Spaces:
Runtime error
Runtime error
| # SFIA Role Guidance: Senior User Researcher | |
| - [SFIA Level 4](https://sfia-online.org/en/sfia-7/responsibilities/level-4): Enable | |
| - [Job description](../senior_user_researcher.md) | |
| ## Summary of role | |
| Our Senior User Researchers play a key role in leading project teams and setting direction for project work. They’re expert practitioners, confident leading the planning and running of user research on complicated and large scale public sector projects. They are vocal and visible contributors to our user-centred design (UCD) community and culture at Made Tech. | |
| ## Required competency for role (with example behaviours) | |
| ### Autonomy | |
| Self-initiates and works with little direction of where to focus energy to research, design and deliver good public services with their team. Takes responsibility for the team focusing their research in the right areas, using the most appropriate methodologies and expertise in guiding teams to producing the most impactful research outputs. Works with to define and assign research tasks to themselves and others. | |
| #### Examples of behaviour and responsibilities | |
| Below are examples of behaviours and responsibilities a person in this role might be expected to demonstrate. The list is provided for illustrative purposes only. | |
| - Proactively requests feedback from the people they work with. Able to honestly self reflect | |
| - Practices open and honest communication, active listening and demonstrates empathy and patience | |
| - Take responsibility for work and decisions and embeds a no blame attitude in teams | |
| - Assess quickly what design leadership a team needs to deliver a user-centred service and fills this role without being asked to. | |
| - Assures the quality of research work going into software production | |
| - Shares good practice from own experience and other sources for how and why a team does activities like in-depth interviews with users or low fidelity prototypes | |
| - Shows work at community show and tells | |
| ### Influence | |
| Drives team towards research excellence by influencing team, stakeholders and partners. | |
| Able to support teams making decisions based on balancing research evidence against organisational needs and constraints | |
| Identifies key stakeholders, tailoring communication to their needs. Ability to influence stakeholders and teams to practice user centred design in their organisation | |
| #### Examples of behaviour and responsibilities | |
| Below are examples of behaviours and responsibilities a person in this role might be expected to demonstrate. The list is provided for illustrative purposes only. | |
| - Able to hold and inform the strategic vision of our clients through user research | |
| - Works with the client to set team priorities for work | |
| - Able to create and share a clear, tangible and understandable vision for the role and direction of user research | |
| - Is an advocate for users and able to focus teams on the key needs | |
| - Shows they are role model for less senior researchers and set an example for how to be professional, supportive and effective | |
| - Successfully challenges decisions not informed by user research | |
| - Coaches less senior researchers taking on line management for the first time and how to grow into this new responsibility | |
| ### Complexity | |
| Leads user research with their team within a wider programme of work in multi-organisation stakeholder environments. Able to balance complex user and organisational needs and use research to inform design, strategy and processes. | |
| #### Examples of behaviour and responsibilities | |
| - Below are examples of behaviours and responsibilities a person in this role might be expected to demonstrate. The list is provided for illustrative purposes only. | |
| - Confident managing complex stakeholder groups | |
| - Demonstrates understanding and empathy for stakeholders | |
| - Produces research outputs that are suitable for the type of project, type of stakeholders and audience ensuring it has impact and leads to decision making | |
| - Able to plan and lead on complex programmes of research | |
| - Establishes research activities and structure within a team previously not working in a agile, open or user-centred way | |
| - Breaks down silos within their team and has UCD roles and people in other disciplines working towards the same goals. | |
| - Shares research with other delivery teams within the client organisation and shows the need for close coordination between teams | |
| ### Knowledge | |
| Deep understanding of user research quantitative and qualitative methodologies and is competent at understanding how and when to apply different approaches. | |
| Wide range of quantitative and qualitative experience, highly competent with a range of methodologies | |
| #### Examples of behaviour and responsibilities | |
| Below are examples of behaviours and responsibilities a person in this role might be expected to demonstrate. The list is provided for illustrative purposes only. | |
| - Understands how and when to apply different methodologies across the design cycle | |
| - Able to create appropriate, clear and compelling findings. Experienced in how to deliver them to reflect the needs of individual projects and clients and ensure strong outcomes | |
| - Experience working with other user centred design disciplines and a deep understanding of how user research works cohesively with these disciplines | |
| - Competent at the leading the planning of research approaches | |
| - Understanding of how to include and consider and involve traditionally marginalised and oppressed groups to deliver accessible services that work for all users | |
| - Deep understanding of conducting ethical and inclusive research and confident leading and upskilling teams | |
| - Can help teams understand the diversity of users of government services. Knows how to include all kinds of users in appropriate research activities. Can advocate for inclusive practices and help teams design | |
| ### Business Skills | |
| Demonstrates leadership. Communicates effectively, both formally and informally | |
| #### Examples of behaviour and responsibilities | |
| Below are examples of behaviours and responsibilities a person in this role might be expected to demonstrate. The list is provided for illustrative purposes only. | |
| - Supports the development of user research at Made Tech | |
| - Represents Made Tech in the wider UCD community through writing or speaking | |
| - Trustworthy, acts with integrity, openness and impartiality | |
| - Able to navigate and handle conflict within teams and with stakeholders | |
| - Can help colleagues understand how digital technology is changing user behaviour, and the challenges and opportunities for government services. | |
| - Has knowledge of the technologies used to build and operate digital services. Can collaborate closely with colleagues in different digital disciplines | |
| - Supports the sales team in proposal writing | |