Job summary
Are you looking for an opportunity to combine leadership with continued hands-on user research?
We have an opportunity for you to stay closely connected to user research practice while supporting and guiding your team.
Our User Researchers work in an open, iterative and collaborative way in a multidisciplinary team, and communicate effectively, working closely with our designers, product managers, performance analysts, developers, business analysts and other stakeholders and colleagues.
The User Research team is part of a larger User Centred Design (UCD) team that sits within the Product Design Directorate, alongside the Product Management and Business Analysis teams. The UCD team is a community of 6 teams. There are: Service Design, Interaction Design, Content Design, Accessibility, User Research and Performance Analytics. Each team supports each other to review insights from our performance analytics and user research to understand user needs and co-design user-centred services.
Watch this video to find out more about working in Digital at Companies House
Give yourself the best opportunity to apply!
Join our Outreach team for an informal, drop-in “find out more” session on:
Thursday 9th April 2026 at 12:00pm - 1:00pm
No need to register: just click on the link above to join, listen, and gain tips to help you apply. Cameras and microphones will be switched off.
Can’t make the session, or want something to refer back to? Just email our Outreach mailbox on: outreachinnovationteam@companieshouse.gov.uk and we’ll share a copy of the session slides.
Companies House offers a flexible and welcoming culture that promotes a healthy work life balance as well as a proactive approach to wellbeing that allows us to be our best at work. We recognise that people are the key to our success so offer a fantastic benefits package including flexible working with no core hours, 30 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 1 privilege day as well as enrolment into the Civil Service Pension scheme with a contribution rate averaging 28%.
Find out more about what a great place Companies House is to work
Please note:
- Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.
- We're able to consider both full-time and part-time hours for this role for the successful candidate (part-time would be a minimum of 30 hours over 4 or 5 days).
- Remote contracts will be considered where commuting to the office location of your team is not reasonably practicable.
Job description
As a Lead User Researcher, you’ll be an expert, hands-on practitioner. You'll lead and assure user research activity across a several teams, as well as carry out user research yourself. You will ensure that work takes a user centred, evidence-based approach to shape product vision, service design and delivery, and influence organisational strategy and priorities.
You will manage, lead, coach and mentor user researchers. Define, embed and assure best practice in user research, and prioritise resources effectively across complex areas of work. You will act as a recognised authority in user research, providing expert advice and assurance, and collaborating with colleagues across government to improve outcomes for users.
At this level you will:
- lead user research across complex programmes of work, using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods appropriate to different lifecycle phases of agile service design
- manage, mentor and guide more junior user researchers, setting direction and assuring the quality and impact of research undertaken by others - contributing to the strategic development of the user research function.
- engage with programmes and senior stakeholders to understand strategic objectives, organisational priorities and complex user, policy and service problems.
- be a highly effective communicator, able to translate complex research findings into clear, evidence based recommendations that influence decisions at team, programme and organisational level
- act as an expert advocate for user needs, championing user centred and inclusive design and influencing others to adopt best practice
- encourage and embed team involvement throughout the user research lifecycle, including analysis and synthesis, building consensus, challenging assumptions and raising the standard of insight
- collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders across programmes and across government where relevant, to understand user and policy needs and ensure these are translated into services that work for diverse user groups
- play a leading role in ensuring that services meet the Government Service Standard, providing expert assurance throughout the service delivery lifecycle and presenting at, and assessing, service assessments
- contribute to and help lead the user centred design and user research community, including presenting at meetups, writing blogs, sharing best practice, and raising organisational awareness of the value and impact of user research
Person specification
We’re looking for an expert user research practitioner with varied and complex project experience, who meets the technical specifications for a Lead User Researcher as outlined in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework for User Researcher.
The following skills and experience will be assessed during the selection process:
- Research management, leadership and assurance
- Proven ability to analyse complex user, service and policy problems and align user research activity to support informed decision making and organisational priorities. Experience of defining, embedding and assuring high standards of user research practice, and providing expert guidance and assurance across teams and programmes.
- Research methods and planning
- Extensive experience of selecting, applying and advising on an appropriate range of qualitative and quantitative user research methods across different phases of the agile service lifecycle. A track record of improving, innovating and setting best practice in user research at organisational level.
- Analysis and synthesis
- Strong ability to analyse and synthesise complex qualitative and quantitative data, involving and guiding others through the process, and producing clear, actionable insight that influences decisions at team, programme and organisational level.
- Agile research practices
- Expert level capability in advocating for and embedding user research throughout agile delivery. Experience of shaping and assuring research approaches across multiple teams, ensuring insight is used effectively to inform design, delivery and strategic decisions.
- Inclusive research
- Expert experience of planning and delivering inclusive research that represents the full diversity of users of government services. Ability to set standards, challenge assumptions and ensure teams design services that work for all users, including those with access needs.
- User centred practice and advocacy
- Demonstrated ability to champion user centred design and research, influencing ways of working, priorities and decision making. Experience of advocating for user needs with senior stakeholders and embedding user centred practice at scale.
- Stakeholder relationship management
- Highly developed influencing and negotiation skills, with experience of building strong relationships with senior stakeholders, including sceptical or resistant colleagues, to resolve issues, enable progress and improve outcomes for users.
You can read more about a career in Digital and Data within the Civil Service in the Government Digital and Data Candidate Information Pack.
Please note: We are looking for an experienced Lead User Researcher. Successful candidates who are assessed at the practitioner level will be offered pay within the FN1 page range of £53,540 - £57,250 per year. If a successful candidate is assessed to exceed these expectations and shows confident, expert skills and capabilities, they will be offered a salary in line with the FN2 pay range of £61,834 - £65,136 per year.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Developing Self and Others
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Research Leadership, Methods and Planning at Lead User Researcher level as outlined in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.
