Lead User Researcher - Central Digital
Closing Date: 31st May
Interviews: expected 24-26 June
Location: National*
Type of Vacancy: Permanent Civil Servant
Salary: National: £66,314 - £75,810
London: £70,303 - £80,475 (which may include an allowance of up to £10,172)
Grade: 6
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Working Pattern: Full time, Part time, Flexible working
Vacancy number: 6171
*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and 2 days spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP. There may be an expectation to attend some management and team meetings in person.
We’re recruiting for a Lead User Researcher here at Justice Digital, to be part of the Central Digital management team and to support user research across a number of our more technical and data-led areas.
Central Digital is the team that provides central support to the rest of Justice Digital. It does this through building and supporting a range of central products, and through teams supporting our work on Service Standards, Design Systems, Accessibility, and our Digital Advisory Service. More broadly, you will also manage and support user researchers across business areas including Platforms and Architecture, our Data Platform, AI, Transformation and Tech Services. The role is therefore key to ensuring we are supporting professional development and building a strong UR community and user voice across a number of related areas of the business.
This role aligns against Lead User Researcher role from the Government Digital and Data Framework
At MoJ, we want our Lead URs to play an active role in helping shape the direction of the businesses they work in. This means you’ll be both:
An expert practitioner, leading and aligning user research activities across several teams to meet the needs of the business
An advocate for users and user centred working at a strategic level, helping build links and ways of working with the other professions in Central Digital, and providing user insight to influence senior decision making
In practice, this means you’ll be expected to:
Build strong collaborative relationships with your Central Digital Leadership Team colleagues (including fellow Leads and the Head of Central Digital)
Play an active role in making users’ needs part of the Leadership Team’s thinking, and using this to influence Central Digital’s work programme, strategy, and ways of working
Be an advocate for a user-centred approach to all that we do in Central Digital and the other business areas you oversee
Be a leader and coach to the User Research community in Central Digital and other businesses you oversee
To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025
Recruit, lead, coach, develop and empower user researchers across a range of multidisciplinary product teams, building a user research team and programme that’s responsive to the needs and priorities of the business
Being an effective advocate for users at a senior level, and using this to help shape business decisions, strategy and ways of working
Build strong, collaborative relationships with peers, senior colleagues and external partners to solve problems, build consensus, and effectively influence
Provide consultative support and guidance to senior stakeholders, making recommendations, challenging thinking and helping shape work programmes
Help solve challenges for users and Central Digital, bringing a UCD perspective and breaking down silos
Oversee the quality of the research conducted, ensuring user researchers understand what good looks like and are able to deliver it, including in areas such as inclusivity, accessibility and ethical practice
As part of the Research Leadership Team, collaborate with the Head of User Research and other UR Leads to:
continually develop the capabilities of the profession, identifying opportunities to innovate, emerging trends and sharing best practice
develop the community of practice, ensuring user researchers across MoJ have high levels of purpose and engagement
promote the importance and value of user-centred practice
ensure we have effective tools, policies and practices for the profession
ensure we offer flexible ways of working to better support the business
If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
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 Kings’ 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.
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.
Free membership to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.
Essential
You’ll have a demonstrable passion for user centred design and user advocacy, with the following skills or extensive experience in the following areas:
Management and Leadership
Building effective, collaborative working relationships, including with technical, analytical and data focused stakeholders, to help shape strategy and ways of working
Being an effective advocate for users and UCD ways of working, including in an environment with highly technical teams and stakeholders
An understanding of data governance and the way data can be managed, modelled, and visualised in a more joined up way to support business decisions
Experienced Research Manager
Advising on, and quality assuring, the application of user research methods across different life cycle phases and parallel strands of research
Ability to structure and deploy a team of researchers, building their capacity to maximise their contribution to the business
Driving the standards for ethical and inclusive research practice, including ensuring the safeguarding and wellbeing of participants and researchers
Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance
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.
Candidates must submit a CV and statement of suitability (max 750 words). Failure to provide both documents will result in a rejection of your application. Also, if the statement is too long, we won’t read past the first 750 words.
The statement of suitability should outline your experience, against the following points of the essential criteria list above, under ’Person Specification’
Being an effective advocate for users, including in an environment with highly technical users and complex user journeys across multiple products and services (250 words)
Building effective, collaborative working relationships, including with technical, analytical and data focused stakeholders, to help shape strategy and ways of working (250 words)
Advising on, and quality assuring, the application of user research methods across different life cycle phases and parallel strands of research (250 words)
This will be used to sift applicants. Your application will be reviewed by a diverse panel.
In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:
Leadership
Communicating and influencing
Working together
Managing a quality service
Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 75 minute interview held via video conference, where you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed above, under ’Person Specification’. This will include a ten minute presentation, which will be given in advance of the interview.
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.
Please review our Terms & Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the Justice Digital Recruitment Terms & Conditions role and salary arrangements.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk