User Researcher

As the living, growing home of our national story, The National Archives is a special place to work. We’re an institution nearly 200 years old with a collection spanning 1,000 years of history.

We’ve set ourselves the challenge of becoming the 21st Century national archive - a different kind of cultural and heritage institution: Inclusive, Entrepreneurial, Disruptive. We won’t become this overnight. It will take time, focus, effort and daring.

That’s where you come in. Because we can’t do this without you.

Job Overview

Salary: £42,000 per annum Contract type: Permanent Band: E / Higher Executive Officer Closing date: Thursday 17th September 2026 at midnight

About the role: We are seeking 2 User Researchers to help create outstanding user-centred digital services.

The roles sit within Digital Archiving / Digital Services at The National Archives, the official archive of the UK Government and for England and Wales. We care for millions of public records spanning government, courts and parliament. Our oldest records are from over a thousand years ago. We are committed to making these collections accessible through high-quality digital services for future generations.

As a User Researcher, you will help teams understand user needs and behaviours through evidence-based research. Using a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods, you will generate insights that inform service design, support decision-making and ensure our products and services meet the needs of diverse users. You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams to identify opportunities, shape solutions and advocate for users throughout the product lifecycle.

This is a unique opportunity to undertake user research in an environment focused on complex information services rather than purely transactional services. You will work alongside experts from across our collections and research communities while contributing to the future access of public records through our digital services.

About you This role would suit someone who is curious, analytical and motivated by solving complex problems through research and evidence.

You will enjoy working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams, communicating insights to a range of audiences and helping teams make better decisions based on user needs. You will be comfortable balancing short-term delivery priorities with the development of longer-term organisational understanding of users and their behaviours.

To be successful in this role, you will be able to demonstrate experience of the following :

Essential Experience and skills

• Experience conducting user research for digital products and services

• Demonstratable experience using qualitative and quantitative research methods to maximise insight with a strong desire to stay up to date with emerging methodologies and standards

• Ability to collaborate within a multidisciplinary team, stakeholder groups and User experience community across

• Experience of following ethical research practices, collecting and managing personal data safely in compliance with GDPR

• Familiarity with accessibility guidelines and digital inclusion principles and how they apply to user research

• Paying attention to detail with strong critical thinking and analytical skills

• Effective communication with an instinct to work in the open by sharing research workflows and breaking research findings down into actionable insights

• Organisational skills with experience planning and iterating research work and managing documentation over the lifespan of a service

Desirable:

Knowledge of the government digital service standard and experience of applying user research to digital services at different stages of development (Discovery, Alpha, Beta, Live)

Awareness of the technologies used to build and operate digital services

Experience researching systems that use AI or Large Language Models

Qualification in Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Social science, Digital marketing, Product design or similar disciplines

(Desirable criteria will only be used if necessary, to differentiate between equally qualified top candidates during final scoring)

Working arrangements

This is a full-time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share arrangements will be considered subject to business needs.

A combination of home and office working is available. Successful candidates must be able to travel regularly to our Kew site and work on-site for at least 60% of their time. Occasional travel for user research activities and very occasional out-of-hours working may be required.

We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary there is a generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development.

Additional benefits include:

Hybrid working arrangements.

Learning and development opportunities.

Access to professional communities of practice.

Opportunities to work with partner researchers, collections specialists and digital professionals.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Applicants will be required to:

• Submit Work history

• Answer three questions about your work experience, related to the essential criteria listed above

Your work history and your question answers will be assessed against the criteria.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please visit the Civil Service Careers website where you can find further information on the use of AI in the application guidance section.

Assessment process

Successful candidates will be invited to interview onsite at The National Archives. This will include a practical activity. This is designed to give you the opportunity to show us how you approach research and will not be a test of your knowledge of The National Archives as an organisation. Full details will be provided in the interview invitation.

Job Description

As a user researcher you will gather and analyse the evidence using a wide range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. This evidence shapes how these services intersect with emerging technologies and meet users’ needs. You will use primary research methods such as ethnography, surveys, workshops, usability testing and usage data to explore the motivations, behaviours and environments of our users.

You will articulate the challenges our users face and help define the problems the delivery team needs to solve. You will collaborate with an agile, multi-disciplinary team as well as experts from across the organisation to design innovative solutions that work. 

You will be motivated to deliver value to users early by supporting the team to break problems down, ship measurable improvements and iterate. You will help the team demonstrate how the service has evolved and adapted to better meet users’ needs. You will share what you have learned; contributing to a common component library but also presenting to colleagues from across the organisation and participating in discussions within the public sector user experience community. You will grow our knowledge of our users over time and advocate for their needs to be at the heart of our decision making. 

The National Archives is a unique environment to do user research. We often focus on complex information rather than transactional services. We are also a UK

Research Institute which offers the ability to work with leading experts and

researchers from across our collections as well as opportunities to partner on

external research projects. 

Role and Responsibilities   This role aligns with the User Researcher role on the DDaT capability framework  (https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/user-researcher)  As part of a multi-disciplinary team you will:

  Research and analyse findings  •    Plan, design and conduct user research activities across our digital services.  •    You will use a range of qualitative and quantitative user research techniques  and sources of data to maximise insight and reduce bias  •    Apply inclusivity and user centred principles to everything you do including:  Designing research activities to be representative of the diverse needs  of our users and their accessibility requirements  •    Analysing and collaborating with the delivery team including designers,  performance analysts and developers to demonstrate user needs and  the impact of the service  •    Communicating findings to colleagues and stakeholders in an  accessible and engaging way 

Strategic Impact  •    Stay up to date with latest user research practices and participate in  discussions in wider public sector UX community   •    Advocate for user needs in the design and development of services and  products  •    Synthesise findings into actionable insights for an agile, multidisciplinary team  •    Make the impact of user research visible by working in the open, maintaining  and sharing research documentation and demonstrating how the service has  grown it’s understanding of users over time  •    Support and evolve understanding around the impact of emerging  •    technologies and changing user expectations 

Professional excellence  •    Maintain ethical research practices and standards especially when working  with user data or on sensitive topics  •    Support the growth of a UX community and capability within The National 

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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Benefits 

 

Generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development.  Annual leave entitlement of 22 days per calendar year (rising to 25 after the first year, and incrementally to 30 days after six years) and 10½ days public and privilege holidays per annum.

 

Any move to The National Archives from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at  https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ (opens in new window)

Reasonable adjustments

 

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

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

• Contact The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs 

• Complete the ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ section 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

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

 

Security 

 

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. 

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

 

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 new window)

 

Working for the Civil Service

 

The Civil Service Code  (opens in 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 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. 

 

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

 

Contact point for applicants:

• Name: The National Archives Recruitment Team 

• Email: careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk 

 

Further information 

 

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact The National Archives via email: careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/ (opens in new window)