User Research Specialist

Closing Date
#####-05-24
Job Title: User Research Specialist (Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force)
Location: Flexible - within the Southern Water region (Hybrid or Remote)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours, Monday - Friday
Salary: circa £50k
Storm overflows are very provocative and not acceptable to our customers and stakeholders. We want to lead the charge in resolving the current situation. That's where our Clean Rivers & Seas Task Force comes in, creating pioneering and industry-leading solutions to reduce spills and reliance on overflows whilst also enhancing the environment for our communities. Currently are delivering a £45million pathfinder programme which rapidly expands to £1.5billion over next 10 years. The programme has been very successful and we are now expanding the team so we can continue to work in partnership to deliver a larger programme of sustainable and innovative interventions to reduce the use of storm overflows.
A brand-new position has been created to join our Clean Rivers & Seas Task Force as a User Research Specialist.
Job Overview
The User Research Specialist provides user research expertise within our Clean Rivers and Seas Taskforce's customer-facing digital products and services - predominantly designing, planning, conducting and analysing user research to inform strategic decision making, idea discovery and solution design.
You will be responsible for delivering the evidence-base for product and design decisions; developing a deep understanding of user needs, preferences, motivations and pain-points
Conduct exploratory research on themes and ideas, applying appropriate research techniques in a way that meets industry best practice - utilising qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches for insight generation
You will generate user research, through engaging with users, to be used to inform solution design, validate ideas and solutions and measure the effectiveness of improvements from a user perspective
Conduct user research activities throughout the product life cycle
In addition to your work within the Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force, this role will involve close collaboration with our "Insight and Digital Experience team" who manage a wide range of customer-facing products and services - offering SME input into these teams, to make sure there is a consistent approach to user research across the business.
About You
This is a unique opportunity to join a high performing and highly engaged team who are delivering a large innovative programme in partnership using sustainable and nature based approaches to reduce the use of storm overflows and improve the environment. We know that over-use of storm overflows is a problem, so we are excited to invite you to be part of the solution!
You will be familiar with agile development practice, with the ability to work flexibly and collaboratively with Designers, Product Manager and Developers to achieving the teams' goals
You will have a strong understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies
You will have experience applying a range of research methods such as ethnography, focus groups, usability testing, interviews, surveys etc.
Degree-level education in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology, Design, or a related field, or equivalent experience
You will be a very strong communicator and be able to converse with our user groups ranging from campaigners to customers and internal stakeholders
Package
This role will be full time Monday to Friday with a hybrid or remote approach to working between our regional offices and home. We are offering a salary of circa £50,000 per annum depending on skills and experience as well as other benefits including:
• Company and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension with up to 11% company contribution
• Life assurance payment equal to four times your annual salary
• Health benefits through a Cash Plan
• Two paid community volunteering days a year
• 25 days annual holiday
• Occupational health service
• Perkbox benefits offering discounts and savings on several products and experiences
• Study support may be available for job-related qualifications
• We offer competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options
Join our Clean Rivers & Seas Task Force and see how far your career could progress with a company committed to career progression, training and development opportunities, our customers and the environment.
Does this opportunity excite you but you're not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that 'normal' office hours aren't possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can't accommodate every flexible working request, we'll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support - because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That's why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you'll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.
Privacy Statement:
Please note: If you are an existing Southern Water employee, you will need to confirm within your application that your Manager is aware of your application.
All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. You will need to provide evidence of eligibility (e.g. a passport or long birth certificate and proof of NI) and current proof of address (dated within the last 3 months), will be required as part of the recruitment process. If you do not meet these criteria, your application will not be considered.
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