User Research Lead

In June 2025, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care introduced two key frameworks: the Population Health Framework and the Service Renewal Framework (SRF). The SRF sets out an ambitious vision to drive innovation and enable more integrated delivery across Scotland's health and care services. As part of this transformation, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) will come together to form a new organisation: Public Services Delivery Scotland in April 2026. The new organisation will play a pivotal role in supporting the renewal and long term sustainability of health and care services across Scotland.

To learn more about the new organisation, please read the public consultation paper, NHS Delivery - A New National Delivery Organisation, available on the Scottish Government website.

Flexible Location: NES is a remote friendly employer with staff based throughout Scotland. We support office based and hybrid working arrangements. We welcome conversations about alternative working patterns-please get in touch during the application process to discuss.

Work Pattern: Fixed Term, Full Time, 37 hours per week. As from 1/4/26, the Agenda for Change full time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.

Fixed term or Secondment until March 31st 2028

For NHS applicants, an NHS secondment will be offered in the first instance. For non NHS applicants, a fixed term or secondment would be considered.

You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.

Who We Are

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.

NES Technology Service (NTS) has created a strategic programme for the transformation of digital based services to allow NES to become a leading digital organisation in Scottish Health, digital by default and fully aligned with the Scottish Government's technology strategies.

Our Technology

We are in the business of providing safe, secure and innovative technology products and services that aim to improve outcomes across education, training, workforce, health and care in the public sector in Scotland. Using modern cloud based technology we deliver sustainable products and services for the future.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a User Research Lead to head up the growing team of user research specialists working on MyCare.scot.

Do you have a deep understanding of how to maximise the impact of user research in the context of digital services and products?

Do you enjoy setting up and overseeing efficient and impactful operations and processes as much as planning and running the research activities themselves?

Do you understand how to work with assurance and information governance colleagues to ensure data protection is embedded in all user research practice?

Do you know how to build relationships across complex work environments and delivery actionable research outputs within time and resource constraints?

Do you have experience working with the other design disciplines of service design, content design and UX design?

Working within the overall MyCare.scot programme, you will have the opportunity to ensure that actionable insights which represent the voice of our users directly inform the development and delivery of this nationally important digital health and social care service.

Does this sound like you? What We Love to See

• Proven experience in a User Research leadership role
• You can build and manage teams, acting as a lead for the user research profession
• An extensive understanding of user research techniques in a digital context for new and existing products, including moderated and unmoderated usability testing
• You understand the value of using a research repository to share insights across an organisation
• Ability to confidently design, direct and lead a range of research - from usability testing to exploratory discovery work
• Experienced in collaborating with multi disciplinary teams and a variety of stakeholders, managing a research workload among competing priorities
• Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, utilising tact and persuasion skills when necessary
• Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workloads, to meet strict deadlines

Benefits Which Matter

• Life work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and hybrid working
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
• Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
• NHS discounts and more

Diversity and Inclusion

Developing a successful national service for Scotland means considering the diverse needs, perspectives, and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland. We are focused on hiring the very best talent and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Our aim to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, with respect, and has a positive recruitment experience-regardless of the outcome.

We welcome applications from all under represented groups, including racially minoritised people and disabled people. It is not essential to be in a user research leadership role right now-you may be returning from a career break (e.g., maternity, paternity, caring) or coming from another field. Your experiences can bring a fresh perspective to our work.

If you are considering applying and would like to discuss the opportunity, any adjustments or alternative work patterns, please contact .

Next Steps

NHS candidates will be considered firstly on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current NHS employer at the earliest opportunity, ideally prior to application.

All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e mail.

In person OR online interviews - Online interviews including a presentation will take place between March 2026. The topic for the presentation will be sent to candidates selected for interview.

For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.

Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CVs will not be accepted.

1. Please be advised that if you are successful in being offered the role following the recruitment process, you will be expected to attend the office prior to your start date to complete face to face pre employment checks. If you require any adjustments to support this, please let us know.
2. To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.

As part of the pre employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.

For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licensed Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or 'going rate'. Further information on these criteria can be found here.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: