Lead User Researcher

Job Summary

In this role you will lead the user research community in the HRA's journey to develop its digital services.

The Digital Directorate is modernising and transforming the business, ensuring the user is at the heart of everything; including the delivery of business solutions using agile methods in a continuous delivery environment.

You will be an active leader based in one of our offices or from home, with occasional travel for face to face meetings. Working under general direction and within a clear framework of accountability you will exercise substantial personal responsibility and autonomy to meet objectives and delivery timeframes, as well as providing leadership across the directorate.

Demonstrating excellent communication skills, influencing across multiple groups and partners, you will form a deep understanding of wider customer and organisational needs, participating in both internal and external activities to keep your skills up to date. With a clear ability to rationalise complex technical information, you will transform this to ensure it is understandable for others to work with.

Engaging with stakeholders, you will facilitate collaborative approaches to prioritise requirements and deliver key user insights to constantly improve the design of services; demonstrating a proactive approach to alignment with Government service standards, so that optimum outputs and solutions are delivered to meet user needs, organisational objectives and policy intent.

Main duties of the job

The Post Holder Will

• Develop and assure good user research practices.
• Identify, capture and implement user needs.
• Implement service strategy with sound research to enable excellent service design.
• Provide guidance across projects on user research methodologies and GDS standards.
• Represent user research at service standard assessments.
• Determine user research standards, policies, user testing plans, roadmaps and vision.
• Manage user data in a secure way.
• Manage user research ethics processes.
• Ensure teams take a user centred, evidence-based approach to service design.
• Consider accessibility and additional needs for inclusive design.
• Combine user research and analytics to improve user experience.
• Communicate the benefits of UI design, user testing tools, methods and standards to technical/non-technical stakeholders.
• Evaluate research and design proposals from suppliers and make recommendations.
• Work across multiple services and lead User Centred Design (UCD) professionals to set direction.
• Interpret strategy and translate emerging trends which might impact or benefit the organisation.
• Draw together and present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex evidence and data.
• Manage the user research function within the UCD team.
• Support the user research team to maintain focus on delivery, whilst instilling the importance of professional development and learning.
• Coach and lead teams in UCD principles.
• Onboard new staff within the team.
  
  

About us

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do.

We're committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that help us to deliver the best services.

We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community. This includes:o ageo disabilityo ethnicityo gender identity and expressiono religion or beliefo sexo sexual orientationo other diverse characteristics

We have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.

When applying to work here, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement - if it works for you, we'll do our best to make it work for us.

Please note, if applying to our Manchester, Nottingham or Bristol locations, we are only able tooffer the role as home based.

Date posted

15 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

25 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working, Compressed hours

Reference number

980-HRA7073378

Job locations

Newcastle

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE2 4NQ

Job Description

Job responsibilities

This role sits within HRA Digital. The digital directorate is responsible for developing, delivering and supporting complex solutions within the HRAs portfolio of UK-wide information systems for health and care research. This includes a major programme to build new systems, and to achieve the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems.

The HRA Digital team is a collaborative, supportive team consisting of HRA employees, secondees, contractors and vendors.

To find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job description attached.

In submitting your application with us, please note the following:We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement.Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.

Responsibilities

Job description Job responsibilities

This role sits within HRA Digital. The digital directorate is responsible for developing, delivering and supporting complex solutions within the HRAs portfolio of UK-wide information systems for health and care research. This includes a major programme to build new systems, and to achieve the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems.

The HRA Digital team is a collaborative, supportive team consisting of HRA employees, secondees, contractors and vendors.

To find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job description attached.

In submitting your application with us, please note the following:We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement.Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.

Person Specification

Qualifications Essential

• Educated to degree level (or relevant qualifications) in a relevant field, or significant relevant working experience of the subject matter
  
  

Desirable

• Master's Degree or equivalent Post Graduate qualification
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise Essential

• Implementing long term service strategy with sound research to enable service design.
• Determining research standards, policies, user testing plans, roadmaps and vision.
• Can focus on outcomes rather than solutions and activities.
• User consent processes and user-research ethics management.
• User research operations and participant recruitment.
• Ongoing Continuous Professional Development
  
  

Desirable

• Past experience in Government or NHS organisation
• GDS/CDDO or NHS service standards
  
  

Experience Essential

• Onboarding of new staff within a team or professional community
• Identifying user needs and ensure they are captured and implemented
• Managing user data in a secure way, in line with organisational policy
• Accessibility considerations and testing with users with additional needs to shape inclusive design
• Managing user research as a lead or as part of a UCD/user research team
  
  

Desirable

• Working within multidisciplinary agile teams, and experience of creating epics and user stories
  
  

Analytical and Judgemental Skills Essential

• Able to have an overall perspective on business issues and activities, understand their wider implications and long-term impact
• Working across multiple services and leading groups of UCD professionals to set direction, assuring the quality and depth of user research
• Evaluate research and design proposals from external suppliers and make recommendations to senior stakeholders
  
  

Desirable

• Interpreting strategy and translate emerging trends and technologies which might impact or benefit the organisation
  
  

Interpersonal Skills Essential

• Engaging and building relationships with a range of stakeholders and service owners to support delivery of user needs
  
  

Desirable

• Coaching and leading teams in user centred design principles
• Influence and manage in a complex matrix department
  
  

Other Essential

• Commitment to inclusivity and valuing diversity
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise Essential

• Significant experience in a senior/lead research role
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise Essential

• Providing advice and guidance across projects on both user research methodologies and GDS standards related to research and deliverables
• Combining user research and analytics to problem solve through design iterations and improve user experience.
• Understand and communicate to others the benefits and applicability of UI design, user testing tools, methods and standards to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  
  

Analytical and Judgemental Skills Essential

• Multi-tasking, analysing opportunities, defining successful approaches, and proactively solve problems
• Ability to draw together and present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex evidence and data
  
  

Interpersonal Skills Essential

• Supporting the user research community to maintain a focus on delivery, whilst instilling the importance of professional development and continual learning
• Facilitating conflict resolution within teams or professions
  
  

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• Educated to degree level (or relevant qualifications) in a relevant field, or significant relevant working experience of the subject matter
  
  

Desirable

• Master's Degree or equivalent Post Graduate qualification
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise Essential

• Implementing long term service strategy with sound research to enable service design.
• Determining research standards, policies, user testing plans, roadmaps and vision.
• Can focus on outcomes rather than solutions and activities.
• User consent processes and user-research ethics management.
• User research operations and participant recruitment.
• Ongoing Continuous Professional Development
  
  

Desirable

• Past experience in Government or NHS organisation
• GDS/CDDO or NHS service standards
  
  

Experience Essential

• Onboarding of new staff within a team or professional community
• Identifying user needs and ensure they are captured and implemented
• Managing user data in a secure way, in line with organisational policy
• Accessibility considerations and testing with users with additional needs to shape inclusive design
• Managing user research as a lead or as part of a UCD/user research team
  
  

Desirable

• Working within multidisciplinary agile teams, and experience of creating epics and user stories
  
  

Analytical and Judgemental Skills Essential

• Able to have an overall perspective on business issues and activities, understand their wider implications and long-term impact
• Working across multiple services and leading groups of UCD professionals to set direction, assuring the quality and depth of user research
• Evaluate research and design proposals from external suppliers and make recommendations to senior stakeholders
  
  

Desirable

• Interpreting strategy and translate emerging trends and technologies which might impact or benefit the organisation
  
  

Interpersonal Skills Essential

• Engaging and building relationships with a range of stakeholders and service owners to support delivery of user needs
  
  

Desirable

• Coaching and leading teams in user centred design principles
• Influence and manage in a complex matrix department
  
  

Other Essential

• Commitment to inclusivity and valuing diversity
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise Essential

• Significant experience in a senior/lead research role
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise Essential

• Providing advice and guidance across projects on both user research methodologies and GDS standards related to research and deliverables
• Combining user research and analytics to problem solve through design iterations and improve user experience.
• Understand and communicate to others the benefits and applicability of UI design, user testing tools, methods and standards to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  
  

Analytical and Judgemental Skills Essential

• Multi-tasking, analysing opportunities, defining successful approaches, and proactively solve problems
• Ability to draw together and present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex evidence and data
  
  

Interpersonal Skills Essential

• Supporting the user research community to maintain a focus on delivery, whilst instilling the importance of professional development and continual learning
• Facilitating conflict resolution within teams or professions
  
  

Employer details

Employer name

Health Research Authority

Address

Newcastle

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE2 4NQ

Employer's website

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

The Health Research Authority (HRA) is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in England. The HRA is responsible for protecting and promoting the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research.