Senior User Researcher

Job description

Overall purpose of role

• Manage and mentor a user researcher.
• Manage supplier relationships and costs for any outsourced research and testing work.
• Research the information needs of disabled people and their families. Research includes qualitative and quantitative methods, keyword research and web analytics.
• Work with content designers to plan content that meets agreed user stories and acceptance criteria.
• Contribute to critical reviews of new content, checking that it meets the agreed acceptance criteria.
• Test content with end users for comprehension and completeness.
• Provide research and testing support for menu design and optimisation.
• Use data and testing to identify where to improve published content. 
• Take part in daily team stand-ups. 
• Contribute to regular team retrospectives, reflecting on working practice and suggesting improvements. 
• Support people in other teams across Scope with user research and testing.
• Advocate for a user-centred approach to content design and inclusive content. This can include writing for the team blog and speaking at external events.
• Meet all internal and external standards relating to research. This includes ISO and GDPR requirements. 

Mandatory for all staff

• To work across department or team boundaries to support Scope’s vision
• To show a commitment to customer service excellence 
• To work within Scope’s policies and procedures

Internal contacts

• User researcher
• Content designers
• Senior editor
• Programme Lead
• Team coordinator
• Research manager
• Customer insight manager
• Research panel officer
• Scope service managers and advisers
• Policy advisers

External contacts:

Customers of Scope services

Research participants

Freelance content designers

Scope website users

External suppliers

Person Specification

Qualifications

Degree or equivalent qualification or experience

MRS Diploma or other recognised research qualifications

Knowledge and experience

Essential

• Experience working in a user research role
• Experience of both qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Experience of carrying out all stages of a research project, including writing detailed research briefs
• Experience of meeting ISO and GDPR requirements

Desirable

• Experience of carrying out user research and testing to support content design
• Experience of using data to improve the usability and usefulness of content
• Experience of using web analytics and search data to support your research
• Understands the social model of disability
• Understands how make research accessible to disabled participants
• Experience of line managing a small team
• Experience of managing research projects
• Experience of using Agile processes like KanBan to manage work

Skills

Essential

• Self-motivated with the ability to work on own initiative  
• IT literate
• Numerate
• Strong organisational skills, including prioritising workloads and meeting deadlines
• Creative mindset, finding the best solution by testing and learning
• Outstanding attention to detail
• Collaborates and develops rapport with a range of people
• Strong spoken and written communication skills

Desirable

• Presenting to a small audience
• Facilitation of group discussions