User Researcher - Public Sector (GDS/UCD)

Introduction

At IBM CIC, we provide technical and industry expertise to a wide range of public and private sector clients in the UK.

A career in IBM CIC means you'll have the opportunity to work with leading professionals across multiple industries to improve the hybrid cloud and AI journey for the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. You will get the chance to deliver effective solutions, driving meaningful business change for our clients, using some of the latest technology platforms.

Curiosity and a constant quest for knowledge serve as the foundation to success here. You'll be encouraged and supported to constantly reinvent yourself, focusing on skills in demand in an ever changing market. You'll be working with diverse teams, coming up with creative solutions which impact a wide network of clients, who may be at their site or one of our CIC or IBM locations. Our culture of evolution centres on long-term career growth and development opportunities in an environment that embraces your unique skills and experience.

We offer:

• Many training opportunities from classroom to e-learning, mentoring and coaching programs and the chance to gain industry recognized certifications
• Regular and frequent promotion opportunities to ensure you can drive and develop your career with us
• Feedback and checkpoints throughout the year
• Diversity & Inclusion as an essential and authentic component of our culture through our policies and process as well as our Employee Champion teams and support networks
• A culture where your ideas for growth and innovation are always welcome
• Internal recognition programs for peer-to-peer appreciation as well as from manager to employees
• Tools and policies to support your work-life balance from flexible working approaches, sabbatical programs, paid paternity leave, maternity leave and an innovative maternity returners scheme
• More traditional benefits, such as 25 days holiday (in addition to public holidays), private medical, dental & optical cover, online shopping discounts, an Employee Assistance Program, life assurance and a group personal pension plan of an additional 5% of your base salary paid by us monthly to save for your future.

• Conducting comprehensive user research across diverse demographics to gather insights and understand user behaviors, motivations, and pain points.
• Designing and executing research plans, including surveys, interviews, usability tests, and focus groups, to gather qualitative and quantitative data.
• Analyzing research findings to draw actionable insights and recommendations that drive the design process.
• Creating personas, user journeys, and user flow diagrams to illustrate user needs and behaviors.
• Collaborating with Service Designers, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to ensure research findings are integrated into the design process.
• Staying current with the latest research methodologies and tools, and advocating for their application within the organization.
• Communicating research findings and recommendations clearly and persuasively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• User Research: Lead user research efforts, focusing on understanding public sector users' needs, behaviors, and pain points. This includes creating user personas, journey maps, and other research artifacts.
• GDS Compliance: Ensure all research activities adhere to GDS guidelines, including the Service Manual and Digital Principles. This involves keeping up-to-date with current GDS strategies and updates.
• User Research Methodologies: Employ a variety of research methods to gather insights, including but not limited to surveys, interviews, usability testing, and focus groups.
• Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including developers, product managers, and stakeholders from the public sector client, to integrate research findings into the design process.
• Training and Mentoring: Share research knowledge and best practices with both internal teams and external stakeholders, contributing to the broader digital transformation efforts of the public sector client.
• Project Delivery: Play a key role in the delivery of digital projects, from initial research through to launch and beyond, ensuring that the final product meets the needs of users and adheres to GDS standards.

• Proven experience in user research within a government or public sector context.
• Proficiency in using research tools such as SurveyMonkey, Optimal Workshop, or UserTesting.com.
• Experience with data analysis tools like Excel, R, or SPSS.
• Knowledge of Agile/Scrum methodologies and experience working within an Agile environment.
• Familiarity with GDS Service Manual, Digital Principles, and other relevant guidelines.
• Certifications in User Research, such as the User Research Association's Certified User Researcher program, are highly desirable but not mandatory.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate research findings effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple research projects simultaneously and adapt to changing priorities.