hackajob is collaborating with Made Tech to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role. Made Tech wants to positively impact the country's future by using technology to improve society. We believe being design‑led can create positive outcomes in the public sector through critical services enabled by technology. We are building a community of designers and researchers to support the public sector growing demand for a design‑led approach to service delivery. Lead User Researchers are expert practitioners who influence and mentor others. They work with teams to deeply understand people’s lives, services, organisations, and outcomes for the public sector. They do this by ensuring that teams take a user‑centred, evidence‑based approach to service design and delivery.
Key Responsibilities
- Leads one or more research deliveries, ensuring all project team & stakeholders have a shared understanding of successful outcomes.
- Scopes the focus of research, so everyone involved has a shared understanding of successful outcomes.
- Takes responsibility for ensuring a whole team approach to user research. Ensuring all stakeholders & team members are invited to participate in observing user research sessions.
- Leads the scoping of one or more research deliveries, defining research objectives, planning activities and leading the overall delivery of research.
- Works with the Discipline head and peers to set best‑practice standards for the User Research team. This includes adhering to GDPR, MRS standards & GDS Service standards.
- Proficient mixed‑methodology researcher, able to lead team analysis sessions, synthesis with the production of actionable insight reports.
- Builds relationships with clients & senior stakeholders, understanding their needs and providing advisory support.
- Has experience in writing / reviewing bids & supporting business development opportunities.
- People management of user researchers.
- Supports the hiring and onboarding of colleagues across Strategy & Design.
- Promotes user‑centred thinking / practices at Made Tech and client offices.
- Represents user‑centred design community internally & externally.
Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
- Experienced in research methodologies including:
- Usability testing
- Contextual enquiry
- Rapid research
- Survey development
- Measurable and evaluative research
- Has experience of leading user research across GDS development stages e.g. discovery, alpha, beta. Experience in GDS assessments is desirable.
- Highly experienced at leading user research through agile ways of working.
- Confident with coaching more junior members of the team on delivery.
- Proficient in leading a team in analysing and synthesising complex data and can help the organisation adopt a wide range of techniques to continually assure, improve and generate valuable findings.
- Analyses and interprets research findings so that teams can confidently confirm or challenge their understanding of problems and ideas.
- Leads the team in creating actionable insights through a multitude of outputs including reports, user needs, personas, archetypes and is confident at presenting findings to project teams & senior stakeholders.
- Facilitates teams and stakeholders to make decisions based on user insights.
- Highly proficient and advocates for research standards including GDPR / MRS Code of Conduct.
- Promotes inclusive research practices and helps teams design and deliver accessible services to meet the needs of the diverse range of users of government services.
- Influences the client at a strategic and commercial level e.g. improving processes, ways of working, generating more work.
Community
- Supports Discipline head in setting direction and supporting the research community in Made Tech.
- Promotes a positive, safe, inclusive & open culture within the User Research team.
- Understands that a balance of positive and constructive feedback is the most effective way to work.
People Management
- Supports hiring and onboarding researchers.
- People management of user researchers.
- Applies coaching techniques to people management to support colleagues' professional growth, build careers, take on new challenges and opportunities which match their aspirations.
Job Benefits
- 30 days Holiday – we offer 30 days of paid annual leave plus bank holidays.
- Flexible Working Hours – we are flexible with what hours you work.
- Flexible Parental Leave – we offer flexible parental leave options.
- Remote Working – we offer part‑time remote working for all our staff.
- Paid counselling – we offer paid counselling as well as financial and legal advice.
- Flexible benefit platform including Smart Tech scheme, Cycle to work scheme, and an individual benefits allowance for Health care cash plan or Pension plan.
- Optional social and wellbeing calendar of events for all employees to join if they choose.
If successful, you will be required to undertake an SC clearance.
