Senior User Researcher

Job Introduction

As a Senior User Researcher, you will be an expert in your field. Working across TBI, with subject matter experts, comms and teams across the world. Supporting a wide range of teams to ensure that the services and content we provide meets user needs, both internally and externally.

Initially, the role will be focussed in the central Digital Transformation team looking at the new Intranet and its content to ensure it provides internal users with what they need. Also working on a new knowledge management platform.

You will be responsible for planning, designing and preparing a range of user research activities to support the design, development and continuous improvement of these services. As well as responsibility for reporting back analysis, insights and recommendations for next steps.

Providing a focus for developing best practice within TBI around user research. In time we expect the role to expand to incorporate supporting a cross-TBI user research discipline.

Working with a multidisciplinary team and with teams across the wider organisation, both within the UK and globally. This is an exciting role with a range of projects and programmes to be a part of.  As new projects come up and new priorities emerge, your skills will be pivoted to make sure we meet user needs and business priorities.

It is essential you have an existing right to work in the UK to apply for this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan, design and prepare a range of user research activities to support the design, development and continuous improvement of the overall service
• Support the Director of Digital to embed an Agile and iterative approach to developing services and support
• Make sure that any products or services the Digital Team creates are created with a user-centred approach in a context of challenging user needs and complex user journeys
• Deliver a wide range of user research activities including in design sprints settings - from recruiting participants, preparing discussion guides and moderating research sessions
• Work within an agile team to turn user research findings into stories and actions that lead to valuable improvements
• Socialise research data and communicate clear findings that inform decisions at strategic and operational levels across the team
• Build user-centred best practices and standards, through presentations, training sessions and hands-on delivery, to drive greater user orientation across the team
• Carry out user research activities from recruiting participants, preparing discussion guides and moderating research sessions
• Identify the appropriate research method depending on the phase of the service lifecycle, such as ethnographic research methods, usability testing and A/B tests
• Identify activities around the organisation where research could be beneficial, making recommendations for extra resource
• Lead colleagues to analyse research data and synthesise clear and actionable findings, including working closely with analytics colleagues to create a rich picture of user behaviour
• Communicate user research findings to help the team and wider organisation develop a deep understanding of users and their needs including presentations at show and tells, designing and maintaining research outputs on a “team wall” both virtually and physically where possible, creating formal reports
• Mentor and manage junior user researchers where required

Person Specification

We’re looking for people with strong interpersonal skills who enjoy working in a delivery focused, agile environment. Who care about digital and technology and who know how to make projects succeed, as well as stopping them failing.

• Proven experience of working in new diverse teams, supporting a team to set up ways of working, and agile processes
• Demonstrable experience of working in a culture of continuous delivery and improvement
• Extensive knowledge of user centric design and user research methodologies
• Proven experience using agile project management methods
• Proven strong engagement, communication and writing skills
• The ability to understand what problem your team is trying to solve, and align user research activities to inform decision making and action
• Conducting user research projects with demonstrated impact on the final user experience
• Using a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies including ethnographic techniques, usability testing, remote testing, and survey design where appropriate
• Working in an open, iterative and collaborative way in a multidisciplinary team.
• Involving teams and stakeholders in analysis and synthesis to increase consensus and challenge assumptions
• Pragmatically applying user research and agile methodologies and asking “why” when user research is requested to establish it is what is needed
• Presenting clear findings that colleagues can understand and use

Please note that due to the upcoming holiday period we will not be able to advise on the success of your application until January 2023.

#LI-Hybrid

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Government Advisory teams work directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It works with a variety of partners and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia.

 Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

• Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork 
• Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity 
• Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results 

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you\'re successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.