User Researcher - Public Sector

Contract User Researcher – Public Sector
Location: Hybrid, with potential UK-wide travel
Contract: Contract
Clearance: SC Clearance desirable
Sector: Public Sector / Government

The Opportunity
We are looking for an experienced User Researcher to join a high-profile Public Sector project, helping to understand user needs and shape services that are accessible, effective and centred around the people who use them.
This is an excellent opportunity for a User Researcher with strong UK Government, Public Sector and GDS experience who enjoys working in multidisciplinary Agile teams and using research and evidence to influence service design and delivery.
The role will be hybrid, with potential travel to client and project locations across the UK.

Key Responsibilities
Plan and conduct qualitative and quantitative user research throughout the service lifecycle.
Identify user needs, behaviours, motivations and pain points through a range of research methods.
Recruit and engage with a diverse range of users and stakeholders.
Conduct interviews, usability testing, contextual research, surveys and other appropriate research activities.
Analyse and synthesise research findings, turning evidence into clear and actionable insights.
Communicate research findings effectively to multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.
Create and maintain research plans, discussion guides, research reports and other research artefacts.
Work closely with Service Designers, Product Managers, Business Analysts, Content Designers and developers.
Ensure research is inclusive, accessible and representative of the users the service is designed for.
Use research findings to influence product and service decisions throughout discovery, alpha, beta and live phases.
Advocate for user-centred, evidence-based decision making across the project.Essential Experience
Proven experience working as a User Researcher on UK Government or Public Sector projects.
Strong practical understanding of GDS principles, standards and ways of working.
Experience working within multidisciplinary Agile teams.
Strong knowledge of user research methodologies and when to apply them.
Demonstrable experience planning, conducting, analysing and presenting user research.
Experience conducting usability testing and research with users across different channels and environments.
Ability to translate complex research findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
Experience working collaboratively with Service Designers, Product Managers and wider delivery teams.
A strong understanding of accessibility, inclusion and ethical research practices.Desirable Experience
Current SC Clearance or previous experience working on security-cleared Government projects.
Experience working within a Government Digital Service assessment environment.
Experience delivering research across Discovery, Alpha, Beta and Live phases.
Experience working on large-scale or complex Public Sector transformation programmes