Senior User Researcher

About the JobIn a Nutshell💻 Role: Senior User Researcher📄 Employment Type: Permanent📍 Location: Hybrid (UK), with infrequent travel to London🔒 Clearance: Active SC Clearance Required📅 Start Date: ImmediateAbout Amber LabsThe digital transformation partner for highly regulated industries.Our teams deliver digital transformation for organisations operating in complex, highly regulated environments. From securing national borders to supporting critical defence operations, we deliver secure AI, data, cloud and software solutions across high-stakes programmes.What You’ll Be DoingWe’re looking for an experienced Senior User Researcher to join our growing delivery teams, supporting large-scale digital transformation initiatives within a nationally significant UK government programme.You’ll help teams develop a deep understanding of user needs, behaviours and challenges, ensuring services are accessible, effective and evidence-led. Working within multidisciplinary agile teams, you’ll plan and deliver research activities, synthesise findings into actionable insights and help shape service design and delivery decisions.You’ll collaborate closely with designers, product managers, business analysts, delivery managers and technical teams to ensure user needs remain at the centre of decision-making.You’ll be responsible for:Planning, designing and conducting user research using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methodsDeveloping research strategies and approaches aligned to project objectives and user needsRecruiting participants and managing research activities in line with governance and ethical standardsConducting interviews, usability testing, workshops and observational researchAnalysing research findings and identifying key themes, opportunities and risksProducing clear, evidence-based recommendations that inform product and service decisionsWorking closely with multidisciplinary teams to ensure research findings influence delivery decisionsPresenting findings and recommendations to stakeholders at varying levels of seniorityBuilding strong relationships with product, design, delivery and operational teamsAdvocating for user-centred design principles across programmes and projectsSupporting ongoing discovery and iterative service developmentHelping teams understand user journeys, pain points and service opportunitiesContributing to service assessments and evidence gathering where requiredPromoting research best practice and helping improve research maturity across teamsApplying GDS-aligned user research practices and standardsEnsuring research activities support accessibility, inclusion and evidence-based decision-makingWhat We’re Looking ForYou will need:Active SC ClearanceProven experience delivering user research within complex digital transformation programmesStrong understanding of user-centred design and research methodologiesExperience conducting qualitative research, including interviews, usability testing and workshopsAbility to analyse and synthesise complex research findings into clear, actionable insightsExperience working within agile multidisciplinary teamsExcellent stakeholder management and communication skillsAbility to influence decision-making through evidence-based recommendationsExperience producing research plans, discussion guides, insight reports and presentationsStrong understanding of accessibility and inclusive design principlesIf this role sounds like a good fit but you don’t tick every box, don’t let that stop you. We’d still love to hear from you.What’s In It For YouWe believe benefits should be practical: things that genuinely support your day-to-day, give you flexibility and help you keep developing.Here are a few of our perks:25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidaysPrivate medical insurance with BupaRemote-first working, with access to our Liverpool Street officePersonal training budget to support your professional developmentPerkbox membership, with discounts across retail, travel, dining and wellnessElectric Vehicle Scheme after one year of serviceRegular team socialsReferral scheme offering up to £3,000 for successful hiresEmployer pension contributionsYour choice of PC or MacHow We WorkWe’ve worked hard to build a team of people who are experts at what they do. Because of that, we’ll trust you to get on with your job and give you the space to do it well. But you’ll always have plenty of support around you whenever you need it - whether that’s to sense-check an approach, tackle a tricky client challenge, or simply bounce ideas around.We keep our structure flat and our processes straightforward. If you have a good idea, you’ll be encouraged to run with it, and if something could be done better, we’ll encourage you to say so. Ultimately, we work with people who take pride in their work, support their team and want to leave things better than they found them.Learn more about how we work.What Happens Next?Once you’ve applied, our in-house Talent team will review your application and, if it looks like there could be a good fit, they’ll be in touch.For most of our roles, there are two interview stages: one focused on your technical expertise, and another focused on how you communicate and approach your work. We’re big believers that both are equally important!For some roles, there may also be a final conversation with one of our Senior Leadership Team - Seb, James, Sanah or Mark.Get to know them and the rest of our SLT here.A Human Approach to HiringWe use AI responsibly, in our client projects and internally. When it comes to hiring, though, there are always real people behind the process. Decisions throughout - from CV review and progressing to interview through to making an offer - are made by our Talent team (who are real people, we promise!).Diversity & InclusionAmber Labs is an equal opportunities employer, and we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to do their best work, regardless of background, identity or experience.If there’s anything we can do to make the recruitment process more accessible or comfortable for you, just let our Talent team know, we’ll be happy to help!