Lead User Researcher

Are you ready to revolutionize digital health services? Join Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) as a Lead User Researcher and be at the forefront of innovation, transforming patient experiences with your expertise!

About Us: At DHCW, we're on a mission to deliver high-quality, user-friendly digital health services. We believe that user research is the key to driving innovation and enhancing patient care. As a part of our vibrant team, you'll lead groundbreaking user research activities, mentor emerging talents, and contribute to the creation of state-of-the-art digital solutions.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and talented Lead User Researcher to join our User-Centred Design team to support digital products and services in the Primary, Community and Mental Health directorate.

About the Role: As a Lead User Researcher, you'll be the driving force behind our user research initiatives. You'll plan and lead research activities for complex services, build user-centered practices in new teams, and align research with broader strategic goals. Your expertise will guide and develop other user researchers, ensuring excellence in our research practices.

As a Lead User Researcher who is user-centred, you will specialise in planning and leading user research activities in larger teams and on more complex services. You will plan, design and carry out research activities with users that help teams get a deep understanding of the people that use our services - ensuring that those services are accessible and work well for users.

Putting users' needs at the heart of your work, you will make people's interactions with our products and services as simple as possible.

What we’re looking for: As a Lead User Researcher, you will be an expert practitioner, leading and aligning user research activities, and setting the strategic direction for research in your business area. You will:

• Provide user research expertise and consultancy to your business area, and hands-on support as required.

• Ensure that teams take a user-centred, evidence-based approach to service design and delivery.

• Develop and assure good user research practice across your business area.

• Take a leading role in the User Centred Design community of practice.

• Design and implement inclusive user research activities, including running usability testing sessions.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications:

  • Educated to Master’s level or equivalent qualification/experience

  • Evidence of continuous professional development

• Experience:

  • Experience in a user researcher role at a similar level, planning and leading a wide range of user research activities on complex services

  • Proficient at aligning user research activities with wider plans to inform a service proposition

  • Attention to Detail skills to apply specific quality standards to all tasks undertaken to ensure that deliverables are accurate and complete

  • Communication skills as an effective, approachable, and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures with the ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences

Working for Your Organisation: Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) is part of the NHS Wales family and has an important role in changing the way health and care services are delivered through technology and data. The organisation supports frontline staff with modern systems and access to important information about their patients, while empowering the people of Wales to manage their own health through digital NHS Wales services.

Working for DHCW offers lots of employee benefits, including flexible working, a competitive salary, 28 days of annual leave plus Bank Holidays and opportunities for career development. We are committed to recognising and celebrating our staff as the most valuable part of our organisation.

Join our game-changing, life-saving team and start making a real difference to health and care services in Wales.

Apply Now: If you're ready to take on a challenging and rewarding role, apply today to join DHCW as a Lead User Researcher. Help us shape the future of digital health services and make a positive impact on patient experiences.

Closing date: 02 April 2025: candidates will be shortlisted after this date.

A full job description and person specification is available on request