Senior user researcher

Band 7 · User researcher · 484 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Senior user researcher

Most often performed at Civil Service grade SEO or G7.

A senior user researcher is an experienced practitioner who can plan and lead user research activities in larger teams and on more complex services.
At this role level, you will:
build user-centred practices in new teams
align user research activities with wider plans to inform a service proposition
supervise and develop other user researchers to assure and improve research practice

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Plan and lead research for complex services, such as those that span several care settings or serve people in crisis.
Align research with the service's wider plans and with other teams' research.
Plan safe research with people in vulnerable circumstances, and prepare ethics and research governance submissions.
Supervise and develop user researchers, and assure the quality and ethics of their work.
Build user-centered practice in new teams and with clinical stakeholders.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Agile research practicesUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: advocate for agile working adapt how you design and conduct research to respond to the complexity of the product environment understand the strategic decisions the team needs to make so you can design appropriate research influence decisions about priorities and agile processes in the team
Analysis and synthesisUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: understand and help teams to apply a range of methods to analyse research data and synthesise findings effectively engage sceptical colleagues in analysis and synthesis advise on the choice and application of techniques, and can critique colleagues’ findings to assure best practice
Inclusive researchUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: help teams understand the diversity of users of government services effectively include all kinds of users in appropriate research activities advocate inclusive practices and help teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users
Research management, leadership and assuranceUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: evaluate the quality of research against accepted professional standards for user research explain what good user research practice involves give constructive feedback to other user researchers to ensure work meets good practice standards
Stakeholder relationship managementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: work with the team to develop and maintain an understanding of stakeholders work with the team to develop and implement stakeholder communications strategies identify and resolve issues, influence stakeholders and manage relationships effectively build long-term strategic relationships and communicate clearly and regularly with stakeholders
User research methodsUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: use a wide range of user research methods, and can help teams to adopt them plan user research for services with challenging user needs and complex user journeys advise colleagues on the choice and application of research methods to assure best practice
User-centred practice and advocacyUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: evaluate and choose approaches for building your team’s understanding of the user advocate for user research with sceptical colleagues and stakeholders help inexperienced teams to adopt user-centred practices identify the most important challenges and opportunities for your team's service development align research plans to address team priorities
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: analyze how a service fits into care pathways across organizations work with clinicians, care staff, and patients to shape digital services explain the effect of digital decisions on care, safety, and staff workload
Ethical research with patients and care staffThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: judge when research needs formal ethics or research governance approval and prepare what it needs plan safe research with people in vulnerable circumstances, such as children, people with dementia, and people in crisis plan research in clinical settings without disrupting care, working with clinical leads and care staff support researchers to look after their own wellbeing after distressing sessions
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Working (2)	You can: apply data protection principles to your work contribute to data protection impact assessments handle information requests and records correctly
Equality, diversity, and inclusionThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: carry out equality impact assessments build inclusive teams and practices
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: take part in hazard workshops and contribute to a hazard log follow the clinical risk management process for your work provide evidence for a clinical safety case, such as test results

Typical qualifications and experience

Substantial experience of user research, at a level equivalent to a master's degree.

Band 7 outline

Knowledge: Highly developed specialist knowledge, typically to master's level or equivalent experience.
Autonomy: Works to organizational policy; decides how results are achieved; is the expert others consult.
Scope: Several products or services, or a specialist function.
Leadership: Leads a team or a professional practice area.
Accountability: Delivery of a service or specialist function, and its budget if held.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	5	Gives highly complex or contentious information needing developed persuasion and negotiation, presents to large groups, or communicates where there are significant barriers to acceptance.	45
Knowledge, training, and experience	6	Specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (postgraduate diploma level or equivalent).	156
Analytical and judgmental skills	4	Judgments on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	42
Planning and organizational skills	4	Plans a broad range of complex activities or strategies, adjusting them as needed.	42
Physical skills	3	Developed skills needing speed or accuracy, such as advanced keyboard use.	27
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	1	Takes personal care of equipment and resources used in own work.	5
Responsibility for people	3	Manages a group of staff day to day, teaches core or specialist training, or gives core HR advice.	21
Responsibility for information resources	4	Adapts or designs information systems to others' specifications, or runs information systems for a department as the main duty.	24
Responsibility for research and development	4	Coordinates and carries out research and development programs.	32
Freedom to act	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	2	Occasional exposure, or frequent indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	11
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 7: 466 to 539)			484