User Researcher

Senior User Researcher

Contract

Outside IR35

Initial 6 Months

Remote with ad hoc travel

All the relevant skills, qualifications and experience that a successful applicant will need are listed in the following description.

We're seeking an experienced Senior User Researcher to support the development of a nationally significant capability focused on tackling the growing challenges posed by synthetic media and deepfake technologies.

This role will play a key part in shaping the user experience of an emerging service that supports government, law enforcement, industry, academia and research communities in understanding, benchmarking and responding to synthetic media threats.

The Role

You will lead user-centred design activities across the programme, helping define how users interact with the service and ensuring development priorities are informed by research, evidence and stakeholder engagement.

• Conducting user research with a wide range of stakeholders across government, industry, academia and research communities
• Validating assumptions and identifying user needs, challenges and opportunities
• Developing personas, user journeys and user stories
• Gathering, documenting and prioritising functional and non-functional requirements
• Translating user needs into actionable product features and development priorities
• Creating wireframes, prototypes and user experience designs
• Planning and facilitating user testing sessions
• Analysing feedback and iterating designs based on user insights
• Creating and maintaining a prioritised feature backlog
• Supporting the development of product roadmaps and future service enhancements
• Working closely with Service Design, Product, Delivery and Technical teams to ensure alignment across the programme
• Ensuring adherence to GDS standards, accessibility requirements and government best practice

Key Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in User-Centred Design, User Research, UX or Product Design roles
• Experience delivering digital services within the public sector or highly regulated environments
• Strong user research and stakeholder engagement capabilities
• Experience creating personas, user journeys, service blueprints and user stories
• Ability xwzovoh to define and prioritise user and business requirements
• Experience conducting user testing and translating findings into product improvements
• Strong wireframing, prototyping and visual communication skills
• Experience working within agile, multidisciplinary delivery teams
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills
• Ability to work with ambiguity and shape requirements in emerging and evolving problem spaces

Desirable

• Experience working with GDS standards and government digital services
• Knowledge of AI, synthetic media, emerging technologies, cyber security or data-driven services
• Experience using tools such as Figma, Jira, Confluence or similar collaboration platforms