{"id":2119971,"url":"https://alion.io/job/softwire-lead-user-researcher","title":"Lead User Researcher","company":{"id":51464,"name":"Softwire","domain":"softwire.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/softwire","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"FirstStage","truth_index":null},"role":"Product","role_family":"Product","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["London, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":79000,"max":88700,"currency":"GBP","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":117225},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Agile","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-01T10:34:51Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-01","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T20:13:11Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":11,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":11},"description":"If you already have all the answers, please don’t apply for this role.\nWe’re looking for a Lead User Researcher to join our Design and Research team - who asks questions of us, our processes, and our clients.\nThe key is someone who can ask the right questions at the right time. Questions about work itself, about the conditions that enable us to produce our best work, and those that help us grow as individuals, as a team and as a company.\nYou’ll operate in a blended role, between overseeing projects and being actively involved in research where you can have the greatest impact. You’ll work closely with our clients in user-focused engagements and support us in developing long-term relationships.\nWho we are\nOur design team is a collaborative mix of service designers, researchers, UX and UI designers, working shoulder-to-shoulder with engineers, delivery managers, AI and data specialists.\nWhat sets us apart:\nWe follow work across both design diamonds, from discovery through to delivery\nWe don’t stop at ideas, we build and run real services\nWe work in prototype-driven, user-centred, delivery-focused teams\nWe form long-term client partnerships, allowing us to deliver real-world outcomes\nWe don’t just do research. We have impact.\nSoftwire is a leading UK technology and strategy consultancy. From enterprise to government, we help visionary organisations turn strategic ambitions into results at scale. Our practices cover AI transformation, data platforms, systems engineering advanced CX and experience design. Softwire was founded on one simple idea: if we can create the best possible culture and working environment then everything else will fall into place. And it seems to be working - We were recently voted number 1 company to work for in the UK at the Best Company awards, and we have a loyal and growing client base who trust us with their hardest problems and their mission critical projects.\nWhat You'll Do\nDeliver excellent user research\nPlan and lead research across different stages of delivery, from discovery through to live.\nChoose and apply the right research methods for the context, including interviews, usability testing, co-design and mixed-method approaches.\nWork directly with users to understand their needs, behaviours, contexts and barriers, including people with access needs or in vulnerable circumstances.\nTurn insight into action\nSynthesise findings into clear, persuasive outputs that help teams and clients make confident product and service decisions.\nTranslate research insight into practical recommendations for service design, product strategy and delivery priorities.\nFacilitate workshops, playback sessions and stakeholder discussions to build shared understanding and momentum around user needs.\nWork closely with teams and clients\nBuild strong, trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders, helping them embed user-centred ways of working.\nCollaborate day to day with designers, engineers, product managers and delivery leads in multidisciplinary teams.\nProvide stretch and support\nAdvise clients and teams on research strategy, participant recruitment, ethics, consent and good research practice.\nProvide quality assurance and senior oversight for research activities, ensuring high standards in approach, delivery and outputs.\nSupport public sector clients to meet the Government Service Standard and build inclusive, accessible services that work for diverse users.\nGrow people and practice\nCoach and mentor researchers and designers, helping develop the user-centred design capability across projects and within Softwire.\nContribute to Softwire’s design and research practice by improving methods, tools, standards and thought leadership.\nAdvocate for the value of user research internally and externally, showing how evidence-led design can create better services and better outcomes.\nSupport business growth\nHelp scope new opportunities, shape proposals and contribute to bids, especially where user-centred design and public sector delivery are central.\nWhat You Bring\n7+ years of experience working in a user research or related roles.\nDeep expertise in user research methods and user-centred practice\nStrong background in Government / public sector service delivery\nExperience delivering against the Government Service Standard\nWith full accountability, has led research on complex agile projects with large teams.\nKnow-how to guide organisations to adopt inclusive practices and apply what they learn to design and deliver accessible services that work for all users.\nCan evaluate and implement tools and technologies that enhance delivery of user research.\nCan engage, collaborate and influence key stakeholders, including senior decision makers, product managers, designers and engineers.\nExperience managing other researchers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development.\nCan provide senior oversight and support for user research activities and expert advice on methodology, approaches, tools, equipment, quality and standards\nCan effectively scope user-centred design projects and define resource requirements.\nExperience in presales and/or government procurement\nAbility to achieve SC clearance\nWhat We Offer\nSoftwire operates transparent pay scales and a profit share scheme based on role and overall company performance\nBase salary is based on experience in role and ranges from £79,000 - £88,700\nYou can expect to receive an average of between £11,500 - £15,250 in profit share depending on your experience and company performance.\nPension: Additional 5% of salary\nAdditional benefits\n25 days annual leave (with the option to buy 10 and sell 5)\n3.5 days additional days off for company-wide morale activities\nAIG income protection\nTravel card loan scheme\nZero emission car scheme\nCycle to work scheme\nEnhanced maternity/paternity pay\nTime off for charitable activities\nSabbatical available on request\nPayroll charity donations\nHeadspace plus\nFree annual eye test\nLong service awards\nFlexible working options and patterns\nWorking at Softwire\nHere at Softwire, we are always on the lookout for talented individuals to join our team. You’ll work with the industry’s smartest people and collaborate on leading-edge projects in a relaxed and informal atmosphere, refreshingly free of bureaucracy.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6304,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Annual leave","Continuous learning","Flexible schedule","Professional development"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Government"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-08T23:55:40Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":73,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.809,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":10,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:3","win:mid"],"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":117225,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/softwire-lead-user-researcher","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/softwire-lead-user-researcher.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-12T21:25:54Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":34873,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-13T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":51464},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=51464"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fsoftwire-lead-user-researcher"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fsoftwire-lead-user-researcher"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fsoftwire-lead-user-researcher"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/softwire-lead-user-researcher\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fsoftwire-lead-user-researcher"}]}