Lead User Researcher

About Scrumconnect Consulting

Scrumconnect Consulting is a UK national SME award-winning software development consultancy with over 300 consultants across the UK. We work with UK Public Sector clients to build impactful, award-winning digital services that improve millions of lives.

We take as much pride in our people, culture and work-life balance as we do in making services that improve millions of lives. Collaborative, entrepreneurial and dedicated to problem-solving, we bring the step change our customers need to sustain innovation.

3 ways we are different

• We’re not just a consultancy. We’re a community. Our knowledge-sharing, learning/unlearning, problem-solving culture benefits our consultants and our clients.

• All our people are highly experienced. Our consultants typically have at least 10 years’ experience solving complex business problems.

• Handpicked high-performing teams with high empathy, trust and a mindset of continuous learning.

Lead User Researcher

As a Lead User Researcher , you will be responsible for setting the research strategy and leading user research activities across multiple teams or large, complex programmes. You will shape and champion a culture of user-centred design, ensuring that insights drive decision-making at every stage of service development.

You will work closely with senior stakeholders, product owners, service designers and delivery teams to ensure user needs are at the heart of the service strategy and design decisions.

At this level, you will be expected to:

• Define and communicate the overall user research vision and strategy for programmes of work.
• Lead and coordinate research activities across multiple agile teams or services.
• Build and sustain a strong user research community of practice, providing mentoring, coaching and assurance.
• Influence and challenge senior stakeholders to ensure design and policy decisions are grounded in user evidence.
• Establish and champion best practice in research ethics, inclusivity, accessibility, and data handling.
• Collaborate closely with other heads of disciplines (Design, Product, Delivery, and Engineering) to align research with organisational goals.

Skills needed for this role

GDS experience essential

Leadership and strategy. You can set the direction for user research within complex or multiple projects. You define and articulate the value of user research, influencing at senior levels across an organisation. You have experience establishing standards and leading others to deliver high-quality research outcomes. (Relevant skill level: expert)

Analysis and synthesis. You can help teams and senior stakeholders make sense of complex, large-scale data and translate insights into clear recommendations. You can review and assure research outputs across multiple teams. (Relevant skill level: expert)

Inclusive research. You are a strong advocate for accessibility and inclusion. You ensure teams design and deliver research that reflects the full diversity of users. You can embed inclusive practices at scale. (Relevant skill level: practitioner/expert)

Research skills. You have extensive experience using a wide range of research methods. You can ensure research is planned and conducted to meet strategic goals. You help teams select appropriate methods and ensure consistency in quality and ethics. (Relevant skill level: expert)

Society and technology. You understand emerging trends, user behaviours, and the impact of technology and policy. You ensure research activities anticipate and respond to social and technological change. (Relevant skill level: expert)

Strategic insight. You can identify and define the high-level problems teams are solving. You ensure research insight drives strategic direction and investment decisions. (Relevant skill level: expert)

Technical understanding. You have a good understanding of the technologies used to build and operate digital services. You can work closely with technical leads to ensure feasibility and alignment. (Relevant skill level: practitioner)

User-centred and agile practices. You are an advocate for user-centred design and agile delivery. You can lead by example, helping teams embed these practices at scale. You influence senior stakeholders to value and adopt user-centred decision-making. (Relevant skill level: expert)

Diversity and Inclusion

At Scrumconnect Consulting, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences make us stronger as a team and help us deliver better services for everyone.

We welcome applications from people of all identities and backgrounds — including those with disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, and those from underrepresented communities in tech.