Job Description
User Researcher
Location: National*
Closing Date: 22nd November 2026
Interviews: expected week commencing 7th December
Grade: SEO
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Salary**: London: £49,325 - £53,081 National: £42,914 - £46,182
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time Flexible working
Contract Type: Permanent
Number of vacancies: 2
Vacancy number: 24078
*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP
Please note that unless you are an existing member of staff at Justice Digital, Data and Science, the only London location being recruited to is 10 South Colonnade, E14 4PU. We are no longer recruiting to 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ.
The Role
We’re recruiting for User Researchers here at Justice Digital Data and Science (JDDS) to be part of our warm and collaborative product teams.
This role aligns against User Researcher from the Government Digital and Data Framework
We’re looking for User Researchers who want to make a difference by working on public services that really matter.
You’ll be welcomed into a thriving user research community and into multidisciplinary teams, alongside designers, business analysts, product managers, data scientists, delivery managers and developers all working together to deliver world-class, user-centred services.
At JDDS, our research spans a wide range of services, from prisons and probation to legal aid and data. Depending on where you're based, you may have the opportunity to visit places such as prisons, courts and probation delivery units, meeting people in their own environments and learning about their experiences, needs and challenges.
We are currently experimenting with different delivery models, so some of the time you might find yourself embedded full time on a product team, and at other times you might be providing research support to teams that share similar problems. You may be working alongside other researchers, or as a single researcher in a team. We are therefore looking for researchers who have pragmatic, flexible ways of working.
To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital Data and Science please take a look at our and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025
Benefits
You’ll receive a range of excellent benefits when you join our department, including:
A generous employer pension contribution of 28.97% through the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
25 days of annual leave, (increasing to 30 days once you have reached 5 years of service), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working, working part time or compressed hours. Designed to support a positive work–life balance.
Employees are allocated 10% of their working time for personal and professional development.
A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best-in-class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.
Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
You can find more details of the Benefits we offer here. To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital, Data and Science please look at our blog.
Key Responsibilities:
Plan, conduct, analyse and communicate research
Ensure the inclusion of different types of users in research activities
Effectively communicate research findings within project teams, and share findings with other relevant stakeholders
Work closely with product managers, designers, developers, data scientists and engineers to turn user research findings into actions that lead to valuable product and service designs
Contribute to building our user research and user centred design community, by developing our practice and ways of working.
If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
Person Specification
Essential
Experience using research methods, primarily qualitative but ideally with some quantitative experience, and being able to select the right research method for the problem that needs to be solved
Ability being an advocate for users, encouraging teams to engage with research insights to help them make evidence-based decisions.
Experience ensuring research and insights support the iterative development of a service/product
Experience including different kinds of users in appropriate research activities, and knowing how to run inclusive and ethical research
Ability to build effective working relationships with a team and stakeholders
Experience managing personal data, including following security and consent processes
Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
Salary Information**
Base salary for this role is from London: £49,325 - £53,081 National: £42,914 - £46,182
New entrants to the Civil Service joining the MoJ are expected to start at the minimum of the pay band.
Existing Civil Servants moving on a level transfer will retain their current base salary or move to the minimum of the pay band for the role, whichever is higher.
Existing Civil Servants who are promoted will either move to the bottom of the new grade’s pay band or receive a 10% uplift, whichever provides the greater increase.
How to Apply
In Justice Digital, Data and Science, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We shall assess a combination of your Experience, Technical skills and Behaviours during the assessment process.
Stage 1 - Application and sift:
To apply for this position, you must submit the following as part of your application:
A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). Your CV will be assessed against the essential criteria outlined within the Person Specification of this advert.
A Personal Statement (no more than 250 words per section) which should outline your experience and suitability against the following 3 criteria (750 words total). We recommend, clearly outlining each 3 sections and answers, in separate paragraphs within the statement.
Experience using research methods, primarily qualitative but ideally with some quantitative experience, and being able to select the right research method for the problem that needs to be solved
Experience ensuring research and insights support the iterative development of a service/product
Experience including different kinds of users in appropriate research activities, and knowing how to run inclusive and ethical research
A diverse sift panel will review the information in your CV and Personal Statement to assess the sift criteria specified above. We operate an anonymous shortlisting process. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement do not include your name or any other identifying details.
Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on ‘Experience using research methods, primarily qualitative but ideally with some quantitative experience, and being able to select the right research method for the problem that needs to be solved’ will be conducted prior to the sift.
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply - Application Guidance
Stage 2 - Interviews:
Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference, which will include a user research task, given in advance of the interview.
In Justice Digital, Data and Science, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:
Communicating and influencing
Working together
Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Terms & Conditions
Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk
