User Researcher

User Researcher – UK Home Office

Salary: £46,062 (National) or £50,182 (Croydon) plus up to £5,000 skills allowance, pending assessment

Location: Croydon, Manchester or Sheffield (hybrid with 60% office attendance)

Close date: 11:55pm Monday 19th January 2026

Security check: This role requires Security Check (SC) clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years

As a user researcher you will plan, design, and carry out research activities to inform the design of government services. You will help teams to gain a deeper understanding of the people that use the services. You will develop research plans and approaches for a given service, including a range of research methods, such as usability testing, contextual interviews, observations, and rapid analysis that involves the wider team whenever possible.

You’ll use your communication skills to deliver insights from research in 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:
Making ethics part of the way we design products and services – Home Office Digital, Data and Technology.

• Process:
  User research – understanding and applying a range of user research methods (including but not limited to usability testing, interviews, contextual research) correctly for different life cycles
• Communication, persuasion and advocacy: clearly articulating to stakeholders the benefits of taking a user‑centred approach, based on evidence
• Research ethics: applying ethical research standards and practices to ensure the safeguarding and wellbeing of participants and resources
• Accessibility and inclusion: conducting research with diverse audiences to deliver accessible and inclusive digital services
• Analysis and synthesis: analysing and synthesising research data, communicating clear research findings to inform decisions
• Collaboration:
  
  participating and facilitating group work, and actively seeking feedback

• A civil service pension with employer contribution rates of at least 28.97%
• In‑year reward scheme for one‑off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements
• Potential to adopt flexible working options that suit your work/life balance, plus the opportunity to take a career break
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service
• Eight days public holidays, plus one additional privilege day
• 26 weeks maternity, adoption or shared parental leave at full pay, followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid after qualifying service
• Maternity and adoption (also known as paternity) leave of two weeks full pay after qualifying service
• Paid leave for fostering approval processes, support when a child is substantially placed with you plus a foster care adopt policy
• Support for guardians and kinship carers
• Corporate membership of ‘Employers for Carers’ providing additional information and advice for carers, plus a ‘Carer’s Passport’ to discuss workplace needs
• Time off to deal with emergencies and certain other unplanned special circumstances

Mid‑Senior level

Full‑time

Information Technology, Design, and General Business

Government Administration, Design Services, and Information Services