Length of employment: 12 month

 

HMRC is currently undertaking some of the largest digital transformation programmes across Government and other sectors. Our user researchers are at the core of keeping user needs central to design and implementation, providing an opportunity to shape and improve Services that impact millions of users daily. 

You will be joining a thriving and supportive User Researcher community, with regular opportunities for insight sharing, training and discussion. Our team draws together expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and sectors and welcomes new ideas on how we can continue to conduct robust research with real-world impact. 

This is an exciting time to join an organisation that is at the forefront of cutting edge user research. Our blog tells you a bit more about what we do and how we do it. 

User Research in HMRC 

If this sounds like the sort of thing which excites you, this is the job for you.

Person specification

Responsibilities:

As a Senior User Researcher, your responsibilities include:

• Leading on planning, recruiting and conducting user research in larger teams and on more complex services, including playing back user research to stakeholders and digital teams.
• Understanding the service problem then aligning user research activities to influence and support decision-making.
• Applying a range of techniques to analyse and synthesise user research insights, creating research outputs in an actionable way.
• Advocating for, and including, all kinds of users in appropriate research activities to help teams design accessible services for all users.
• Contributing to the user research community at HMRC.
• Managing and/or mentoring User Researchers.
• Participating in HMRC's cross-government research and conferences.

Essential Criteria:

You will already have:

• Significant experience working at a senior level within a user research role, with a focus on the improvement of digital services to meet users' needs.
• Ability to understand complex problems a team is trying to solve. Align user research activities to inform decision-making and action.
• Exceptional research and analysis skills. Using a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies including ethnographic techniques, usability testing, remote testing, and survey design and statistical analysis methods.
• Experience using a wide range of analysis and synthesis techniques. Producing appropriate, actionable research outputs that clearly demonstrate insights and recommendations.
• Advocating for user research and engaging sceptical colleagues and stakeholders. Helping teams to adopt user-centred service design and delivery practices and embed them into their agile workflow.
• Ability to include all kinds of users in appropriate research activities, to help teams understand the diversity of users of government services.
• A degree in psychology, cognitive science, human factors, computer science, product/interaction design, human-computer interaction or related disciplines or relevant user research experience.
• Experience of using the GDS Service Manual, working to meet the Government Service Standard.
• Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills; the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and persuasively across different audiences and varying levels of the organisation.
• Enthusiasm for managing, coaching and mentoring of team members. 

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• User research methods
• Analysis and synthesis
• Research management, leadership and assurance
• Inclusive research
• Stakeholder relationship management

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,344, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,322 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. 

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs. 

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service 

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply 

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV detailing your job history, qualifications, and experience.
• A Personal Statement (a maximum of 1000 words), which will outline how you are suitable for this role and how you meet the essential criteria, providing evidence where possible.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. 

Sift 

In the event of a large number of applications an initial sift will be carried out on your CV to assess experience.

If you progress to full sift, we will then review your personal statement to assess your ability to meet the requirements of the job role and essential criteria.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications. 

Interview 

During the panel interview, you will be asked about your Experience (how you meet the Criteria) as well as Technical skills questions which demonstrate the things you do well and/or are motivated by.

We will also ask you to complete a short user research exercise before the interview. Details will be provided 2 working days before the interview if you are successful to this stage.

Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. 

Eligibility 

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - 'Please re-open my application - [403988] & vacancy closing date [19/05/2025] 

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application. 

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles - if this applies to you, we'll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the "Assistance required" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers 

This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the 'location preferences' section that you can travel to. 

Additional Information 

We are looking into ways to enhance the applicant experience. As part of our legitimate interests, we are testing the use of new technologies such as automation and/or Artificial Intelligence in the assessment for CV, personal statement and behaviour statement.

Please note that for this specific vacancy, this testing may run in parallel with our standard assessment process and will not influence or determine the outcome of your application in any way. You can read the Civil Service Jobs and HMRC Privacy Notices for more information about our lawful basis for processing your personal data and HMRC's use of AI. 

If you don't want your data to be used as part of the trial, please send your Application ID and the Vacancy Reference to talentacquisitionaiteam@hmrc.gov.uk 

Terms and Conditions 

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process. 

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations. 

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. 

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process. 

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) 

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact : 

Name : Graham Jardine
Email : graham.jardine@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. 

In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.