Senior User Researcher

Our user-centred design team is growing and we're looking for an experienced Senior User Researcher to join our new forming squad.

**About the role**

You'll work closely with product managers, UX designers, content designers, UI designers, developers and others to ensure design decisions are informed by evidence and help the squad move forward with confidence.

While the initial focus will be discovery, the squad will later help define future direction based on the insights and opportunities uncovered.

**What you'll be doing**
- work closely with product managers, UX designers, engineers and other user researchers to generate hypotheses and plans for high-impact research that helps us better understand our existing and potential customers and how to create a better product thatsolves their problems and meets their needs
- lead the research for your squad, suggesting the best approach and methods to use so we're capturing the right insights that help us grow and develop our products and services.
- collaborate closely with our analytics team and squads to make sure our qualitative insights are also enhanced by robust quantitative analysis whenever possible, and run some basic quantitative analysis yourself
- identify and classify customer journeys across the web, mobile and offline channels
- support digital delivery teams to build accessible digital services by including participants with access needs and low digital skills in all research.
- communicate research findings to inform business decisions through the best possible means ranging from presentations, workshops, reports, UX artefacts, or whatever mechanism gets the insights into our decision-making.
- actively encourage a culture of team involvement in user research
- champion users and their needs within the team and across the business

?

In addition to the core role, you could also choose to:

- help the Accessibility Working Group:

- coach Accessibility awareness and skills through mentorship, training and knowledge sharing
- provide Accessibility auditing and user research to teams across the business
- help the Vulnerable Clients Working Group use Behavioural Science to ensure we treat all clients fairly
- help shape our Research Operations function and processes
- work with the lead user researcher and the rest of the user research team to promote and shape user research at HL
- mentor junior researchers and HL Graduates

**About you**
- have experience of designing, distributing, and analysing online surveys/questionnaires
- have experience working in Agile format with multidisciplinary teams, leading the research to have demonstrable impact on the direction of the product or service
- appreciate robust research study design, but can also consider practical constraints and business goals - you understand what 'just enough research' means
- you're a strong communicator and facilitator. You're able to tell a story so your audience will want to listen to and zoom into detail when needed to help solutions come to life.
- value collaboration and are at your best when you're part of a team
- feel comfortable not having all the answers, but you're confident in your ability to gain confidence in design decisions through user research
- are an open, confident, and considered communicator and collaborator
- have a natural curiosity about people and their behaviour

Not essential, but we would also like to see:

- experience evaluating and exploring information architecture, using tree-tests, card-sorts and other appropriate methods
- an understanding of inclusive design and accessibility best practice, and experience in conducting inclusive research
- are familiar with quantitative research and understand how user research helps shape metrics and drive teams towards success
- experience working in distributed teams
- experience with Adobe Analytics (or similar)
- experience advocating and shaping user research practice within a business
- have a degree in psychology, human-computer interaction or a related field (desirable but not essential)

**WHAT'S ON OFFER?**
- Discretionary annual bonus & annual pay review
- 25* days holiday plus bank holidays and 1-day additional Christmas closure time
- Option to purchase an additional 5 days holiday per year
- Flexible working options available, including hybrid working
- Pension scheme up to 11% employer contribution
- Sharesave scheme - have a real stake in HL's future
- Income Protection & Life insurance (4 x salary core level of cover)
- Health care cash plans - including optical, dental, and out patientcare
- Gympass - gym memberships and wellbeing apps available
- Variety of travel to work schemes with free bike storage and shower facilities
- An inhouse barista serving subsided coffee and snacks
- Join HL's sports, networks and volunteering groups (two paid volunteering days per year)
- LifeWorks Discounts on services, restaurants and retailers
- up to 30 days depending on role level & increasing with length of service
- This role may also be available on a flexible working or part time basis - please ask the Recruitment & Onboarding team for more information._