Senior User Researcher (Qualitative)

PERM USER RESEARCHER (QUALITATIVE) | SOVEREIGN AI SCALEUP | UP TO £75KFew&Far are partnered with a Sovereign AI Scaleup who are looking to hire a Permanent Qualitative User Researcher to join their team as they continue to scale.Role Duties:Working with at the forefront of sovereign AI platforms for high-assurance, government, and complex enterprise environments - eg clients in the Defence, Government, Public Sector, and other highly regulated industriesOwn and independently execute 0-1 discovery research programs end-to-end (fieldwork, participant recruitment, desk research, user interviews, surveys, workflow mapping)Set up scalable ResearchOps (consent frameworks, data handling, repositories, standardised UR workflows)Active integration of AI tools (Claude, Miro AI etc) to speed up research velocity without sacrificing methodological rigourDeliver qualitative insights for high-touch operational workflows where data access is restrictedEssential Requirements:5+ years' experience / senior-level in qualitative user researchMastery of discovery methods: contextual inquiry, depth interviews, JTBD, workflow mapping, synthesis (evaluative-only research backgrounds wont be the right fit)Genuine, hands-on AI-in-research workflow experience (not just basic ChatGPT use)Self-starter capable of sourcing your own participants and building research ops infrastructure from scratchMUST be eligible for SC Clearance and happy to undergo clearance if successful in the roleDesirable Skills:Experience in defence / government / national security / public sector Active SC ClearanceSalary, Benefits & LogisticsSalary up to £75K & eligibility for equityRemote-first UK wide with travel to client sites, or Belfast hybridIndustry-leading working pattern including 4-day work weeks during summer/December and early Friday finishes (adding ~30 extra days off per year)If this role is of interest, please apply to this advert!