User Researcher | Hybrid Working with Glasgow or Dundee Base Location | £36585 - £41834 £5,000 DDaT Pay Supplement after 3 month qualifying period | Full or Part Time Hours | Flexi- time | 25 Days annual leave (increasing to 30 after 4 years’ service) plus 11.5 Public and Privilege| Contributory Pension Scheme (employee contributions 5.45% employer contributions 28.97%)| Join as a User Researcher in our User Centred Design team within Social Security Scotland’s Chief Digital Office and support the exciting and transformative work of Social Security Scotland. Social Security Scotland's User Centred Design team works within the Live Service and is responsible for the maintenance and further development of the live benefit services being delivered to clients. The team is multi-disciplinary and brings together a vast range of skills and expertise to ensure that clients are at the centre of the design and development of all continuous improvement activity. As a User Researcher you will assist in bringing insight and evidence to support the improvement and development of the live service. The role will focus on delivering robust, good quality people insights that can be used to understand the Social Security Scotland service. You will work to advance our core research principles of respect, inclusivity and accessibility, providing value, informed consent, confidentiality, integrity, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness. As a User Researcher you will be responsible for identifying and applying the most appropriate methodology to address problems, implementing effective and ethical data collection, developing appropriate frameworks and approaches to analyse data collected and providing insight that has clear recommendations. You will need strong stakeholder relationship skills and an ability to communicate your research clearly and effectively to a range of audiences. Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. In Scotland we have a number of devolved benefits, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that they are managed correctly and fairly, delivering those benefits to the 1.4 million people who rely on them. Dignity, fairness and respect are at the core of everything we do. We demonstrate these values by making our work as transparent and accountable as possible. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. Our benefits will help people from all walks of life in Scotland and it is crucial our workforce reflects this diversity. We aim to develop within Social Security Scotland, a positive and inclusive culture, which supports our people to flourish, by embedding a working environment where we all treat each other with dignity and respect and recognise each other’s contributions. What do we offer you? We offer meaningful and engaging careers, a collaborative culture, and support for your career goals, all while nurturing a healthy work-life balance. We provide an employment package that attracts, develops, and retains only the best talent. • B2 - Salary between £36585 - £41834 plus a £5000 annual Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) pay supplement after a 3 month qualifying period. This supplement is backdated and paid with your monthly salary. • Flexible working arrangements with potential of up to 4 days off per month. • You will have an annual leave allowance of 5 weeks, rising to 6 weeks after 4 years. In addition, the Scottish Government observes 11½ days public and privilege holidays, dates of which are set annually. • Workplace adjustments for everyone that needs them to ensure your comfort and safety in your new role. • Learning and development opportunities to support your personal and professional growth. • Career progression – join a rapidly growing and developing organisation with excellent opportunities for career advancement. • Contributory Pension Scheme (employee contributions 5.45% employer contributions 28.97%). • Health and wellbeing support including 24 hour access to our Employee Assistance Programme, plus counselling support available for all. • Discounts on gym memberships and retail outlets. DDaT Pay Supplement This post attracts a £5000 Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) pay supplement after a 3 months DDaT competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role. Pay supplements are temporary payments designed to address recruitment and retention issues caused by market pressures and are subject to regular review. This post is part of the Scottish Government DDaT profession. As a member of the profession you will join the professional development system, currently BCS RoleModelplus. Hybrid Working We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 2 days per week in your assigned location however role specific attendance will be discussed and agreed with successful candidates. Base office location can be in either Glasgow or Dundee. About Us Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. O ur benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. Find out more about us here • Designing and running user research using a range of methods (qualitative and quantitative) to best support business and project needs. • Working closely with teams to provide clear, actionable insights and support decision making. • Facilitating the inclusion of different types of users in research activities. • Advocating for accessibility, assisted digital and inclusive design practices to help teams deliver accessible services that work for all. • Supporting teams to continually improve their understanding of and engagement with users and their needs, embedding insight into their work. • Managing the ethics and consent processes with research participants. • Managing the use and licensing of user research tools and facilities. • Supporting the development of data protection and equalities impact assessments. • Understanding user-centred service design and delivery practices. No specific qualifications are required for this post. How T o A pply To apply for this post, you will need to provide the information requested below via the online application process. A CV (no longer than two pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements - this is accessed through the candidate profile. In additio n, please record your Personal Statement (no longer than 750 words). This should clearly demonstrate how your skills, qualities and experience meet the following essential criteria: 1. Experience in a research role, choosing and delivering a range of research methods for different situations and contexts. 2. Experience of communicating research approaches and insights effectively to different audiences, ensuring they are understood by your stakeholders. 3. Experience of designing research sessions to ensure they are inclusive and meet the diverse needs of participants. 4. Experience of managing personal data, consent processes and other ethical considerations when working with research participants. When considering how your experience relates to the role, please tailor your CV and personal statement to reflect the role and the essential skills/criteria as described in the job description. If we receive a large number of applications, we may complete an initial sift on the first essential criteria. Following the sift of applications there may be a telephone interview as part of the Assessment process, prior to interview. If you are invited to an interview this will be held in person in either Agnes Husband House, Dundee or High Street, Glasgow. If you pass the sift but are not invited to the first round of interviews, you may be invited to a subsequent round. Any queries on this please contact recruitmentsocialsecurity.gov.scot. We aim to provide feedback on request, however; if we receive a large number of applications it may not be possible for us to provide feedback on your application if you are not invited to attend an interview/assessment. We will provide feedback on request to all candidates that attend an interview/assessment. DDaT Social Security Scotland - Further information - User Researcher Information Session We will be running online information sessions on Friday 19th July at 12-1pm The session will cover: • About Social Security Scotland • The User Researcher role and User Centred Design Team • Our recruitment process • Q&A with the hiring manager Please feel free to join us using the link below to find out more about the role and working for Social Security Scotland. Click here to join the meeting Interview/Assessment Information Here are details of the Competencies required for this role, you will be tested against these competencies if you are invited to attend an interview and undertake a digital assessment: • Self Awareness • Communications and Engagement • Improving Performance • Analysis and Use of Evidence • DDaT Technical Skill Assessment Reserve List In the event that further posts are required, a reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for up to 9 months. Recruitment Contact To learn more about this opportunity, please Rachael Dickson who can be reached at Rachael.dicksonsocialsecurity.gov.scot Please note that we will not engage with external recruitment agencies for this post. Further Information The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher band or grade. Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at Recruitmentsocialsecurity.gov.scot. Social Security Scotland’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair an d open co mpetition - Recruitment - Civil Se rvice Commissio n (independent.gov.uk) If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you can make a complaint, by contacting Social Security Scotland at recruitmentsocialsecurity.gov.scot in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioner. If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via recruitmentsocialsecurity.gov.scot If you are interested in us contacting you about further available vacancies, please sign up to our mailing list to receive job alerts.