Head of User Research

Head of User Research

Outside IR35 | SC Clearance Required (or willingness to obtain)

About Scrumconnect Consulting

Scrumconnect Consulting is a multi-award-winning digital consultancy, recognised with UKIT awards including Best Public Sector IT Project, Digital Transformation Project of the Year, and a Special Award for Organisational Excellence during the pandemic. Our work impacts over 40 million UK citizens, with successful projects delivered across key government departments and regulatory bodies.

Role Summary

We're looking for a Head of User Research to own the research function and strategy across a major discovery programme, setting the direction for how user needs are understood, evidenced and championed throughout the organisation. This is a senior leadership role, requiring someone who can operate at both a strategic and hands-on level - shaping research practice, building capability, and ensuring evidence-based insight sits at the heart of decision-making at the most senior levels.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and define the overall user research strategy and approach across the programme, ensuring alignment with policy goals and service outcomes
• Lead, mentor and grow a team of user researchers, setting standards for research quality, ethics and rigour
• Act as the principal advocate for user-centred thinking at senior/director level, influencing programme direction and investment decisions
• Oversee the design and execution of large-scale, mixed-methods research programmes across diverse and geographically distributed user groups
• Own the relationship between research, service design, business analysis and delivery - ensuring insight directly shapes decisions
• Present research findings and strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders, policy leads and assurance boards, building the case for user-centred design investment
• Set and uphold research governance, ensuring compliance with GDPR, ethical standards and the Government Social Research framework
• Establish and embed research operations - tools, repositories, participant recruitment processes and knowledge-sharing practices
• Represent the research function at GDS service assessments, defending research approach and evidence quality
• Build research capability across the wider organisation, coaching non-specialists in user-centred practices

Essential Skills & Experience

• Extensive experience as a User Researcher in UK public sector or government digital delivery, including significant time in a senior or leadership capacity
• Proven track record leading and growing research teams, setting research strategy and embedding research culture
• Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, with deep experience across the full research life cycle
• Experience influencing at senior/director level, building the case for user-centred investment and direction
• Strong understanding of the GDS Service Standard and the role of research across Discovery, Alpha, Beta and Live
• Experience establishing research governance, ethical standards and operational practices at programme or organisational level
• Excellent communication skills, able to translate complex research into clear, persuasive narratives for non-specialist and senior audiences

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience researching local authority, regulatory or similarly complex multi-stakeholder services
• Government Social Research (GSR) accreditation or equivalent professional research qualification
• Experience building or scaling a research function from the ground up
• Familiarity with cross-government research communities of practice and research governance boards

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

At Scrumconnect Consulting, we believe that diversity drives innovation. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone is respected, valued, and supported. We actively encourage applications from women, people with disabilities, individuals from under-represented communities, and those seeking flexible working arrangements.

As a Disability Confident Level 1 employer, we provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and employment to ensure equal opportunity for all.