Senior UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Researcher

Company: Elekta

Location: Crawley, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full time

Category: UX Research / Human Factors

Date Posted: 2026-08-04

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (4+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days in office, 1 day WFH)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead comprehensive user research and usability testing initiatives throughout the entire product lifecycle for Elekta's advanced radiotherapy hardware and software solutions.

• Conduct formal, metrics-driven usability testing and risk analysis to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and intuitiveness of medical devices in critical healthcare settings.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Design, Product Management, Engineering, Clinical, and Regulatory affairs to integrate user insights into product development decisions and strategy.

• Develop and maintain essential usability documentation required for regulatory submissions, ensuring compliance with stringent industry standards.

• Act as a subject matter expert in usability and human factors, advocating for user-centered design principles to enhance product safety and user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within a highly regulated, safety-critical industry (medical devices/radiotherapy), necessitating a deep understanding of usability standards and risk management frameworks. The "Senior" title implies leadership, mentorship of junior staff, and significant autonomy in research design and execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Orchestrate and execute end-to-end user research studies, including in-depth interviews, observational research, heuristic evaluations, and surveys, to gather actionable insights.

• Design and implement formal, metrics-driven usability testing protocols to rigorously assess product performance against predefined usability and safety objectives.

• Conduct thorough task analysis and risk analysis, identifying potential user errors and their associated risks, and documenting findings for regulatory compliance.

• Define and champion the usability strategy, ensuring alignment with product roadmaps, regulatory requirements (e.g., IEC 62366, ISO 14971), and business objectives.

• Translate complex research findings into clear, concise recommendations for UX design enhancements, prioritizing improvements that directly impact product safety and usability.

• Serve as the primary usability and human factors point of contact within product development teams, fostering a user-centric mindset across the organization.

• Effectively communicate research insights, user needs, and design recommendations to diverse stakeholders, including senior leadership, through compelling presentations and reports.

• Mentor and guide junior UX researchers, providing constructive feedback and supporting their professional development.

• Manage relationships and deliverables with external research vendors and partners when external support is required.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "user risk analysis" and "usability documentation for regulatory submissions" strongly indicates this role requires experience with specific medical device regulations (e.g., FDA, MDR) and human factors engineering principles as applied in safety-critical systems.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human Factors, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Industrial Design, or a related field.

Experience: Typically 4+ years of progressive experience in UX research, human factors engineering, or usability engineering within a professional setting.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in leading and executing a wide range of qualitative and quantitative user research methodologies (e.g., interviews, usability testing, contextual inquiry, surveys, card sorting).

• Demonstrated experience in designing and conducting formal, metrics-driven usability testing, including defining success criteria and analyzing quantitative data.

• Strong understanding and practical application of usability standards and risk management principles relevant to medical devices, such as IEC 62366 (Application of Usability Engineering to Medical Devices) and ISO 14971 (Application of Risk Management to Medical Devices).

• Experience working within a regulated, safety-critical industry, with a solid appreciation for the impact of design decisions on user safety and product compliance.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence decision-making across diverse teams (Product, Engineering, Clinical, Regulatory).

• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, capable of articulating complex research findings and user needs to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Ability to analyze complex products and workflows, identifying opportunities for simplification and improvement. Preferred Skills:

• Direct experience within the healthcare industry, specifically with medical devices (hardware and/or software) related to radiotherapy or radiosurgery.

• Familiarity with FDA guidelines and other international regulatory requirements pertaining to medical device usability and human factors.

• Experience managing external research partners or vendors.

• Experience supporting or guiding more junior team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of IEC 62366 and ISO 14971 suggests that candidates with direct experience in these specific standards will have a significant advantage. The "4+ years" experience level, coupled with the responsibility for leading studies and mentoring, points to a mid-to-senior level role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of end-to-end user research projects, showcasing the full lifecycle from initial problem definition to final recommendations and impact.

• Case studies detailing formal usability testing, including methodology, participant recruitment, data collection (quantitative and qualitative), analysis, and key findings.

• Examples of risk analysis and task analysis outputs, illustrating how potential user errors and safety hazards were identified and mitigated.

• Documentation samples (anonymized or redacted) that reflect the type of usability reports or documentation required for regulatory submissions.

• Evidence of how user insights directly influenced product design decisions and led to measurable improvements in usability or safety. Process Documentation:

• Ability to document research plans, methodologies, and findings in a clear, structured, and comprehensive manner suitable for internal review and external regulatory bodies.

• Experience in developing and maintaining usability engineering files or equivalent documentation throughout the product development process.

• Understanding of how to integrate usability engineering processes with broader product development workflows and quality management systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the regulatory nature of Elekta's products, a portfolio demonstrating rigorous process adherence, detailed documentation, and a clear link between research, risk mitigation, and regulatory compliance will be highly valued.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Based on industry benchmarks for a Senior UX Researcher in the Crawley, UK area with 4+ years of experience in a regulated, safety-critical industry, the estimated salary range is approximately £55,000 - £75,000 per annum. This estimate considers the cost of living in the South East of England and the specialized nature of medical device UX research.

Benefits:

• Work Pattern: Hybrid model requiring 4 days per week at the Crawley HQ, with 1 day of remote work.

• Paid Vacation: Up to 25 days of paid vacation per year, in addition to bank holidays.

• Holiday Purchase Scheme: Opportunity to purchase additional vacation days.

• Private Medical Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for healthcare needs.

• Attractive Employer Pension Contribution Package: Competitive pension scheme to support long-term financial planning.

• Cycle to Work Scheme: Encourages sustainable commuting with tax benefits.

• Life Assurance: Financial protection for beneficiaries.

• Onsite Subsidized Restaurant: Budget-friendly dining options available at the office.

• Love Electric: Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme for eco-friendly transportation. Working Hours:

The standard working hours are approximately 40 hours per week, with a hybrid arrangement allowing for one