User Researcher

We're looking for an exceptional User Researcher to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our User Researcher the job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and the location advertised will be your contractual place of work.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week. Our people are at the heart of what we do and we'll do our best to agree a working pattern that works for everyone.

World changing work

From science to technology, from meteorology to management, and from planning to communication, our expertise helps us stand out as the authority on weather accuracy and climate prediction. We help individuals, industries and government to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. This is the Met Office. This is who we are.

• We're a force for good - focusing on our environmental and social impact

• We're experts by nature - always learning and developing to do things better

• We live and breathe it - putting our purpose at the heart of decision-making

• We're better together - understanding partnerships and inclusivity make us greater

• We keep evolving - pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers

Your world of expertise

You will be working on the Operational Meteorology Technology Tools & Systems team. The mission for this team is to deliver up-to-date tools that utilise advances from science and the supercomputer, to best support Operational Meteorologists in providing insight to customers, so they can stay safe and thrive. The User Experience (UX) team within this project are focused on ensuring the tools are user-focused, innovative and accessible to all our Operational Meteorologists and the supporting teams.

You will be embedded in a multidisciplinary team and will responsible for planning and carrying out user research activities. You will represent the voice of our diverse range of users by using user-centred design methodologies to deeply understand their needs. You will form part of the Met Office dedicated UX team, championing UX best practice within projects to help build a user focused culture.

Your key duties

• Plan user research activities for the Operational Meteorology Technology Tools & Systems team

• Recruit and schedule participants for user research activities

• Conduct user research to provide insights that inform the creation of new tools and systems

• Involve your team in user research to help everyone develop a deep understanding of your users

• Analyse and synthesise user research findings using a range of methodologies and techniques, involving your team and stakeholders

• Create clear findings that help your team continuously improve the service, based on data and evidence

• Present findings and user insights to stakeholders, teams and users to help align and inform decision-making

• Be an active member of the UX practice to support a user-centred culture across the organisation

Why join us

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is accredited as a 'Great Place to Work UK 2023' and in addition has achieved a place on both the UK's 'Best Workplaces in Tech' and 'Best Workplaces for Women' lists.

As our User Researcher your total reward package will be up to £49,174 annually, which includes:

• £33,794 base pay

• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%.

• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA): you will be paid £2,200 per annum as a market supplement to reflect the demand for your skills. Whilst in post, you will be paid this market driven allowance from April 2024 until September 2025 in your monthly pay.

• Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising to 32.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) after 5 years and option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year of annual leave

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

1. Research. You can understand and demonstrate experience in user research methods. You can understand when to use these methods and how to apply them correctly. You can effectively involve your team in research activities. As a 'force for good', you understand the need for accessible services and can include many kinds of users in inclusive research activities.

2. Analysis and synthesis. You understand how to apply techniques for the analysis of research data and synthesis of findings. You can effectively involve your team in analysis and synthesis. You can present clear findings that colleagues can understand and use.

3. User-centred and Agile practices. You can understand and demonstrate experience in a range of user-centred practices to represent users internally. You can effectively work with colleagues to plan and conduct continuous user research in a multidisciplinary team.

4. Technical understanding and communication. You can demonstrate knowledge of the technologies used to build and operate digital services and understand the different technical roles in a digital team. You can listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders, and interpret them in a way that is clear to both audiences, while focusing on the user.

5. Community collaboration. Since 'we're better together', you can be an active member and advocate of the user-centred design community to encourage a user focused culture.

Desirable Criteria:

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we're also keen to discover if you have:

1. Experience working to Government Digital Service Standards

2. Experience providing user research insights on highly complex digital products

How to apply

If you share our values, we'd love to hear from you Click apply to begin your application. Please complete your career history and provide evidence against each of the essential criteria in the supporting statement questionnaire. We recommend candidates use the CARL method (Context, Action, Result and Learning) for presenting evidence of experience and skills.

Closing date 01/09/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 16/09/2024 You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

How we can help:

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please contact us via . You can request adjustments either within your application or by contacting us. Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity. You can select in your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role.

We understand that great minds don't always think alike and as an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics. We recruit on merit, fairness, and open competition in line with the Civil Service Code.

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK - please refer to GOV.UK for information. We require Security clearance, for which you need to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years to be eligible. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.