User Researcher with Service Design

Venesky-Brown’s client, a public sector organisation in Edinburgh, is currently looking to recruit a User Researcher with Service Design for an initial 12 month contract with option to extend on a rate of £500/day (Outside IR35). This role will be based in Edinburgh, however, attendance at the project site will only be required on an as‑needed basis.

Responsibilities

• Establish and collaborate with targeted user groups to gather information about their current experience, pain points and specific requirements
• Conduct focus groups and user research interviews; assist with usability testing; document findings and recommendations
• Understand qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Awareness of costs and budgets
• Confident in presenting findings and recommendations from user research to business users
• Work closely within a multidisciplinary team, including UX colleagues, UI developers and programmers
• Have an awareness of current technology / user‑centred trends
• Ensure all work and research comply with the law and equal opportunities policies
• Be the Voice of the User for the project
• Assist with identification and creation of personas, drawing on existing and new ethnographic / demographic data and research
• Assist with the sourcing and recruitment of users that are representative of one or more persona groups
• Using proven experience and UCD‑driven methodologies, conduct user research activities (quantitative and qualitative)
• Collaborate with others on the project team to ensure user needs are reflected in user journey maps
• Conduct usability testing through defined, iterative stages of the project
• Ensure an evidence‑led approach is followed throughout, adhering to legal and ethical user research principles and governance
• Document findings for a range of internal and external stakeholders
• Apply service design principles to ensure end‑to‑end user journeys are cohesive across all touchpoints (digital and non‑digital)
• Map and analyse as‑is and to‑be service journeys, identifying pain points, gaps, and opportunities for improvement across the whole service ecosystem
• Contribute to the creation and maintenance of service blueprints, aligning front‑stage user interactions with back‑stage processes and systems
• Work collaboratively with product, policy, operations, and delivery teams to ensure services are holistic, inclusive, and user‑centred
• Identify and support improvements to service processes, workflows, and interactions that impact user experience
• Facilitate or support service design workshops and co‑design sessions with stakeholders and users
• Ensure that user research insights inform service design decisions, service standards, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Support the definition of service design measures of success, including user satisfaction, accessibility, and service performance
• Consider accessibility, inclusion, and equity in the design of end‑to‑end services
• Champion a whole‑service perspective, ensuring alignment between user needs, organisational goals, and operational feasibility