£71, 053. This role falls under the DDaT framework, which is outlined by government and the salary is inclusive of this additional skills payment.

Job description

Flexible Working: Due to the nature of the work involved, this is an office-based role. However, we do support a range of working patterns, including full-time, compressed hours and job share.

About Us

MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, it’s people and way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners, including MI6 and GCHQ to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations about how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you’ll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.

The Role

MI5 is embarking on a transformation to ensure we keep our edge in an increasingly uncertain and data driven world. Our growing Experience Design team works hard to design and deliver capabilities that enable our people to help keep the country safe, both now and in the future. The team is closely aligned with our Strategy, Product and Engineering teams and this provides exciting opportunities to deliver innovative capabilities.

As a Senior User Researcher, you will explore the fascinating depths of our work, providing unique insight which will help prioritise areas for change and ensure that we truly understand and meet the needs of mission users. You’ll help to develop and advocate for appropriate research strategies to understand user needs, applying qualitative, quantitative, exploratory and evaluative methods to a variety of complex challenges.

As well as taking the lead in the scoping, design, and running of user research activities – such as identifying and sourcing suitable research participants – you’ll oversee the creation of high-quality design research deliverables and artefacts. You’ll identify how best to communicate research insights in compelling and immersive ways, whilst working closely with Product Managers, Designers and Engineers to turn insights from research data into products that transform user experience.

You’ll ensure accessibility and ethical factors are incorporated throughout your research, as well as define best practice standards. Providing feedback and mentoring on projects, you’ll help junior researchers develop the technical and interpersonal skills needed to achieve their career goals. All the while, you’ll be passionate about helping to encourage team involvement in user research, empowering and training non-research team members to engage in research activities.

About You

As well as extensive experience with a wide range of user research methods, you’ll have demonstrable experience leading and coaching a small to medium sized team in a fast moving, agile environment. Using your collaboration and facilitation skills you’ll help teams explore how digital technology is changing user behaviour, whilst demonstrating empathy with user perspectives and behaviours. You’ll have expert statistical analysis skills and the ability to turn research data into clear findings that drive design outcomes, in addition to being able to effectively scope, plan and forecast timings for research projects.

You are someone who has a passion for learning about the world, human behaviour, and our customers’ motivations, with a desire to make things better. You’ll be someone who can quickly build rapport and trust with others and you’ll possess sound presentation skills to communicate research findings and recommendations to a variety of different audiences. Plus, you’ll be committed to promoting and demonstrating how inclusive research can deliver accessible services.

Training and Development

We are proud to offer an inclusive and supportive working environment that encourages open minds and attitudes. Learning and development is central to our design ethos, and we are committed to helping you fulfil your potential. We will support you in broadening and deepening your technical and non-technical skills, providing access to a wide variety of classroom and online learning, as well as our own development programmes and schemes.

From day one, you’ll be empowered to drive your career. Just as you support others to develop, we’ll support you. As you grow and maintain your technical skills, you’ll progress through and regularly demonstrate your skills based on the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability framework.

Find out more about the framework here: https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/user-researcher