Job description

About

The Role

We’re recruiting for a Lead User Researcher here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Probation Digital team. In Probation Digital we are working to create a world class digital-first probation service that drives down reoffending. We are working hard to solve challenges at the heart of our justice system with a probation service that is under increasing pressure. Our aim is to deliver simpler, better, faster digital services to help frontline staff and people on probation, and we’re looking for someone who can help shape our strategy by advocating the user perspective. Watch here to learn more about the exciting agenda for Probation Digital.

This role aligns against Lead User Researcher role from the Government Digital and Data Framework

At MoJ, we want our Lead URs to play an active role in helping shape the direction of the businesses they work in. This means you’ll be both:
• An advocate for users at a strategic level, helping inform Probation Digital’s Senior Leadership Team of users’ needs, to influence decision making and strategy
• Experienced in managing research programmes, overseeing and aligning research activities across several product teams, to draw out the insight you’ll need to support your advocacy and influencing role

In practice, this means you’ll be expected to:

• Build strong collaborative relationships with your Senior Leadership Team colleagues (fellow Leads, Service Owners and the Head of Digital)
• Play an active role in making users’ needs part of the Senior Leadership Team’s thinking, and using this to shape Probation Digital’s work programme, strategy, and ways of working
• Be an advocate for a user-centred approach to all that we do in Probation, and become the go-to person when colleagues need insight into service users of the Probation Service
• Build our ability to take a user-centred, evidence-based approach to service delivery, assuring the quality of our research practice
• Be a leader and coach to the User Research community, working with your team to draw out the user insight needed to help inform and influence probation strategy

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025

Key Responsibilities:

• Recruit, lead, coach, develop and empower user researchers across a range of multidisciplinary product teams, building a user research team and programme that’s responsive to the needs and priorities of the business
• Synthesising the findings from that research programme, drawing out the strategic insight to be an effective advocate for users at a senior level, and using this to help shape organisational strategy
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with peers, senior colleagues and external partners to solve problems, build consensus, and effectively influence
• Provide consultative support and guidance to senior stakeholders, making recommendations, challenging thinking and helping shape work programmes
• Help solve challenges for users and the agency, recognising the complexity and interconnectedness of services and taking an end-to-end perspective
• Oversee the quality of the research conducted, ensuring user researchers understand what good looks like and are able to deliver it, including in areas such as inclusivity, accessibility and trauma informed practice

As part of the Research Leadership Team, collaborate with the Head of User Research and other UR Leads to:

• continually develop the capabilities of the profession, identifying opportunities to innovate, emerging trends and sharing best practice
• develop the community of practice, ensuring user researchers across MoJ have high levels of purpose and engagement
• promote the importance and value of user-centred practice
• ensure we have effective tools, policies and practices for the profession
• ensure we offer flexible ways of working to better support the business

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!