User Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: User Researcher

Company: Kainos

Location: Birmingham, England, United Kingdom / Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: User Experience (UX) Research / Service Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-13

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive user-centered design initiatives by delivering actionable insights to inform service experience definition and product development.

• Advocate for user needs and champion design thinking and service design methodologies within cross-functional teams.

• Collaborate with project teams and stakeholders to plan, conduct, and analyze user research, ensuring alignment with project strategy.

• Translate complex research findings into clear, impactful reports and actionable recommendations that drive measurable business outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "User Researcher," the description emphasizes "Experience Design capability" and "creating exemplary digital services," indicating a strong focus on applied UX research within a service design and digital transformation context. The role is positioned within Kainos's growing Experience Design team, suggesting a collaborative environment focused on delivering tangible impact. The emphasis on "service design" and "digital services" suggests this role might operate at the intersection of UX research and GTM operations by informing the user journey and product-market fit.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design and execute comprehensive research plans, selecting appropriate qualitative and quantitative methodologies to address user needs and business objectives.

• Conduct in-depth interviews and other qualitative research methods with empathy and precision to uncover user motivations, behaviors, and pain points.

• Leverage quantitative research techniques to gather data, validate hypotheses, and measure user satisfaction and product performance.

• Analyze research data, identify key insights, and synthesize findings into clear, concise reports and compelling presentations for diverse stakeholder groups.

• Translate research insights into actionable recommendations for service design improvements, product enhancements, and strategic decision-making.

• Collaborate closely with Agile delivery teams, including designers, developers, and product managers, to integrate user feedback throughout the product lifecycle.

• Advocate for user needs and promote a user-centered design culture across the organization, fostering a shared understanding of user value.

• Maintain sound commercial awareness, understanding how user research contributes to business goals and ROI.

• Work with wider project teams to establish and demonstrate the value of User Research within project frameworks and client engagements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities outline a full-cycle user research role, from planning and execution to analysis and recommendation. The emphasis on "actionable insights," "measurable impact," and "commercial awareness" highlights the operational aspect of this role, where research directly informs business strategy and product success, aligning with GTM operations principles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Design, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 2-5 years of hands-on experience in user research, with a proven track record of delivering insights that have influenced product or service design. Experience working within Agile delivery methodologies is highly desirable.

Required Skills:

• Excellent knowledge of qualitative research methods (e.g., user interviews, usability testing, ethnography, diary studies).

• Sound knowledge of quantitative research methods (e.g., surveys, A/B testing, analytics data analysis).

• Ability to design and write robust research plans, clearly defining objectives, methodologies, and expected outcomes.

• Proficiency in conducting user interviews with a strong sense of empathy and active listening skills.

• Demonstrated ability to produce clear, insightful reports and present findings effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Sound commercial awareness and understanding of how research drives business value.

• Understanding of the difference between functional requirements and genuine user needs, and how this influences research method selection.

• Experience working with recruitment agencies or client insight teams to secure research participants. Preferred Skills:

• Experience working within Agile/Scrum development environments.

• Demonstrable knowledge and application of user-centered design (UCD) principles and practices.

• Understanding of information architecture, interaction design, and visual design principles.

• Experience working in a full-service digital agency or consultancy environment.

• Active participation in relevant professional communities (e.g., UXPA, online forums, attending/speaking at conferences).

• Familiarity with user journey mapping and persona development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "2-5 years" experience level is inferred from the "Senior Associate" designation and the breadth of required skills, suggesting a role beyond entry-level but not yet senior management. The emphasis on both qualitative and quantitative methods, coupled with Agile experience and commercial awareness, points to a researcher who can operate effectively in a fast-paced, business-oriented environment, common in GTM operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate a clear process for planning and executing user research projects, showcasing how methodologies were selected based on project goals and user needs.

• Include case studies that highlight your ability to synthesize complex qualitative and quantitative data into actionable insights and recommendations.

• Showcase examples of research plans, interview scripts, survey designs, and analysis reports that exemplify your methodological rigor.

• Present evidence of how your research directly influenced product or service design decisions and contributed to measurable improvements or business outcomes (e.g., increased user satisfaction, improved conversion rates, reduced support costs). Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to user research planning, including stakeholder alignment, recruitment strategy, and ethical considerations.

• Illustrate your methods for conducting research sessions, ensuring data quality and participant engagement.

• Explain your process for analyzing and interpreting research findings, including data visualization techniques and synthesis methods.

• Outline how you communicate research outcomes and recommendations to project teams and stakeholders to drive adoption and impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is crucial for a User Researcher role, especially in a consultancy like Kainos. The requirements focus on demonstrating a structured research process, analytical capability, and the ability to translate findings into actionable business impact, aligning with the operational need to prove ROI.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for User Researchers with 2-5 years of experience in the UK, the estimated salary range for this role is £40,000 - £55,000 per annum. This estimation considers the "Senior Associate" level, the required skillset, and the locations (Birmingham and Belfast), which have slightly varying cost-of-living indices. Kainos's reputation as a technology consultancy suggests competitive compensation.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and performance-related bonus opportunities.

• Comprehensive pension scheme.

• Generous annual leave allowance.

• Private medical insurance, including dental and optical cover.

• Life assurance.

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and certifications.

• Employee assistance program and well-being initiatives.

• Potential for flexible working arrangements and remote work.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week. Kainos likely offers flexibility around start and end times to accommodate work-life balance and operational needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary estimation is based on UK