User researcher

User Researcher

Location: Fully Remote (occasional office visits to London, Newcastle, Portsmouth, or Manchester)

Rate: £364 per day (via umbrella)

We’re looking for experienced User Researchers to join cross-functional teams shaping user-centred digital services that directly impact millions of UK citizens.

This is a hands-on role for those who thrive in agile, multidisciplinary environments — collaborating with designers, developers, and analysts to create data-informed, accessible, and impactful services.

What you’ll do

• Lead and conduct user research for government digital services, from discovery to delivery.
• Plan, design, and run qualitative and quantitative research sessions with diverse user groups.
• Analyse and interpret user data, producing actionable insights and recommendations.
• Collaborate closely with UX designers, analysts, and developers to embed findings into product iterations.
• Support the development of personas, user journeys, and audience models.
• Advise teams on appropriate research methodologies and contribute to service design decisions.
• Use human-centred design, ethnographic techniques, and usability testing to inform and validate design solutions.
• Champion the voice of the user, ensuring accessibility, inclusion, and evidence-based decision-making.

What you’ll bring

• Proven experience as a User Researcher on government or public sector projects.
• Extensive experience with qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
• Strong understanding of user-centred design principles and the GDS Service Standard.
• Experience conducting usability testing, interviews, and contextual research.
• Comfortable working in agile environments, collaborating closely with multidisciplinary teams.
• Knowledge of service design, front-end development, and accessibility best practices.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to turn findings into clear, impactful recommendations.

Desirable:

• Degree in HCI, Usability, Cognitive Psychology, or Market Research.
• Experience working on complex transactional or web-based services.
• Exposure to ethnographic research or audience modelling techniques.

Why join

• Opportunity to work on high-impact, citizen-facing government projects.
• Collaborate with some of the most respected digital, UX, and service design teams in the UK.
• Fully remote with minimal on-site requirements.
• Inclusive and supportive consultancy culture.

If you’re passionate about improving public digital services through research and insight, this is your opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

Apply now via Haystack