Senior User Researcher

Job summary

At the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), we design user-centred services that make the criminal justice system easier to use, quicker to deliver, and fairer for all.

As a Senior User Researcher at CPS, you design and improve end-to-end services that support the delivery of justice, making sure they meet user needs and organisational goals. You work within multi-disciplinary delivery teams and collaborate with service owners and operational colleagues to build a shared understanding of services, use evidence to shape decisions, and develop service improvements across digital and non-digital channels.

You lead user research activity for complex services, or significant parts of services, helping teams take a strategic, user-centred approach to change. You apply the Service Standard and government design principles so that services are inclusive, accessible and effective for the people who use them.

This role involves collaboration across team, programme and organisational boundaries, including with colleagues across the Criminal Justice System where needed, to join up services and improve how they work from end to end. You also support the growth of user research capability at CPS by sharing good practice, supporting colleagues and showing stakeholders the value of user research.

You report to the Lead User Researcher and may provide day-to-day support, mentoring or line management for other researchers.

The Crown Prosecution Service is based in England and Wales. If you’re applying for this role and live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you must let us know when accepting this offer as you need permission to work from your home address if hybrid working is part of your role. There’s no guarantee that we will grant this approval.

You must be aged 16 or over at the point of starting in this role. The expected start date is approximately 8–12 weeks after the application closing date. You are expected to commence employment as soon as possible following the expiry of your notice period. Requests for significantly later start dates may not be accommodated.

As part of this role, you are expected to undertake direct line management responsibilities.

Job description

Your roles and responsibilities:

• You lead the planning, design and delivery of user research for complex services, ensuring research is aligned to team priorities and supports evidence-based decision making.
• You work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams to build a deep understanding of user needs, behaviours and experiences, helping shape service design and delivery.
• You select and apply appropriate qualitative and quantitative research methods, advising colleagues on best practice and supporting teams to adopt effective research approaches.
• You analyse and synthesise research findings from multiple sources, translating evidence into clear, actionable insights that inform product, service and policy decisions.
• You champion inclusive and accessible research practices, ensuring diverse user groups are represented and that services are designed to work for all users.
• You build effective relationships with stakeholders, communicating research findings clearly, influencing decision making and advocating for user-centred approaches.
• You adapt research activities to agile delivery environments, balancing pace and quality while ensuring research remains responsive to changing team needs.
• You provide leadership and assurance for user research practice, supporting the development of colleagues, promoting professional standards and helping grow the user-centred design community.

A copy of the full job description is attached.

Drop in sessions

If you would like to find out more about this role and working at CPS we will be running drop in sessions on Teams:

• Monday 21st September 16:30 to 17:00
• Monday 28th September 16:30 to 17:00

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/386413665870771?p=iirNzpvdJcZxXLAox0

Meeting ID: 386 413 665 870 771

Passcode: oq7Tz7Kp

Person specification

To be eligible to apply, you need:

• experience planning, designing and delivering user research for complex services, products or programmes, using a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• a good understanding of the Government Service Standard, Government Design Principles, agile delivery and evidence-based approaches to service improvement.
• experience working in multidisciplinary teams, collaborating with designers, product managers, business analysts, delivery managers, policy colleagues and technical teams.
• strong experience of analysing and synthesising research findings from multiple sources, turning evidence into clear, actionable insights and recommendations.
• experience conducting inclusive and accessible user research with diverse audiences, and applying insights to support the design of services that work for all users.
• strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence decision making and advocate for user-centred approaches with a range of audiences.
• experience selecting and applying appropriate research methods for complex user needs, services and delivery environments, and advising others on research best practice.
• experience working effectively in agile environments, adapting research approaches to meet changing priorities while maintaining quality and ethical standards.
• experience supporting colleagues, sharing good practice, mentoring others or contributing to the development of user research capability and communities of practice

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,800, Crown Prosecution Service contributes £12,688 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Join the Crown Prosecution Service and find your purpose.

The Crown Prosecution Service is passionate about ensuring that we're a top performing organisation and a great place to work. We're a committed equal opportunities employer, creating a culture where you can bring your whole self to work, and individuality is truly appreciated.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks covering disability, faith and belief, LGBTQI+, race, social mobility alongside our mental health first aiders programme and wellbeing sessions.

The Crown Prosecution Service commits to offer its employees the following experience.

• You can do impactful, purposeful work that’s making a difference to your local communities.
• You are able to learn and grow, with access to the right opportunities and resources.
• We care about your wellbeing.
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