User Researcher

Corporate Resources and Business Improvement (CRBI)

The Resources and Business Improvement directorate is led by Dianne Tranmer. It is responsible for: People Function, Facilities Management, Digital Experience Unit and Technology Group, Information Governance, Executive Support Team and leadership of all our shared services across the GLA Group.

About The Team

The UCD team brings together specialisms including digital engagement, service design, user research, business analysis, content and interaction design and performance analysis. These specialisms work in harmony with a shared mission to make all products and services as inclusive, accessible and user centric as possible.

About The Role

Plan and conduct user research of GLA products and services, working in the open with the user at the centre of all you do, including working across multiple projects concurrently.

Advocate for a user-centred mindset and user research skills as key to digital transformation and development across the GLA, supporting teams and building up and maintaining a user research knowledge base.

What your day will look like

• Run end-to-end user research, including framing research questions and objectives, employing inclusive and rigorous methods, analysing data, synthesising findings, and producing research outputs that clearly communicate user needs and inform decision making.
• Work with teams across the GLA to help them understand, map and articulate their objectives. Help them understand agile ways of working, the value user research brings and help them articulate their digital transformation possibilities. Support teams within the GLA in making decisions which lead to improved services and products that better meet user needs.
• Work across complex business areas and multidisciplinary teams to analyse and articulate user need. Create research and analysis plans to help gather evidence to guide decision-making in nuanced areas where simple answers are not possible; build and execute backlogs of work; use data to ensure services are accessible, intuitive, simple, and inclusive.
• Work with product teams throughout the development lifecycle. Measure value and use qualitative and quantitative data to inform decisions. Add evidence to user stories. Take considered, data-driven decisions and learn from mistakes. Track and monitor performance and outcomes to aid iteration and improvements.
• Use agile methodology and an agile mindset to all aspects of your work. Build collaborative relationships with colleagues and suppliers in a fast-paced, evolving environment and use an iterative method and flexible approach to enable quick delivery.
• Produce user research outputs that contribute to a research and insight knowledge base that can provide understanding about Londoners needs and how GLA policies and programmes can use digital to help meet those needs. Help guide organisational decision-making by communicating research best practice.
• Support the Senior User Researcher to establish user research as a function at the GLA. Set standards and behavioural expectations for user researchers and embed user research as a function into the delivery of all digital and data services and products. Build up and maintain a user research community, as well as knowledge base.
• Act as an advocate for user-centred design and development across the GLA. Advocate for user research at all levels in the organisation, helping to break down the barriers to opening up and listening.
• Quality assure the work of others (including suppliers) to ensure it meets our design standards.
• Manage resources as allocated to the job in accordance with the Authority’s policies and Code of Ethics and Standards.
• Realise the benefits of a flexible approach to work in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participating in multi-disciplinary, cross-department and cross-organisational groups and project teams.
• Realise the benefits of London’s diversity by promoting and enabling equality of opportunities and promoting the diverse needs and aspirations of London’s communities.

Key contacts

Accountable to:

Lead Service Designer

Accountable for:

Resources allocated to the job

Principal contacts:

User Centred Design colleagues, GLA policy teams, managers and officers across the organisation, Londoners, Product Managers, Delivery Managers, Testers, Product Owners, contractors and external suppliers, Digital Experience Unit colleagues, Marketing, Events

Skills, Knowledge And Experience

To be considered for the role you must meet the following

essential criteria

:

• Proven experience of the user research profession and skills including excellent understanding of user-centred design and service design.
• Ability to design rigorous research, use diverse methods to elicit insights into user and staff needs, analyse and synthesise data, and translate these into recommendations and reports that inform decision making.
• Experience working as a user researcher in teams building products from inception to live. Successful track record of working across multidisciplinary teams to deliver digital products using agile methodologies.
• Can demonstrate a good understanding of inclusive research and digital inclusion and has experience of engaging diverse groups of users and stakeholders in appropriate research activities to deliver accessible online services.
• Has good experience working with multiple stakeholders with different interests, demonstrating empathy, building relationships, managing expectations and working under pressure and change.
• Experience delivering user research to support the product development lifecycle. Ability to build and execute a backlog of work, translating user need into user stories for the product team to deliver against.
• Experience of working across modern technology platforms, including cloud technology, architecture, agile delivery methods and software practices.
• Can demonstrate strong research communications skills. Able to gather, distil, and simplify large amount of data, judging what is and isn’t important, including writing reports that quickly help someone understand the problem to be solved. Can explain what users need succinctly, to a diverse, non-expert audience.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the cross-government DDAT framework and wider developments in government digital transformation.
• Experimentation and innovation techniques.
• Coaching and mentoring skills.
• Passionate about tech for good and with a proven desire to work in a public service organisation solving complex problems.
• Passionate about building diverse teams and communities
• Experience persuading organisations which have not yet embraced digital ways of working to adopt product and design thinking.
• Experience working in digital in the public sector.
• Experience taking an active part in the public sector digital community.
• Experience working with APIs and microservices architecture and managing the relationships between interdependent product and platform teams.

Behavioural competencies

Research and Analysis

… is gathering intelligence (information, opinion and data) from varied sources, making sense of it, testing its validity and drawing conclusions that can lead to practical benefits.

Level 3 Indicators:

• Expands networks to gain new information sources for research and policy development
• Identifies and implements methods to ensure intelligence is of a high quality
• Encourages others to analyse data from different angles, using multiple perspectives to identify connections and new insights
• Tailors research investment in line with likely impact for Londoners and policy priorities
• Retains a bigger picture view, ensuring research recommendations are appropriate and practical for the GLA and its stakeholders

Problem solving

… is analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints and finding creative, workable and timely solutions.

Level 3 Indicators:

• Clarifies ambiguous problems, questioning assumptions to reach a fuller understanding
• Actively challenges the status quo to find new ways of doing things, looking for good practice
• Seeks and incorporates diverse perspectives to help produce workable strategies to address complex issues
• Initiates consultation on opportunities to improve work processes
• Supports the organisation to implement innovative suggestions

Stakeholder Focus

… is consulting with, listening to and understanding the needs of those our work impacts and using this knowledge to shape what we do and manage others’ expectations.

Level 3 Indicators:

• Understands diverse stakeholder needs and tailors team deliverables accordingly
• Is a role model to others, encouraging them to think of Londoners first
• Manages stakeholder expectations, so they are high but realistic
• Removes barriers to understanding the needs of diverse stakeholders, including hard to reach groups

Focuses own and team’s efforts on delivering a quality and committed service

Communicating and Influencing

… is presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us.

Level 3 indicators

• Encourages and supports teams in engaging in transparent and inclusive communication
• Influences others and gains buy-in using compelling, well thought through arguments
• Negotiates effectively to deliver GLA priorities
• Synthesises the complex viewpoints of others, recognises where compromise is necessary and brokers agreement
• Advocates positively for the GLA both within and outside the organisation

Strategic thinking

…is using an understanding of the bigger picture to uncover potential challenges and opportunities for the long term and turning these into a compelling vision for action.

Level 2 Indicators:

• Works with a view to the future, prioritising own and others’ work in line with GLA objectives
• Briefs and prepares team to accomplish goals and objectives
• Communicates the GLA’s strategic priorities in a compelling and convincing manner, encouraging buy-in
• Balances own team’s needs with wider organisational needs
• Identifies synergies between team priorities and other relevant agendas

Planning and organising

… is thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk, and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard.

Level 2 Indicators:

• Prioritises work in line with key team or project deliverables
• Makes contingency plans to account for changing work priorities, deadlines and milestones
• Identifies and consults with sponsors or stakeholders in planning work
• Pays close attention to detail, ensuring team’s work is delivered to a high standard
• Negotiates realistic timescales for work delivery, ensuring team deliverables can be met

Building and managing relationships

… is developing rapport and working effectively with a diverse range of people, sharing knowledge and skills to deliver shared goals.

Level 2 Indicators:

• Develops new professional relationships
• Understands the needs of others, the constraints they face and the levers to their engagement
• Understands differences, anticipates areas of conflict and takes action
• Fosters an environment where others feel respected
• Identifies opportunities for joint working to minimise duplication and deliver shared goals

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here:

GLA Competency Framework

How to apply

If you would like to apply for the role you will need to submit the following:

• Up to date CV
• Personal statement with a maximum of 1500 words. Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria outlined above in the advert.

Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement have a maximum file size of 1\.5MB each and upload your Personal Statement to the ‘CV and Cover Letters’ section’ of the form, ensuring you address the technical requirements and competencies in your Personal Statement.

Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement are saved with the job reference number as part of the naming convention (E.g., “CV – applicant name - 012345)

As part of GLA’s continuing commitment to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer we will be removing personal identifiable information from CVs and Personal Statements that could cause discrimination.

We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

If you have questions about the role

If you wish to talk to someone about the role, the hiring manager Maria Portugal would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them at [email protected].

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact the

[email protected]

who support the GLA with recruitment.

Is this role eligible for sponsorship?

This role DOES NOT meet the criteria for sponsorship for external candidates. It may meet the criteria for sponsorship for some internal candidates, in limited circumstances. Please contact the hiring manager if you wish to discuss this further.

Assessment process

Once you have submitted an application, your details will be reviewed by a panel.

If shortlisted, you’ll be invited to an interview/assessment.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

London's diversity is its biggest asset, and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London's diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We would welcome applications from candidates who are seeking part time work as this role is open to job share.

Please note we are a Disability Confident Employer so for candidates who wish to be considered under the scheme and meet the essential criteria, they will automatically be invited to interview. Please note, should you require any adjustments through the process, we will accommodate as much as possible. Please contact the recruitment team for further information if required.

Benefits

GLA staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in our offices and remotely depending on their role. As part of this, you will need to split your time between home working and coming into the office.

In addition to a good salary package, you will be paid every four weeks, providing frequent salary payments. We also offer an attractive range of benefits including 30 days’ annual leave, interest free season ticket loan, interest free bicycle loan and a career average pension scheme.

Additional Information

Please note, all candidates will need to confirm that the information provided in this application form is true and correct. Should a candidate deliberately give false information, including the use of AI software, they understand that this would disqualify them from consideration.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record (DBS) check but some roles may require additional security screening.

Find out which DBS check is right for your employee - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

More Support

If you have a disability which makes submitting an online application form difficult, please contact

[email protected]

.