UX Researcher

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Researcher

Company: The King's Trust

Location: Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Part-Time, Fixed-Term (42 months)

Category: User Experience Research / Product Operations

Date Posted: 2026-07-27

Experience Level: Mid-Level (implied by responsibilities and salary range)

Remote Status: Hybrid (with travel required for research)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead end-to-end UX research initiatives to deeply understand the needs of young people and mentors, driving user-centered product development.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Designers, and Developers to translate research findings into actionable insights that shape product strategy and improve digital experiences.

• Champion accessibility, ethical research practices, and a culture of continuous learning within multidisciplinary teams focused on social impact.

• Manage a comprehensive user research program, balancing immediate product development needs with long-term strategic user insight generation.

• Utilize mixed-methods research approaches to inform evidence-based decision-making across the product lifecycle for the MyKT platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role sits at the intersection of Product Development and Operations, as UX research directly influences how digital products are built, iterated upon, and ultimately adopted by users. The emphasis on "shaping digital experiences that change young people's lives" and the specific mention of the "MyKT platform" indicates a focus on operationalizing user feedback into tangible product improvements within a mission-driven organization. The "Part Time, 17.5 hours per week" and "Fixed Term 42 months" contract are critical details for operational planning and career trajectory.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and execute comprehensive UX research studies using a variety of qualitative and quantitative methodologies (e.g., interviews, surveys, usability testing, card sorting) to uncover user needs, pain points, and behaviors.

• Translate complex research findings into clear, concise, and actionable insights, effectively communicating them to product, design, and development teams through compelling reports, presentations, and workshops.

• Partner with Product Managers and Designers to define research objectives, scope, and methodologies aligned with product strategy and business goals for the MyKT platform.

• Conduct co-design sessions and user validation activities with young people and mentors to test and refine concepts, prototypes, and live digital features, ensuring inclusive and accessible design.

• Act as a user advocate within the organization, championing user-centered design principles and ethical research practices to ensure all digital experiences are inclusive and meet diverse user needs.

• Manage and coordinate an ongoing program of user research, prioritizing research requests, balancing competing demands, and ensuring a consistent flow of user insights to support product iteration and innovation.

• Develop and maintain relationships with external research participants and community groups to facilitate ongoing user engagement and represent diverse user populations.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of research processes and tools, staying abreast of emerging trends and best practices in UX research and human-computer interaction.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a lead role in research operations, requiring not just execution but also strategic planning, stakeholder management, and process ownership. The emphasis on "co-design with young people" and "championing accessibility" highlights a crucial aspect of operations within social impact organizations, requiring sensitivity and specific ethical considerations.

🎓 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:

• Proven experience (typically 2-5 years) in conducting end-to-end UX research, with a strong portfolio showcasing research projects and their impact.

• Experience working within a product development lifecycle, collaborating with cross-functional teams (Product, Design, Engineering). Required Skills:

• Mixed-Method Research Expertise: Proficiency in designing and conducting a range of qualitative (e.g., user interviews, contextual inquiry, diary studies) and quantitative (e.g., surveys, analytics review, A/B testing analysis) research methods.

• User-Centered Design Principles: Deep understanding of user-centered design processes and how to apply them to digital product development.

• Insight Generation & Communication: Ability to synthesize complex data into clear, actionable insights and present them effectively to diverse audiences, including non-technical stakeholders.

• Accessibility & Inclusivity: Strong commitment to and understanding of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and inclusive research practices, ensuring diverse user needs are represented.

• Stakeholder Management: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build rapport, influence decisions, and manage expectations with Product Managers, Designers, Developers, and other stakeholders.

• Prototyping & Validation: Experience with user testing of prototypes and live features to validate design concepts and identify areas for improvement.

• Ethical Research Conduct: Adherence to ethical research principles, including informed consent, data privacy, and participant well-being.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with specific user research tools (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback, Maze, Qualtrics).

• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and experience conducting research within an agile framework.

• Experience in the non-profit or social impact sector.

• Knowledge of design thinking methodologies.

• Experience with data analysis tools and techniques to complement qualitative findings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The implied experience level suggests that candidates should be able to operate with a degree of autonomy, managing their own research projects from inception to delivery, making "stakeholder management" and "insight generation & communication" critical for success in this operations-oriented role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Research Case Studies: Detailed case studies demonstrating end-to-end UX research projects, including research objectives, methodologies used, participant recruitment strategies, key findings, and the impact of the research on product decisions and user experience improvements.

• Methodology Diversity: Showcase a range of research methodologies applied, highlighting the rationale for choosing specific methods based on project goals and constraints.

• Insight Articulation: Clear examples of how research insights were translated into actionable recommendations and how these recommendations influenced design or strategy.

• Impact Demonstration: Quantifiable or qualitative evidence of how the research contributed to positive outcomes, such as improved user satisfaction, increased engagement, reduced friction, or enhanced accessibility.

• Accessibility Focus: Include examples of research that specifically addressed accessibility needs or ensured inclusive design for diverse user groups.

Process Documentation:

• Research Plan Development: Demonstrated ability to create comprehensive research plans, outlining objectives, target users, methodologies, recruitment criteria, timelines, and deliverables.

• Workflow Integration: Examples of how research processes were integrated into existing product development workflows (e.g., agile sprints, design reviews), ensuring smooth collaboration and timely delivery of insights.

• Insight Dissemination: Documented methods for sharing research findings effectively across different teams and levels of the organization, ensuring insights are understood and acted upon.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a UX Researcher, the "portfolio" is the primary tool for demonstrating operational capability. It's not just about showing what was done, but how it was done, and the tangible impact it had—key elements for any operations role focused on efficiency and outcome.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £42,000.00 - £48,000.00 per annum (pro-rata for part-time hours). This is dependent on your location, skills, knowledge, and experience.

Benefits:

• Generous Annual Leave: 30 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays, with an office closure between Christmas and New Year.

• Flexible Working: The role offers flexibility, combining office days with remote work, with specific arrangements to be discussed with the hiring manager.

• Continuous Learning: Access to an in-house learning platform for professional development and skill enhancement.

• Comprehensive Benefits Platform: Access to a platform offering discounts on restaurants, shops, cinemas, and support for health and financial well-being.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Opportunities to volunteer for and attend company events (e.g., King's Trust Awards, Pride).

• Employee Networks: Participation in employee resource groups such as KT CAN, KT GEN, KT DAWN, and PULSE for networking and support.

• Enhanced Family Leave: Generous maternity/adoption leave (13 weeks full pay + 13 weeks half pay) and paternity leave (8 weeks full pay).

• Interest-Free Season Ticket Loans: For commuting expenses.

• Pension Scheme: The Trust contributes 5% of your salary to the pension scheme.

• Life Assurance: Generous life assurance cover equivalent to 4 times annual salary.

Working Hours: Part-Time, 17.5 hours per week. The schedule for these hours is flexible, with the expectation of travel for research activities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range needs to be pro-rated for the part-time hours. For a 17.5-hour week, the annual salary would effectively be between £21,000 and £24,000. The benefits package is substantial and highlights the organization's commitment to employee well-being and development, which is a crucial aspect of attracting and retaining talent in specialized roles like UX Research.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Non-profit / Social Enterprise / Youth Services. The King's Trust focuses on helping young people build their future through opportunities in education, training, and employment.

Company Size: Large (implied by extensive benefits and structured interview process; typically 500+ employees for organizations of this scale and reach).

Founded: 1976. The King's Trust has a long history of supporting young people and adapting its services to meet evolving needs.

Team Structure:

• Multidisciplinary Teams: The UX Researcher will work within cross-functional teams comprising Product Managers, Designers, Developers, and potentially other specialists. This collaborative structure is key to the agile development of the MyKT platform.

• Reporting: The UX Researcher likely reports to a Head of Product, Lead UX Designer, or a dedicated Research Manager, depending on the specific structure of the digital team.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: High emphasis on collaboration with Product and Design to ensure user insights directly inform strategy and design decisions, and with Development to ensure feasibility and effective implementation.

Methodology:

• User-Centric Approach: The core methodology revolves around understanding and responding to the needs of young people and mentors.

• Evidence-Based Decision Making: Research findings are critical for informing product strategy, design choices, and service improvements.

• Agile Development: The work is likely conducted within an agile framework, requiring flexibility and iterative research cycles.

• Impact Measurement: A focus on delivering positive outcomes for young people, with research contributing to measurable