User Researcher – ICT

£46,053 to £48,063, plus market supplement £4,372 pa

About the team 

Our team leads the council’s user-centred design capability. We’re made up of service designers, user researchers, product managers, content designers, data analysts, and software engineers. We’ve done some great work recently, including:

•  A discovery to better understand Customer Services functions
• Redesigning letters sent to residents to make them easier to understand
• Identifying what tasks are most important to residents so that we can test how easy they are to complete 
• Building a community of practice for designers and researchers at Hackney.

What we do

We help residents find information, use services, and get support from the council, in a way that works best for them.

 To do this we:

• Manage the council website
• Partner with Customer Services
• Work with teams from across the council
• Follow the methods set out in the Government Service Manual.

Our team priorities are:

• To provide a website that works for residents
• Ensure systems, training and processes for Customer Services to meet resident needs
• Refine a roadmap of service design opportunities
• To be a brilliant and high-performing team

About the role

As a User Researcher, you will design, plan and carry out research activities. To do this you will:

• Lead user research activities for your team, using a range of methods 
• Analyse research data and synthesise findings
• Share insights to build understanding, consensus and help decision making
• Take insights and work with your team towards design solutions
• Help others do research in a consistent and quality way
• Contribute to the design and research community of practice at Hackney.

You will work with team members and colleagues in Customer Services to ensure they have the systems, training and processes to meet residents’ needs. This could involve conducting research to understand how to reduce repeat contact, or supporting the design of forms for residents contacting the council.

About you

The role will suit you if:

• You are, or have been, a user researcher who wants to make a difference
• You’ve done a different role with relevant skills, and are interested and willing to learn
• Have experience using different user research methods and know how to apply them
• Have experience with involving teams in research activities, like analysis and synthesis
• Can work in a fast-paced environment, as part of a diverse team. 

About Hackney

What we love about working for Hackney:

• Doing work that has a positive impact on residents’ lives
• Colleagues who are brimming with enthusiasm and ideas to help improve the services the council delivers
• A diverse workforce that reflects our community
• Flexibility of hybrid working and being able to have a good work-life balance
• No one day is ever the same and you’ll get to work across a wide range of services.

In return you will benefit from:

• A generous holiday allowance of 28 paid days, rising to 33 days (after 5 years) plus bank holidays
• Membership of the excellent Local Government Pension Scheme
• Standard 36 hour week (7.2 hours per day, Monday to Friday)
• Wide range of learning and development opportunities 
• Comprehensive range of staff benefits such as childcare vouchers, new technology schemes, Cyclesheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts at leisure centres (Better), restaurants, shops and other local establishments.

Where we work

We offer hybrid working. You will be expected to come into our offices in the Hackney Service Centre to work with your team for a minimum of two days a month. Many of us prefer to come in more frequently. Like many organisations, our hybrid arrangements are evolving and you may be expected to work from the office more frequently in future.

Contact us

There is no better place to work in London than Hackney; we have great pride in our borough, our communities, and our services. Hackney is one of London’s most vibrant and diverse boroughs. It’s one of the most sought after areas to live in London with good schools, parks and local amenities, as well as great transport links and vibrant and diverse communities.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

The recruitment process is anonymous. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CVs.

When applying, there will be a number of questions relating to the post on the application form. It is essential that you complete the application questions, responding to each using examples of your skills, knowledge and experience.

We will not accept applications where Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used to assist with completing the competency questions or any part of the application form.

This application process replaces a supporting statement.

Closing date for applications: 22 September 2024 (22.59)

Interview date: W/C 7 October 2024

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk