Are you looking for an opportunity to combine leadership with continued hands-on user research? We have an opportunity for you to stay closely connected to user research practice while supporting and guiding your team. Our User Researchers work in an open, iterative and collaborative way in a multidisciplinary team, and communicate effectively, working closely with our designers, product managers, performance analysts, developers, business analysts and other stakeholders and colleagues. The User Research team is part of a larger User Centred Design (UCD) team that sits within the Product Design Directorate, alongside the Product Management and Business Analysis teams. The UCD team is a community of 6 teams. There are: Service Design, Interaction Design, Content Design, Accessibility, User Research and Performance Analytics. Each team supports each other to review insights from our performance analytics and user research to understand user needs and co-design user-centred services. Please note: Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. We're able to consider both full-time and part-time hours for this role for the successful candidate (part-time would be a minimum of 30 hours over 4 or 5 days). Remote contracts will be considered where commuting to the office location of your team is not reasonably practicable. Job description As a Lead User Researcher ,youllbe an expert, hands-on practitioner.You'lllead and assure user research activity across a several teams, as well as carry out user research yourself. You will ensure that work takes auser centred,evidence-basedapproach to shape product vision, servicedesignand delivery, and influence organisational strategy and priorities. You will manage, lead,coachand mentor user researchers.Define,embedand assure best practice in user research, and prioritise resources effectively across complex areas of work. You will act as a recognised authority in user research, providing expert advice and assurance, and collaborating with colleagues across government to improve outcomes for users. At this level you will: lead user research across complex programmes of work, using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods appropriate to different lifecycle phases of agile service design manage, mentor and guide more junior user researchers,setting directionand assuring the quality and impact of research undertaken by others -contributing to the strategic development of the user research function. engage with programmes and senior stakeholders to understand strategicobjectives, organisational priorities and complex user,policyand service problems. be a highly effective communicator, able to translate complex researchfindingsinto clear,evidencebasedrecommendations that influence decisions at team, programme and organisational level act as an expert advocate for user needs, championingusercentredand inclusive design and influencing others to adopt best practice encourage and embed team involvement throughout the user research lifecycle, including analysis and synthesis, building consensus, challengingassumptionsand raising the standard of insight collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders across programmes and across government where relevant, to understand user and policy needs and ensure these are translated into services that work for diverse user groups play a leading role in ensuring that services meet the Government Service Standard, providing expert assurance throughout the service delivery lifecycle and presenting at, and assessing, service assessments contribute to and help lead theusercentreddesign and user research community, including presenting at meetups, writing blogs, sharing best practice, and raising organisational awareness of the value and impact of user research Person specification Werelooking for an expert user research practitioner with varied and complex project experience, who meets the technical specifications for a Lead User Researcher as outlined in theGovernment Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework for User Researcher. The following skills and experience will be assessed during the selection process: Research management, leadership and assurance Proven ability to analyse complex user, service and policy problems and align user research activity to support informeddecisionmakingand organisational priorities. Experience of defining,embeddingand assuringhigh standardsof user research practice, and providing expert guidance and assurance across teams and programmes. Research methods and planning Extensive experience of selecting,applyingand advising onan appropriate rangeof qualitative and quantitative user research methods acrossdifferent phasesof the agile service lifecycle.A track recordof improving,innovatingand setting best practice in user research at organisational level. Analysis and synthesis Strong ability to analyse and synthesise complex qualitative and quantitative data, involving and guiding others through the process, and producing clear, actionable insight that influences decisions at team,programmeand organisational level. Agile research practices Expertlevel capability in advocating for and embedding user research throughout agile delivery. Experience of shaping and assuring research approaches across multiple teams, ensuring insight is used effectively to inform design,deliveryand strategic decisions. Inclusive research Expert experience of planning and delivering inclusive research thatrepresentsthe full diversity of users of government services. Ability to set standards, challenge assumptions and ensure teams design services that work for all users, including those with access needs. User centredpractice and advocacy Demonstrated ability to championuser centreddesign and research, influencing ways of working, priorities anddecision making. Experience of advocating for user needs with senior stakeholders and embeddinguser centredpractice at scale. Stakeholder relationship management Highly developed influencing and negotiation skills, with experience of building strong relationships with senior stakeholders, including sceptical or resistant colleagues, to resolve issues, enable progress and improve outcomes for users. Please note: We are looking for an experiencedLead User Researcher.Successful candidates who are assessed at the practitioner level will be offered pay within the FN1 page range of £53,540 - £57,250 per year. If a successful candidate is assessed to exceed these expectations and shows confident, expert skills and capabilities, they will be offered a salary in line with the FN2 pay range of £61,834 - £65,136 per year. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and Influencing Making Effective Decisions Developing Self and Others Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Research Leadership, Methods and Planning at Lead User Researcher level as outlined in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework. Where will you be working? We are currently using a hybrid approach to the way we work which provides opportunities for you to be adaptable in the way you work so that you can achieve a healthy balance between your work and home life. The degree of choice you have will depend on your role and your day-to-day work activities. Your manager will agree regular patterns of attendance with you; however, you may be required to make yourself available to attend the office more frequently when required to meet business needs. The team for this role is based in our Cardiff office, and a hybrid employment contract will be provided as the standard offering. However, remote contracts may be considered as an exception whereby commuting to the office location of your team is not reasonably practicable.

TPBN1_UKTJ