Senior User Researcher

Job summary

We're looking for a Senior User Researcher to help ensure Finance digital services are designed around genuine user needs and evidence-based decision making.

You'll work closely with stakeholders, delivery teams and service users to generate insights that shape products and services from discovery through to live operation. The role requires someone who can plan and deliver high-quality research, communicate findings effectively and champion user-centred design across multidisciplinary teams. You'll play a key role in ensuring that decisions are informed by evidence, helping teams deliver services that are accessible, effective and deliver real value to users.

Job description

As a Senior User Researcher, you will lead and deliver user research activities across a range of Finance digital initiatives, helping teams build a deep understanding of user needs, behaviours and pain points.

You will be responsible for designing and conducting research using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, selecting appropriate approaches to answer research questions and support decision-making. Working closely with Business Analysts, Delivery Managers, Service Designers and technical colleagues, you will ensure that user insights are embedded throughout the delivery lifecycle.

A key aspect of the role is supporting discovery and service improvement activities, identifying user needs and translating research findings into actionable recommendations that influence priorities, requirements and design decisions. You will help teams understand the impact of proposed changes, ensuring solutions are based on evidence rather than assumptions.

You will facilitate workshops, interviews and research activities with users and stakeholders, synthesising complex findings into clear and accessible outputs that support delivery teams and senior stakeholders. You will advocate for user-centred approaches, helping teams balance user needs with business objectives, policy requirements and technical constraints.

The role also involves building research capability across the organisation, promoting research best practice and ensuring that insights are shared effectively to drive continuous improvement. Working collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams, you will help create a culture where user needs are at the centre of service design and delivery.

Person specification

We are looking for someone with strong user research experience and a passion for understanding user needs. You'll be confident planning and delivering research activities, communicating findings to diverse audiences and influencing decisions that improve products and services.

Essential

• Experience planning, designing and delivering user research across different stages of the product or service lifecycle.
• Strong knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods and the ability to select the most appropriate approach for different research objectives.
• Experience conducting user interviews, workshops, usability testing and other research activities to gather actionable insights.
• Ability to analyse, synthesise and communicate complex findings in a way that supports decision-making and drives service improvements.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary agile teams and embedding user-centred design principles within delivery processes.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to influence and challenge constructively using evidence.
• Experience translating research findings into recommendations that inform product, service and delivery decisions.
• Ability to manage multiple research activities, balancing competing priorities while maintaining quality and rigour.
• Experience championing inclusive, accessible and user-centred approaches to service design and improvement.

Desirable (not assessed)

• Experience supporting digital transformation, service design or organisational change programmes.
• Knowledge of Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and user-centred design practices.
• Experience working with Finance, corporate services or business-focused digital teams.
• Understanding of accessibility standards, inclusive design and service performance measurement.
• Experience coaching or supporting colleagues in user research methods and research best practice.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,207, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £16,862 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

As a full-time new entrant to the Civil Service, or a Civil Servant on modernised terms and conditions, you will be entitled to 25 days’ annual leave (rising, over 5 years, to 30 days). If you are an existing Civil Servant on pre-modernised terms, these will remain the same.

In addition, you will receive 8 public holidays a year, plus an additional day in May to mark the King’s Birthday.

We are flexible on location and welcome applications from candidates based at any Defra office. Birmingham and Bristol are our main hub locations, and regular attendance at either office may be beneficial for collaboration and team engagement.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and behaviour statements. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Delivering at Pace. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

At interview, candidates will be assessed against the relevant behaviours and experience required for the role. Further details of the assessment process will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Location

We are flexible on location and welcome applications from candidates based at any Defra office. Birmingham and Bristol are our main hub locations, and regular attendance at either office may be beneficial for collaboration and team engagement.

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Criminal Record Check

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Internal Fraud Database Check

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

This is a Fixed-term Appointment as a Senior User Researcher in the Finance Digital Experience & Service Design (FDESD) team.

The post is not permanent. It is time limited due to a fixed funding period or as part of a specific project. The fixed term will end when the funding or the project expires.

This post will therefore begin from the candidate's start date and end in 24 months.

All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to London may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Darren Matthews
• Email : Darren.Matthews@defra.gov.uk
• Telephone : 07920 702583

Recruitment team

• Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here