Lead User Researcher

Join a team at the heart of the global economy! The Department for Business and Trade ("DBT") and Inspire People are partnering together to bring you an exciting opportunity for User Researchers to champion the needs of DBT's users and help teams to design and deliver better services quickly, with less risk and at lower cost. Salary between £52,000 - £65,600 plus excellent Civil Service benefits including 27% pension contribution. Salary is dependent on location and technical skills as assessed at interview. Flexible, hybrid working from London, Cardiff, Darlington, Belfast, Birmingham, Salford and Edinburgh.
As a Lead User Researcher, reporting to the Head of User Research, you will be helping to reinvigorate the User Research function in DBT, as part of a broader mission to champion the needs of users. User Researchers are key figures in DBT's digital teams. They help teams develop a deep understanding of the people - citizens, businesses, or government - who use DBT's services. Their findings enable teams to design and deliver better services quickly, with less risk, and at lower cost.
The User Researcher function is looking to increase their influence and impact by developing agile, pragmatic ways of working, that help teams meet the CDDO service standards while reflecting the delivery pace of the department; looking at how they set and assure research standards, how innovate their approaches, and support teams to understand and respond to user needs.
In your day-to-day role as a Lead User Researcher you will:
* Help plan research programmes, working with management teams and Delivery Managers to ensure a shared understanding of priorities, playing an active role in matching researchers to requirements
* Oversee the work of User Researchers to ensure work is meeting GDS/CDDO service standards and is being delivered pragmatically and to a high quality, intervening if research falls below expected standards
* Take the lead on key research about complex services and strategic issues and synthesise findings to generate strategic insights and identify gaps in understanding
* Be an advocate for agile, user-focused research and work with stakeholders to highlight the benefits of operating this way
* Lead on staff recruitment, both permanent civil servants and contractors
* Manage the professional development of current staff, and the capability assessments in the UR profession
Essential Skills and Experience:
You should be able to demonstrate essential skills and experience of:
* Working with management teams and stakeholders to understand business needs and aligning research prioritisation and delivery to these needs
* Planning, designing and delivering user research projects and programmes in complex, challenging contexts
* Managing, mentoring or leading a team, ensuring they are performing against delivery goals and working to develop their capability
* Providing oversight and quality assurance of multiple user research projects at the same time
* Effectively advocating for the user and for good user research, advising stakeholders and building their buy-in of the value of user-centred practice
* Responding to delivery pressures of an agile environment, demonstrating good professional judgement, flexibility and pragmatism
Benefits:
In return, you can expect a planned, transparent progression with learning and development tailored to your role, an environment with flexible working options and a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity, plus the following benefits:
* Salary of £52,000 to £65,600 (including allowances) depending on location and experience
* Flexible, hybrid working from London, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham, Salford
* Annual leave starting at 26 days per annum plus statutory bank holidays rising to 33 days with service
* An excellent Civil Service pension scheme starting at 26.6% employer contribution
If you are a User Researcher looking to enhance your career and make a difference across an expanding function, then apply today or contact Alison Whitehead at Inspire People in complete confidence for further information.
Further Information:
This role requires SC clearance, a condition of which is to have been present in the UK for 3 out of the past 5 years.