User Researcher

Bristol, Darlington, Manchester, Wolverhampton Job Summary We are MHCLG At the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives. We have over 3,500 staff who are based in 20 offices across the UK. Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of local councils, or the communities we’re all part of, our work is central to the political agenda. With ambitious and far-reaching goals this year, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us. The Local Digital team sits within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and supports councils across England to deliver more secure, user-centred, cost-effective local public services through open, collaborative and reusable work. A key part of our work is supporting the local government sector to be more cyber resilient and deliver on the ambition of the Government Cyber Security Strategy to be resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030. To Achieve This, We Work Closely With Councils To Understand the risk — improving visibility of digital assets, assessing vulnerabilities, and sharing intelligence so councils and MHCLG can make informed decisions about how best to reduce cyber risk. Manage the risk — strengthening cyber security posture through continuous improvement, addressing systemic weaknesses, and coordinating effective incident response. Strengthen partnerships — promoting collaboration across local government and with national partners to reduce duplication, share resources, and build collective resilience. We are now seeking a User Researcher that will support the development of the CAF (Cyber Assessment Framework) for local government, will build compelling stories about user needs across the sector, and work closely with colleagues to design and lead user research activities. Please note - In addition to the above role in Local Digital, the department is also looking for an SEO user researcher to deliver across our Publishing team – providing insight on the department’s internal and external publishing activities. This role will utilise the same skillset detailed in the below person specification. Appointable candidates not selected for the Local Digital role may be contacted regarding this opportunity. Find out more about our Digital teams and what they are working on through our MHCLG Digital blog. Please note that MHCLG do not offer visa sponsorship and applicants will need a valid visa for the duration of your employment. Job Description As a User Researcher, you’ll: Work as part of a design team to develop and improve the CAF for local government to meet the needs of different users Ensure user research is conducted with a diverse range of users across the planning system and advocate for their needs when engaging with internal teams Plan, design and conduct user research with key user groups to understand their needs and experiences and to understand how the implementation of policies or programmes are impacting them Work with community and collaboration and engagement managers to gather intel about users’ experience using the CAF to inform prioritisation of service and product design Support the development of routes to recruit participants for research and support the design of a feedback loop for our research and that inclusive research is embedded into all user research practices, ensuring research is conducted with a diverse range of users Identify appropriate research methods to meet the aims of the research. Analyse and synthesise user research data to present clear user insights and actionable findings Communicate user findings with a range