Mid level User Researcher

What we’re looking for  

We’re looking for a skilled practitioner with significant experience in delivering user research projects. The focus of your role will be to plan, facilitate and lead user research activities on a variety of projects. You’ll often be working with multidisciplinary teams on complex projects where autonomy and project management will be important.  

We’re on the hunt for someone who will champion our values: to care passionately, be fluent in people, believe in your craft, push convention, be open to change, value each other.  

We work with a broad range of clients, some of whom are completely new to user-centred design (UCD). This means you’ll also play a key role in championing our UCD approach.  

The role may also involve:  

• Defining and refining practice – You’ll help to define the way our disciplines work together, and progress the way NEC Digital Studio does inclusive, sustainable design.   
• Supporting new business – You’ll help NEC Digital Studio find and win work by spotting opportunities with clients and helping with proposals and pitches.  

Candidates must be eligible for UK Security Clearance

Salary: £39,000 - 45,000

Your skills and experience  

We’d like to hear from you if you have skills or experience in some of these areas:  

• Multidisciplinary teams – Leading elements of, and advocating for, the user research activities on a project. Working with the wider team (including Service Design and Digital roles) to deliver insightful project outcomes  
• Inclusive research – Conducting user research in an ethical way that ensures the safety of everyone involved. This includes actively identifying accessibility needs of users and being confident in making adjustments for these. 
• User Research to GDS service standards – planning and conducting research activities across the different agile phases of a project. 
• Qualitative analysis and synthesis – working with findings from user research to produce representative user journeys, user stories and user needs.  
• Facilitation – skilled in a variety of sessions, from user interviews and usability testing to co-analysis and co-synthesis sessions; guiding other stakeholders through these, clearly explaining the processes to enable them to engage fully and contribute. 
• Service Design – you have an interest in the discipline or some experience in service design thinking and outcomes  
• Written communication – write and share findings in an engaging and meaningful way to colleagues and stakeholders. 
• Recommendation & implementation – Work collaboratively with the wider design team, experts and clients to produce clear insights that will enable project teams to make informed design decisions.  
• Proactive and autonomous – being able to manage your own time and budget on both client and internal projects. 

How we work   

We work with central and local government, the NHS, justice organisations, voluntary and private sector organisations.   

We work hand-in-hand with our clients and sometimes we’re embedded in their teams for projects. You’ll move on to different sectors after 3 - 12 months because we want you to get a variety of experiences, from applying GDS (government digital service) standards, to improving customer buy-in. 

Beyond individual projects, NEC Digital Studio’s User Researchers support each other at weekly meet-ups where we share our work, discuss its wider implications, and learn about methods.     

You’ll also broaden your skills by working closely with members of the Service Design and Digital teams, including interaction and content designers, and developers.  

All of our User Researchers are supported by more senior members of the Research & Service Design team. They look after your wellbeing, help you set goals and objectives and provide feedback to help you grow.