Overview
Lead User Researcher – Belfast
About the job
Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you’re seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at HMRC accessible to you.
Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.
About the HMRC Guidance Team
This role is in the HMRC Guidance Team. We’re part of HMRC’s Customer Experience Directorate and are responsible for HMRC’s GOV.UK guidance and internal guidance products. Our guidance products play a vital role in supporting millions of people to access digital services, meet their tax obligations and get targeted financial support.
Job description
This is an opportunity to make a real difference and help simplify the tax system for everyone. You’ll be part of a user-centred design community that’s breaking the mould of traditional government work. You’ll lead an established team of skilled user researchers, and you’ll work in a supportive environment with plenty of opportunities to learn, grow and thrive.
As a Lead User Researcher, you will lead user research activities across the guidance team. You will build user centred practices in new teams and align user research activities with wider plans to inform service propositions. You will lead other user researchers to assure and improve research practice.
You will be a leader in your field. An experienced practitioner and a skilled team leader, confident in explaining user needs and the value of User Research to senior civil servants and delivery teams alike. You will be comfortable working with a range of stakeholders, and be able to quickly build credibility, influence and be able to inspire others to deliver high-quality user research with commercial impact.
You will be joining a thriving and supportive User Researcher community, with regular opportunities for insight sharing, training and discussion. Our team draws together expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and sectors and welcomes new ideas on how we can continue to conduct robust research with real-world impact.
Our video tells you a bit more about what we do and how we do it. User Research in HMRC
If this sounds like the sort of thing which excites you, this is the job for you.
Person specification
As a Lead User Researcher, you will be:
Leading user research for complex and high-profile projects, programmes and/or portfolios of work. Overseeing research across a portfolio of work and enabling teams to deliver research activities that support the design, development and continuous improvement of complex government services.
Working with colleagues to make sure services are inclusive and anyone who needs to use them can do so as easily as possible. Understanding the diversity of users of government guidance and services.
Managing strategic relationships with stakeholders, advocate for the value of user research, building strong arguments using research evidence to influence sceptical stakeholders.
Aligning user research activities with objectives, vision and strategy of the organisation; leading parts of the User Research strategy across the organisation.
Actively helping teams understand and develop a user-centred mindset, leading regular community meetings and cross-programme UR assets like user needs and personas.
Assessing services to ensure they meet the Service Standard.
Mentoring, managing and guiding teams to assure and improve research practice.
Essential Criteria
Being a leader in your field, an experienced practitioner and a skilled team leader.
Extensive practical knowledge of a range of quantitative and qualitative user research methods. Able to guide colleagues in the choice and effective application of research methods.
Understand the Agile delivery framework, and how to get teams to deliver effective user research within it.
Extensive experience leading inclusive user research, with a strong track record of engaging diverse user groups and building effective partnerships with both internal stakeholders and external organisations.
Working in an open, iterative and collaborative way in a multidisciplinary team.
Understanding organisational strategy and objectives. Aligning user research activities with objectives to create strategic insights that inform policy and proposition.
Communication, presentation and interpersonal skills; communicating complex concepts clearly and persuasively across different audiences and varying levels of the organisation.
A degree in psychology, cognitive science, human factors, computer science, product/interaction design, human computer interaction or related disciplines, or equivalent professional experience.
Transitional Sites
For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it’s important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.
These sites are:
- Waterview Park, Washington – moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
- Benton Park View, Newcastle – moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
- Centenary Court, Bradford – moving to 7 and 8 Wellington Place, Leeds
- Lynx House, Portsmouth – moving to No.1 The Goodsyard, Portsmouth
- Telford Plaza, Telford – moving to Parkside Court, Telford
- Trinity Bridge House, Manchester – moving to an alternative office in Manchester/ Salford
You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- User Research methods
- Analysis and synthesis
- User-centred practice and advocacy
- Inclusive Research
- Stakeholder relationship management
- Research management, leadership and assurance
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £68,966, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £19,979 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name-blind CV including your job history, qualifications and previous experiences. This is all about summarising your skills, knowledge and experience.
- A 1000-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should demonstrate how you meet the user research skills ensuring you give examples relating to your professional experience as a user researcher, referring to the essential criteria and technical skills above (1000 words max).
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Sift
In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your CV.
At full sift your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview, you will be asked to deliver a ten-minute presentation. This will be a scenario-based question that demonstrates one of the technical skills:
- User Research methods
- Analysis and synthesis
- User-centred practice and advocacy
- Inclusive Research
- Stakeholder relationship management
- Research management, leadership and assurance
Details will be provided 3 working days before the interview.
During the interview we will also ask questions that let you demonstrate your experience and technical skills relevant to the role.
You can find out more about the technical skills in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.
Interviews will take place via video link.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via:
unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.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.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers
This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
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.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
