Lead User Researcher
Employer: Health Research Authority
Location: Based in one of our offices or from home, with occasional travel for face to face meetings.
Working hours: 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £57,528 - £64,750 per annum
Closing date: 19/07/2026 23:59
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The HRA is a Non Departmental Public Body with the remit to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research. We do this by supporting and promoting a robust and efficient regulatory and governance framework in the UK. We provide the Research Ethics Service (RES), Confidentiality Advice function, assessments and assurances on behalf of the NHS, and learning, guidance and advice for the research community. Our ambition is to make the UK a great place to do research, where more money invested in research goes into carrying out relevant, good quality research.
Our purpose is to ensure that research involving NHS patients and members of the public is approved through a proportionate and robust system, that they are provided with the information they need to help them decide whether they wish to take part, and that their opportunity to do so is maximised by simplifying the processes by which high quality research is assessed. We have already delivered significant improvements by centralising and simplifying the approval of research in the NHS in England, and are undertaking a range of significant programmes to deliver further improvements.
Job overview
In this role you will lead the user research community in the HRA’s journey to develop its digital services.
The Digital Directorate is modernising and transforming the business, ensuring the user is at the heart of everything; including the delivery of business solutions using agile methods in a continuous delivery environment.
You will be an active leader based in one of our offices or from home, with occasional travel for face to face meetings. Working under general direction and within a clear framework of accountability you will exercise substantial personal responsibility and autonomy to meet objectives and delivery timeframes, as well as providing leadership across the directorate.
Demonstrating excellent communication skills, influencing across multiple groups and partners, you will form a deep understanding of wider customer and organisational needs, participating in both internal and external activities to keep your skills up to date. With a clear ability to rationalise complex technical information, you will transform this to ensure it is understandable for others to work with.
Engaging with stakeholders, you will facilitate collaborative approaches to prioritise requirements and deliver key user insights to constantly improve the design of services; demonstrating a proactive approach to alignment with Government service standards, so that optimum outputs and solutions are delivered to meet user needs, organisational objectives and policy intent.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
Develop and assure good user research practices.
Identify, capture and implement user needs.
Implement service strategy with sound research to enable excellent service design.
Provide guidance across projects on user research methodologies and GDS standards.
Represent user research at service standard assessments.
Determine user research standards, policies, user testing plans, roadmaps and vision.
Manage user data in a secure way.
Manage user research ethics processes.
Ensure teams take a user centred, evidence-based approach to service design.
Consider accessibility and additional needs for inclusive design.
Combine user research and analytics to improve user experience.
Communicate the benefits of UI design, user testing tools, methods and standards to technical/non-technical stakeholders.
Evaluate research and design proposals from suppliers and make recommendations.
Work across multiple services and lead User Centred Design (UCD) professionals to set direction.
Interpret strategy and translate emerging trends which might impact or benefit the organisation.
Draw together and present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex evidence and data.
Manage the user research function within the UCD team.
Support the user research team to maintain focus on delivery, whilst instilling the importance of professional development and learning.
Coach and lead teams in UCD principles.
Onboard new staff within the team.
Working for our organisation
At the HRA, we are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive working environment where we actively invest in the development and empowerment of our staff, enabling them to perform at their best. We strive to promote a healthy workplace culture where wellbeing, collaboration, and professional growth are valued and encouraged.
Working at the HRA, we support flexible working, recognising that home based or hybrid arrangements provides us with the most productive environment to work well. Where possible, we’ll offer a working pattern that suits you.
The HRA offers home based contracts for all locations. Newcastle, Manchester and Nottingham based staff can be office based and hybrid working arrangements are also possible. We encourage you to speak with us to explore how this could be accommodated.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that helps us to deliver the best services. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community: age, disability, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and other diverse characteristics, and we have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification documents for full details about this role.
When completing your application, ensure you clearly demonstrate how your experience and skills align with the criteria outlined for this position.
We recognise that generative AI tools can be helpful in supporting applicants during the recruitment process, particularly for tasks such as proofreading, structuring, or refining written responses. However, we encourage candidates to use AI responsibly and sparingly. Applications should reflect your authentic voice, personal experiences, and genuine qualifications. Over reliance on AI-generated content can result in generic or inaccurate submissions that fail to meet the criteria or convey your individuality. Misrepresentation of skills, knowledge, or experience, including through AI-generated content, may lead to the rejection of your application, withdrawal of your offer, or your dismissal if you do start with us. If you choose to use AI, please ensure it enhances rather than replaces your own input, and be transparent about its use where appropriate. False and insincere examples go against our values of integrity and transparency.
Important information
We are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement as we do not hold a sponsorship licence. Applications requiring sponsorship will not be considered.
Applications that do not clearly demonstrate how the essential criteria outlined in the person specification are met will not be shortlisted.
Only the information provided in the application form will be considered. CVs will not be reviewed.
We do not accept applications via recruitment agencies or other third parties.
The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.
Our fixed term roles are also open to applicants who wish to apply on a secondment basis. Applicants who fit this category are advised to speak with their line manager before applying and visit their organisations Secondments Policy.
Organisational structure and directorate overview
The HRA is made up of five directorates: Approvals, Chief Executive, Digital, Policy and Partnerships and Resources.
This role sits within HRA Digital. The digital directorate is responsible for developing, delivering and supporting complex solutions within the HRA’s portfolio of UK-wide information systems for health and care research. This includes a major programme to build new systems, and to achieve the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems. The directorate owns, develops, and delivers the HRA’s digital strategy in line with government digital and functional standards.
The HRA Digital team is a collaborative, supportive team consisting of HRA employees, secondees, contractors and vendors.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
Educated to degree level (or relevant qualifications) in a relevant field, or significant relevant working experience of the subject matter
Desirable criteria
Master's Degree or equivalent Post Graduate qualification
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise
Essential criteria
Implementing long term service strategy with sound research to enable service design.
Determining research standards, policies, user testing plans, roadmaps and vision.
Can focus on outcomes rather than solutions and activities.
User consent processes and user-research ethics management.
User research operations and participant recruitment.
Ongoing Continuous Professional Development
Desirable criteria
Past experience in Government or NHS organisation
GDS/CDDO or NHS service standards
Experience
Essential criteria
Onboarding of new staff within a team or professional community
Identifying user needs and ensure they are captured and implemented
Managing user data in a secure way, in line with organisational policy
Accessibility considerations and testing with users with additional needs to shape inclusive design
Managing user research as a lead or as part of a UCD/user research team
Desirable criteria
Working within multidisciplinary agile teams, and experience of creating epics and user stories
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
Essential criteria
Able to have an overall perspective on business issues and activities, understand their wider implications and long-term impact
Working across multiple services and leading groups of UCD professionals to set direction, assuring the quality and depth of user research
Evaluate research and design proposals from external suppliers and make recommendations to senior stakeholders
Desirable criteria
Interpreting strategy and translate emerging trends and technologies which might impact or benefit the organisation
Interpersonal Skills
Essential criteria
Engaging and building relationships with a range of stakeholders and service owners to support delivery of user needs
Desirable criteria
Coaching and leading teams in user centred design principles
Influence and manage in a complex matrix department
Other
Essential criteria
Commitment to inclusivity and valuing diversity
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise
Essential criteria
Significant experience in a senior/lead research role
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise
Essential criteria
Providing advice and guidance across projects on both user research methodologies and GDS standards related to research and deliverables
Combining user research and analytics to problem solve through design iterations and improve user experience.
Understand and communicate to others the benefits and applicability of UI design, user testing tools, methods and standards to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
Essential criteria
Multi-tasking, analysing opportunities, defining successful approaches, and proactively solve problems
Ability to draw together and present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex evidence and data
Interpersonal Skills
Essential criteria
Supporting the user research community to maintain a focus on delivery, whilst instilling the importance of professional development and continual learning
Facilitating conflict resolution within teams or professions
In return for your commitment, we offer excellent opportunities for personal development and a healthy work-life balance. The HRA is committed to promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity and equality. We welcome and encourage applications, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of age, gender identity and gender expression, disability, race, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, sex or sexual orientation or any other personal circumstances. Reasonable adjustments to the interview process can be made upon request, for candidates with a disability. The HRA welcomes applicants who are interested in flexible working including job share, part time work, secondments or home-based working. Please discuss any preferred flexibility at your interview.
The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a sufficient number of applications.
The HRA does not hold a sponsor licence in respect of skilled worker visas and so is unable to employ candidates requiring sponsorship.
In order to be considered for this position you must address the criteria outlined in the person specification in your supporting statement. You will be considered based on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered. All contact is made via our Trac recruitment system. Please check your account regularly.
After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
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