a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed for this role is BPSS however there may be a requirement for this role to be SC cleared and you should familiarise yourself with the criteria of security clearance.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• oDemonstrable knowledge, experience in and passion for user centered design practices for web, service or software development

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

UK Health Security Agency

Address

remote

remote

NW9 5EQ

Employer's website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency (Opens in a new tab)