About the job

Job summary

Archives are special. As a home of our collective memory, The National Archives plays a unique role. We hold records of events of national and international importance as well as documents that speak to our everyday lives, over the last one thousand years. 

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and highly skilled Lead User Researcher to shape and grow our user research capability. Presenting The National Archives on the web is both challenging and endlessly fascinating. The scale of the collection, diversity of audiences and variety of user needs, makes it a user experience challenge like no other. You will be leading our user research on services, setting the strategic direction and providing guidance on best practice for user research across the organisation.

Job description

Full Job Description attached - see below

Person specification

In this lead role, you will:

• advocate for user needs to create accessible, inclusive services that work for all

• provide user research expertise, consultancy and hands-on support

• ensure product teams take a user-centred, evidence-based approach to service design and delivery

• develop and assure good user research practice across the organisation

• build and lead a team of user researchers, providing performance feedback, and supporting their learning and development goals

Within the beautiful surroundings of Kew, a 10-minute walk from the Underground and Overground stations, The National Archives boasts a collegial working environment and an excellent Civil Service benefits package. This includes flexible working, an on-site gym, and an opportunity to join the Civil Service Alpha Pension Scheme. Putting you at the forefront of our organisation, we are committed to supporting professional development and training for all of our colleagues.

This is a full-time, permanent post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job shares will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of The National Archives. A combination of onsite and home working is available; applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

How to apply:

If you are an internal applicant: please do not use the link on this page. Please apply via your employee Workday account.

If you are an external applicant: to submit your application please click the 'Apply at advertiser's site' button on this page.

You will be asked to provide details of your work experience and write a personal statement. In your personal statement please explain, using examples, how you meet the essential criteria given below. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities, experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities, education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note selection for interview will largely be based on the information you provide in this section.

Sift Criteria:
• Expert knowledge and significant experience in leading user-centred design for large scale websites, digital services or software development, with the ability to direct user research at all stages of development (Discovery, Alpha, Beta, and Live) in line with organisational goals.
• Demonstrate senior oversight and support for user research activities, and provide expert advice on user research methodologies, approaches, quality and standards across The National Archives.
• Experience in leading a team, to gather and evaluate research, resulting in clear and valuable recommendations for service improvements that can be measured with metrics.
• Expert knowledge of current accessibility guidelines with the ability to inform, guide and support the product teams and apply user research to advocate for and create services that are inclusive, diverse, usable and accessible.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £50,000, The National Archives contributes £13,500 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Reasonable adjustments:

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 The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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.