Job vacancy: User Researcher, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf)

Job summary

Main area

User-Centred Design

Grade

Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

Contract

Fixed term: 16 months (until 31.12.2027)

Hours

Full time
Part time
Job share
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

919-633000497/633001602-EX

Employer: UK Health Security Agency
Employer type: Public (Non NHS)
Site: Core HQs
Town: Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf)
Salary: £41,983 - £52,113 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 10/09/2026 23:59

User Researcher

Civil Service: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) prevents, prepares for and responds to infectious diseases, and environmental hazards, to keep all our communities safe, save lives and protect livelihoods.

We provide scientific and operational leadership, working with local, national and international partners to protect the public’s health and build the nation’s health security capability.

UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a user researcher, you’ll:

carry out user research activities, creating research plans, recruiting participants, preparing discussion guides, creating information gathering artefacts, running and moderating user research sessions
analyse and synthesise user research data to present clear and engaging user insights and actionable findings, using creative approaches to storytelling
contribute to the improvement of user research practice and ways of working by adhering to and embedding consistent and high-quality professional standards
drive awareness of user research practices, advocating for user needs and user research to be embedded within strategy, policy and service design
work collaboratively and in an inclusive manner by involving teams and colleagues from across UKHSA in user research to help everyone develop a deep understanding of UKHSA’s users’ needs
act as the voice of users in the design of our services, make actionable recommendations based on insights and communicate these to stakeholders clearly and confidently
ensure research practice is high quality and meets government and NHS standards and industry best practice – using peer reviews and critique processes to gather feedback and share best practice 
actively contribute to the UKHSA’s community of practice, advocate for user research and support the creation of the right environment and processes to establish the profession within UKHSA

This is not an exhaustive list.

Essential criteria

Experience of using user-centred design methods and practices in complex organisations
Experience of designing and delivering inclusive user research with a range of users
Experience of qualitative research methodologies and knowing how to apply different methods to different research projects
Experience of using basic techniques to analyse and synthesise findings
To be able to create actionable, evidenced-based insights using a variety of techniques to tell compelling stories.
Experience of developing user research practices and a good understanding of the key standards in assuring the quality of user research
To be able to explain the value of research practice. navigate stakeholder landscapes and gain support for research plans, findings, and ways of working
To be able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team, working directly with other professions to ensure effective and timely delivery

Desirable criteria

Government service assessments
Working in an agile environment
Coaching and mentoring other user researchers

Selection process

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your technical skills and experience.

The User Centred Design Team will be running two webinars:

13th of August at 15:00 Hrs.
20th of August at 15.00 Hrs.
25th of August at 15:30 Hrs.

The purpose of the webinar is to enable you to hear more about this role and speak to some of the team. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our culture, what we do at UKHSA and provide general advice on the application process.

If you would like to attend one of the webinars, pleases contact [email protected] who will email you a Teams invite for the webinar date of your choice.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 8  essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:  

an application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
a 750  word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills,  experience  and knowledge  provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.
 
You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV. 

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 750 words. We will not consider any words over 750 words. 

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

Meets all essential criteria
Meets some essential criteria
Meets no essential criteria

Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

Carry out user research activities, creating research plans, recruiting participants, preparing discussion guides, creating information gathering artefacts, running and moderating user research sessions

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a remote interview via MS Teams.

Technical skills and experience will be tested at interview.

You’ll be invited to a 60-minute remote video interview. This will include a presentation on your understanding of user-centred design and user research, to help us understand more about you and your skills and experience.

For this role we’ll assess your experience and specialist technical skills against the government technical skills for a user researcher.

User researcher - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

Candidates should expect questions on the following technical skills during the interview:

Analysis and synthesis
Research management, leadership and assurance
User research methods
User-centred practice and advocacy

Interviews dates are to be confirmed.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs in either Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf). We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, averaged over a month) on-site.

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Eligibility criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Security clearance level requirement 

Part 1

Successful candidates must pass a basic Disclosure and Barring Security (DBS) check before they can be appointed.

Part 2

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Salary information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location.

Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

£41,983- £48,128 (National)
£44,148- £50,121 (Outer London)
£46,310- £52,113 (Inner London)

Person specification

Application form and supporting statement

Essential criteria

Application form and supporting statement

Presentation

Essential criteria

Presentation

Technical skills

Essential criteria

Analysis and synthesis
Research management, leadership and assurance
User research methods
User-centred practice and advocacy

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

If you experience technical difficulties when using Trac, please contact Support via https://apps.trac.jobs/support and provide screenshots/details of the issue encountered. If Trac cannot resolve your issue, you should notify the UKHSA Recruitment Team at [email protected] as soon as possible.

Please note that where no technical issue has been recorded by Trac, and no supporting evidence has been provided before the closing deadline, we will be unable to accept late applications. We therefore recommend submitting applications well in advance of the closing date and taking screenshots of any issues encountered.

Qualifications and Registrations

For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

Civil Service Commission | Regulating recruitment into the Civil Service and helping uphold the Civil Service core values of Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Link below:

Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers

This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window)

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment.

For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary.

For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

From time to time, the role holder may be required to support UKHSA’s incident response activity by contributing their appropriate expertise within an Incident Cell; during such periods, supported by the line manager, this work will take priority over normal day‑to‑day responsibilities, commensurate with their grade, skills and experience.

Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via  email:  [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here.

Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

Interview expenses will not be reimbursed.

UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

 Benefits of working at UKHSA include:

Generous annual leave:
-26 days for the first 5 years of continuous service
-28 days after 5 years of continuous service
-32 days after 10 years of continuous service
-Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King’s birthday
Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package.

Hybrid Working

UKHSA operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce.

As a hybrid worker, you will usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home.

Disability Confident Scheme

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview.   If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone.

To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you.

An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work.

This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme.

If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should:

Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police Check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Security Vetting

Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Agenda for Change roles -NHS Pension

For roles offered under Agenda for Change (AFC) Terms and Conditions (and if you are eligible)

• If you are already on AFC T&Cs or accept the role on a fixed-term contract, you will be enrolled in the NHS Pension Scheme or keep your current AFC Pension.
• If you take the role on a loan or temporary promotion, you will retain your existing, substantive T&Cs.
• If the role is available under either AFC or Civil Service T&Cs depending on your registration, your pension scheme will align accordingly.