Band 8A NHS Lead User Researcher
?? Location: Fully Remote
?? Contract: 12 Months
?? Rate: £300 per day (Inside IR35)
A fantastic opportunity has opened up for a highly experienced Lead User Researcher to join a major digital transformation programme in the NHS. This role offers a chance to shape user-centred services across critical healthcare systems, making a real difference in patient outcomes and service quality.
Key Responsibilities: - Lead, plan and conduct user research for complex digital health services, ensuring user needs are front and centre throughout design and delivery.
- Supervise, mentor and develop junior user researchers, setting standards and leading by example in best practice.
- Align user research with organisational strategy, influencing service direction with evidence-based insights.
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including service designers, developers and policy leads.
- Ensure inclusive and accessible research methods are embedded across all project stages.
- Represent users and their behaviours in product discussions, service reviews and strategic decision-making.
- Champion user-centred design principles and challenge teams to continuously improve.
Essential Skills & Experience: - Proven experience as a Lead User Researcher or equivalent, planning and delivering research in complex service environments.
- In-depth knowledge of a range of qualitative and quantitative user research methods.
- Ability to guide multidisciplinary teams in adopting and applying user-centred practices.
- Strong communication and facilitation skills, including simplifying technical research findings for diverse audiences.
- Experience working in Agile delivery environments and incorporating user feedback into continuous iteration cycles.
- Capable of aligning user research activities with broader service and policy objectives.
- Strong documentation and reporting abilities, including data interpretation and synthesis into actionable insights.
Desirable: - Experience delivering research for public sector or healthcare digital services.
- Familiarity with service design in GP or primary care settings.
- CXA or similar recognised UX/User Research certification.
- FEDIP Senior Practitioner accreditation or equivalent.
*Rates depend on experience and client requirements
