Policy Lab

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 411161

**Salary**:

- £60,300 - £70,730
- National Min £60,300 Max £66,330
London Min £64,300 Max £70,730

New entrants to the Civil Service will start their role on the salary band minimum: £60,300 for National Roles. £64,300 for London Roles.
- A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

**Job grade**:

- Grade 7

**Contract type**:

- Permanent

**Business area**:

- HO - Digital Data and Technology - DDaT 300 roles

**Type of role**:

- Digital
Information Technology

**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Compressed hours

**Number of jobs available**:

- 1

**Contents**:

- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know

**Location**:

- Croydon CR0 2WF, Liverpool L3 9AF, Manchester M5 3LZ, Southport PR8 2HH, Sheffield S3 8NU

**About the job**:
**Job summary**:
Team members have specialised knowledge and a calling to build on it. We want the best people to come to the Home Office and work in the diverse roles and communities they’re passionate about. This is how we produce exceptional outcomes.

The Home Office Policy and Innovation Lab (CoLab) is a creative team of designers and researchers, that work closely with policy and operations teams from across the Home Office to bring user-centred and explorative approaches to policy making.

CoLab works in policy spaces that require a deeper understanding of service users, like how we can improve the experiences of asylum seekers in the UK or how we can improve users’ experiences of the passport system.

**Job description**:
We’re looking for a Senior User Researcher to help us deliver impactful policies in the Migration and Borders area, which spans asylum, border security, visas and immigration and passports.

As a Senior User Researcher, you’ll work on challenging problems that require an understanding of complex services and systems, as well as the wider context they sit within. You’ll be confident working in a fast-paced environment as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and adept at gathering and using evidence to inform design decisions and measure policy and service outcomes.

You’ll work closely with service designers and policy professionals, with access to a range of other specialist skillsets when required.

**What you will do**

Your main day to day responsibilities will be:

- Leading the planning, design and execution of user research to understand user needs and behaviours and inform the design and development of government policy and services.
- Facilitating activities that help teams and stakeholders understand the problem space and assess the implication of policy decisions.
- Engaging with senior stakeholders and presenting project findings and related recommendations to senior decision makers across government.
- Identifying and evidencing opportunities to improve existing policies and services.
- Creating compelling policy and service solutions, in collaboration with designers, by drawing on findings from user research, data patterns, policy and operational intent and technical architecture.
- Leading other user researchers within the team, mentoring and up-skilling researchers and supporting the growth and development of the team.

**Person specification**:
**UK residency and security requirements**:

- **You need to have lived in the UK for the past 5 years**.**

**Essential Skills**

As a Senior User Researcher, you will have experience leading complex research projects and encouraging teams to use user-centred design practices. During the selection process, you’ll be assessed on your experience of this and the following technical skills:

- ** Managing people and leading**: planning and leading research projects and teams, including experience developing research plans, overseeing recruitment and managing stakeholders.
- ** Analysis and synthesis**: communicating insights from research in a clear and impactful way that drives change in the design of policies and services.
- ** Communicate, persuade and advocate**: convincing senior stakeholders about the benefits of adopting a user-centered approach, based on evidence.
- ** Accessibility and inclusion**: researching with diverse audiences to help teams deliver accessible and inclusive services.

**Benefits**:

- Alongside your salary of £60,300, Home Office contributes £17,468 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

**Why work for us...**
- A highly competitive pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- 25 days annual leave on appointment rising 1 day per year up to 30 days, plus 8 days public holidays and 1 day for the King’s Birthday.
- Flexible working options to enable you to achieve the work life balance that is right for you including; Full time, part-time, flexi time, compressed hours and job sharing.
- A hybrid working model of a minimum 60% of your contracted hours in the wor