Lead User Researcher

Application Deadline
: Friday 5th December at 23:55pm

This role will work with UCD practitioners to align user research activities to better understand all Home Office service users.

You will lead a team of user researchers and designers, to promote your discipline, and be a leadership presence in user research communities. You will collaborate with others to resource teams, solve problems and develop future projects.

While following the GDS Service Manual and assessing services against the Digital Service Standard, you will ensure services meet both user needs and business goals.

Data Services and Analytics (DSA) is a critical service with the aim to deliver a robust Data Analytics capability to drive an intelligence-led evidence-based organisation, to help make our communities safer and improve the public's customer experience of interacting with the Home Office.

What will you be doing?

Your main day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• working with the UCD leadership team to ensure current and future resourcing needs for user research are met, by upskilling, hiring new talent and allocating resources as required
• collaborating with the UCD leadership team and the Portfolio team to develop and assure good user research practice
• communicating with senior stakeholders to promote a user centred approach and balance user needs with business needs
• building and leading a team of user researchers and designers, including setting goals, providing performance feedback, mentoring and supporting their learning and development goals
• ensuring that delivery and product teams take a user-centred, evidence-based approach to service design and delivery
• ensuring that delivery teams build services that are accessible and inclusive
• ensuring that research is informed by participants from the full range of users who rely on government services
• assuring the quality of user research activities and outputs and embed best practice standards, guidelines and processes,

Your skills for this role

You will be assessed against the following skills and experience during the selection process:

• user research:
  leading and setting direction for user research, influencing project and organisational decisions through expert advice and advocacy for UCD
• functional management:
  overseeing a professional function across a business area, managing and setting priorities, aligning it with wider strategic objectives
• strategy and advocacy:
  influencing the wider organisation, embedding a UCD culture and practices at high levels, including with senior stakeholders
• managing people and leading:
  leading larger teams, setting vision and strategy
• analysis and synthesis:
  leading analysis and synthesis processes for complex projects, incorporating multiple perspectives to challenge assumptions and reach consensus, mentoring junior team members in data analysis and synthesis
• standards and quality:
  responsibility for maintaining and updating standards and quality guidelines

Why join us?

• Exceptional pension
  : Employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Generous leave
  : 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 with service), 8 public holidays, and 1 day for the King's Birthday.
• Flexible working
  : Options include full-time, part-time, compressed hours, job sharing, and a hybrid model (minimum 60% on-site).
• Learning and development
  : Access to training, technical accreditations, and funded qualifications (subject to approval).
• Inclusion and recognition
  : A culture that champions diversity, enhanced parental leave schemes, annual bonuses, and recognition awards.

Learn more about our benefits: Benefits - Home Office Careers

Please note:
This role requires
SC clearance
. To meet national security vetting requirements, you must typically have been resident in the UK for at least five years.

Ready to lead and innovate? Click "Apply" to access the full job description and salary details.