Senior User Researcher (Data specialist)
Location: National*
Closing Date: 21st February
Interviews: w/c 9th March
Grade: Grade 7
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Salary: (for more information, please refer to the T&Cs at the bottom):
London: £63,343 - £70,725, (which may include an allowance of up to £332)
National: £58,511 - £65,329
Working pattern: Full time, Part time, Flexible working
Contract Type: Permanent
Vacancy number: TBC
*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP
The Role
We’re recruiting for a Senior User Researcher here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Chief Technology Office.
This role aligns against the Senior user researcher role from the Government Digital and Data Framework.
User Researchers in the CTO help our teams develop a deep understanding of our data and developer professional colleagues, who build and use our services across shared platforms and products. Their findings allow our teams to design, build and maintain better services more quickly, at lower cost and technical risk, to continuously improve services, based on data and evidence.
As a senior user researcher at Justice Digital, you’ll be an experienced practitioner who can plan and lead user research activities within a multidisciplinary team and uncover insights of the users of our complex but fascinating databases and justice systems. From time to time, you may move to other teams as priorities evolve.
You’ll be joining a highly supportive community of researchers who meet regularly to share their knowledge and project experience within a safe learning environment. You may work with other user researchers (junior and mid-level) to assure and improve their research practice.
Background
We design, build and support user-centred digital and technology services for the justice system: services that make a real difference to our staff, members of the public and their families who use them. Millions of people interact with our services, and Digital & Technology play an important role in improving access to justice and making that experience much easier and less distressing.
We are using digital, data and technology to build capability, work smarter and more efficiently. We want to create a digitally enabled end-to-end justice system which can adapt and respond to changing needs. We were the first digital team in a government department, and the first to deliver an exemplar service, with experts in web development, design, delivery and product management and user research, alongside around 50 organisations, including the courts service and Government Digital Service (GDS).
To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025
Key Responsibilities
Researchers on our teams are:
Experienced working closely with and conducting research to understand the needs of data and developer roles
Great at using quantitative and qualitative research methods
Comfortable with metrics and able to synthesise data quickly
Great storytellers and communicators
Very good at collaborating in a dynamic, data-driven, creative environment
Primary Responsibilities:
Scope, plan, conduct, analyse and communicate research
Lead colleagues to analyse and synthesise research data
Communicate research findings across the organisation.
Work closely with product managers, developers and data specialists to turn user research findings into actions that lead to valuable improvements to product and services
Mentoring, supporting and line managing mid level and junior User Researchers
Engaging with and contributing to the wider User Research community
If this feels like an exciting opportunity, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
Benefits
37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best in class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms
Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow
Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates)
25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the King’s birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.
Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT
Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
5 days volunteering paid leave.
Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.
Person Specification
Essential:
Technical understanding (Experience). You can demonstrate knowledge of the technologies used to build and operate digital services and databases, how teams store and access data and the tools used to analyse and disseminate data sets. You have experience collaborating closely with colleagues in technical disciplines such as developers, data engineering and data science in teams that help build these products and services.
Analysis and synthesis (Technical Skills). You can understand and help teams to apply a range of methods to analyse research data and synthesise findings. You can work collaboratively with colleagues in carrying out analysis and synthesis. You can advise on the choice and application of techniques and can critique colleagues’ findings to assure best practice. You can share insights with a range of colleagues and stakeholders to help elevate the user's voice.
User-centred and Agile practices (Behaviours: Communicating and influencing). You can understand and demonstrate experience in a range of user-centred practices. You can help inexperienced teams adopt user-centred practices and embed them into their Agile workflow. You can advocate for user research and engage potentially sceptical colleagues and stakeholders.
Research methods. (Technical Skills) You can demonstrate experience in a wide range of user research methods, including qualitative and quantitative methods, and can help teams to adopt them. You can plan user research for services with challenging user needs and complex user journeys. You can advise colleagues on the choice and application of research methods to assure best practice.
Inclusive research (Technical Skills). You can help teams understand the diversity of users of government services. You can effectively include all kinds of users in appropriate research activities. You can advocate inclusive practices and help teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users.
Advocating for the user (Behaviours: Communicating and influencing)). You can understand what problem the team is trying to solve and ensure that the voice of the user is heard throughout each stage of delivery, whether as an internal or end user. You can align user research activities to inform decision making and action.
Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance.
We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.
Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
How to Apply
Candidates must submit a CV & a personal statement (max 750 words), which describes how you meet the requirements from the essential criteria, set out below:
Technical understanding (user-centred design).
User-centred and Agile practices.
Research methods.
Advocating for the user.
Please note, failure to provide both documents will result in a rejection of your application.
A diverse panel will review your application against those requirements above.
Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference, which will include a task, supplied prior to the interview. More information will be shared with enough notice.
In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Digital, Data and Technology Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviour during the assessment process:
Communicating and influencing
Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.
Application Guidance
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement
Application Guidance
Use of 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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk