About the job

Job summary

We’re looking for a Senior User Researcher who wants to make a lasting impact on how the Home Office delivers user-centred policies and services. We’re looking for a skilled and experienced Senior User Researcher who is passionate about what they can bring to delivering better services at the Home Office and prepared to be a vocal advocate for user needs.

We’re looking for a Senior User Researcher to join our Policy and Innovation Lab (‘CoLab’) to help us deliver impactful and meaningful projects in Migration and Borders. Our mission is to bring user-centred and explorative design approaches to policy making at the Home Office. 
 
We are a creative team of designers and researchers working closely with policy and operations teams from across the Home Office, to put users at the centre of our policy making processes. Our work builds a deep understanding of the challenges being faced by our users, so that we can rapidly design and test novel solutions to de-risk policy decisions and improve outcomes.

We work in policy spaces that require a deeper understanding of service users. These might be projects like exploring how we can better support survivors of modern slavery, or how we might help refugees to better integrate and adapt to life in the UK.

You’ll communicate insights from research in engaging and impactful ways to delivery teams and stakeholders to drive change and improve government services.

You can learn more about design and research in the Home Office on our blog:

• How does CoLab help the Home Office solve problems?
• Establishing the Home Office User Research Ethics Board
• Using ‘cooperative usability testing’ with our expert users
• Psychological safety for researchers

Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) enables the Home Office to keep the UK safe and secure. We design and build the services that help people apply for visas or passports; support policing and counter-terrorism operations; and protect the UK’s borders. 

This is an exciting time to be at the Home Office. You’ll have a chance to shape the future and support our mission to deliver exceptional public services that work for everyone. 

Job description

Responsibilities

Your main day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Planning and leading user research to understand user needs and behaviours and inform the design and development of government policies and services
• Facilitating activities that help stakeholders to understand the problem space and assess the implication of policy decisions
• Influencing how decisions are made and constructively challenging ways of thinking at both the team and senior stakeholder level
• Leading other user researchers within the team, mentoring and up-skilling researchers and supporting the growth and development of the team
• Taking a user-centred, evidence-based approach by turning user research findings into actionable insights that influence policy development
• Sharing insights from research and examples of best practice where they can help other researchers across the Home Office

You will also be expected to carry out the following day to day activities:

• Presenting research findings and related recommendations to senior decision makers across government
• Identifying, mitigating or escalating risks to conducting and implementing research
• Helping to shape how the Policy and Innovation Lab operates, including the culture, methods, tools and standards

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  This is a non-contractual arrangement where employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in the office.  Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). 

We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from women, people with disabilities and LGBT+ as they are currently under-represented in the Home Office at this grade level. Appointments will be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

Person specification

Essential Skills

You’ll have a demonstrable passion for user-centred design, with the following skills or some experience in:

• Understanding and applying a range of user research methods correctly for different life cycle phases, and advising others on these methods
• Communicating insights from research in a clear and impactful way that drives change in the design of services and informs policy and proposition
• Establishing an effective user centred design culture in a team, and supporting them to embed user centred design practices into policy development processes
• ­Convincing senior stakeholders about the benefits of adopting a user-centred approach, based on evidence
• Establishing and applying ethical research standards and practices to ensure the safeguarding and wellbeing of participants and researchers
• Researching diverse audiences to help teams deliver policies and services that work for all

​Our skills align with the cross government DDaT Capability Framework ​​

Digital, Data and Technology Profession Capability Framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)​

Candidates reaching the required standard and attending the interview, will be assessed using a task and questions based on their experience and the essential criteria in this job description.

Benefits

• You’ll be set-up for hybrid working from day one
  We provide you with Office 365 licence as well as access to industry standard tools.
• You can help shape how we do design and research
  We support our community to become practice leads to pursue work which provides value to the wider community. We currently have practice leads in diversity and inclusion, sustainability, design ethics, and workshopping.

• You are supported by a government leading UCD Operations Team
  We have a team of passionate people who help support designers and researchers with tools, recruitment support, professional onboarding, guidance and our research library.
• Lots of ways to learn and develop
  In addition to our online training catalogue with O’Reilly and connections with professional training providers, we also offer peer learning, a comprehensive induction, and time to volunteer or do charity work.

• Flexible working options to enable you to achieve the work life balance that is right for you including part-time, job share, term time only, compressed hours and flexi time.  This can be discussed at the offer stage if you are interested in this and is dependent on the role.

You’ll also have access to the same benefits available to all civil servants in the Home Office:

•  An in-year performance bonus scheme, behaviours recognition and reward scheme.
• A Civil Service pension with employer contribution rates of between 26.6% and 30.3%, depending upon salary.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, plus 8 days public holidays and 1 day for the King’s Birthday, rising further with service up to 30 days.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• Season ticket loans and rental deposit loans.
• Cycle to work and payroll giving.
• Employee discounts - including a huge number of retailers, Microsoft Home Use programme and gym membership.
• Health and wellbeing initiatives including monthly mindfulness sessions.
• Staff support networks.
• Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid.
• Maternity and adoption support leave (paternity leave) of 2 weeks full pay.
• Up to five days paid leave for volunteering.
• Study leave and support for studying for a qualification or other accredited development relevant to your role.

You can find more information at Benefits - Home Office Careers.   

Things you need to know

Selection process details

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (Max 1,000 Word Limit).

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please note your Personal Statement should be aligned to give evidence of how you meet the essential criteria listed on the Job Specification.

The sift will be assessed on the CV and Personal Statement. 

Candidates shortlisted will be invited to an interview. You will be sent the interview task before your interview. You will be asked to conduct a 10 minute presentation based on your task and then asked questions that explore your experience. 

Sift and interview dates

The sift will commence from 4th March 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place from week commencing 18th March 2024.

Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to: 

• A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
• Good internet connection
• Microsoft Teams

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates. 

Due to time constraints we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s). It is therefore expected that candidates who are successful at sift stage will make themselves available during the timeframe given above.

Further Information

Please read the essential skills for this position carefully. We will only consider those who meet the listed requirement.  

If you have previously made an unsuccessful application for a role with the same essential skills and are not able to demonstrate how you have developed these skills since your last application please reconsider applying as your application is unlikely to be successful.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Reserve list     

A reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.   

Job offers to this post are made on the basis of merit. We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same behaviours and essential skills.    

Visa sponsorship    

We are unable to sponsor any individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas as we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License.    

Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA)

This post is eligible for a DDaT Recruitment Retention Allowance. Successful candidate with exceptional skills and experience may apply for a Recruitment and Retention Allowance up to a maximum of £6,000. This allowance is subject to an initial review within six months of taking up the post and thereafter an annual review in line with the departmental priorities and could be reduced or withdrawn at any time.     

Working at the Home Office  

Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.    

We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are Stonewall top 100 Workplace Equality Employer and a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.   
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.   
    
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.   

For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.   
    
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.   
    
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.   
    
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks. 
    
Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.   
    
Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at www.childcarechoices.gov.uk   
    
Reasonable Adjustments   
    
If a person with disabilities is 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 Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.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   
    
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.   

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.