Overview
The Head of User Research will lead the user research function for a significant discovery programme, driving the strategy and execution to ensure user needs are effectively understood and integrated into decision-making. This remote role requires a strategic leader who can operate at both a hands-on level and a senior oversight capacity, mentoring a team of researchers and advocating for user-centred design principles across the organization.
Responsibilities
- Define and implement the overall user research strategy and approach for the programme.
- Lead, mentor and develop a team of user researchers, maintaining high standards of research quality and ethics.
- Advocate for user-centred thinking at senior levels, influencing programme direction and investment.
- Oversee the design and execution of large-scale mixed-methods research programmes.
- Ensure insights from research directly inform service design and business decisions.
- Present research findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders and assurance boards.
- Establish research governance practices to ensure compliance and ethical standards.
- Build research capability organization-wide through coaching and knowledge-sharing.
Requirements
- Extensive experience in user research within the UK public sector or government digital delivery.
- Proven leadership in building and managing research teams and embedding research culture.
- Strong qualitative and quantitative research skill set across the full research lifecycle.
- Experience in influencing senior stakeholders and making the case for user-centred investment.
- Deep understanding of the GDS Service Standard and the research roles within Discovery, Alpha, Beta, and Live phases.
- Experience establishing research governance and ethical standards at a programmatic level.
- Excellent communication skills for conveying complex research to diverse audiences.
- Desirable: Experience with multi-stakeholder services and GSR accreditation or equivalent qualification.