User Researcher - Recruitment Services

Job Title: User Researcher – Recruitment Services
Location: Remote (UK-based)
Duration: 3-6 months
£400-£450pd
 
About the Role 
We are looking for a skilled User Researcher to support a government department in reviewing and reimagining its end-to-end recruitment and resourcing services. This is a critical initiative to ensure recruitment processes are inclusive, efficient, and aligned with the needs of hiring managers, HR teams, and candidates.
 
The successful applicant will be embedded in a multidisciplinary team working to understand and improve how the department attracts, selects, and onboards talent — from job design and advertising to selection, onboarding, and internal mobility.
 
Key Responsibilities
Design and execute user research to understand the experiences of both internal users (e.g. hiring managers, HR teams) and external users (e.g. job applicants, candidates)
Explore pain points and inefficiencies in current recruitment processes, including job posting, application, interview scheduling, decision-making, and offer management
Conduct field research, interviews, usability testing, journey mapping, and analysis to uncover unmet user needs
Translate research findings into clear, actionable insights and service recommendations that inform product and policy decisions
Work closely with service designers, product managers, HR leads, and policy teams to co-design better experiences and streamlined resourcing workflows
Build empathy across the organisation for user challenges in applying for roles or managing recruitment activities
Champion user-centred, data-informed decision making, accessibility, and inclusion throughout the service transformationEssential Skills and Experience
Demonstrable experience as a user researcher in complex service environments, ideally with recruitment or HR process exposure
Familiarity with recruitment workflows, applicant tracking systems, and candidate engagement practices
Expertise in applying qualitative and quantitative research methods to real-world service problems
Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills — able to translate research into persuasive, insight-led recommendations
Previous experience working in or with government departments or public sector organisations
Working knowledge of accessibility requirements, inclusive design, and equity in digital servicesDesirable
Experience in researching or improving civil service or private sector recruitment processes or frameworks
Awareness of GDS Service Standards and Digital Service Assessments
Background in service design or experience working closely with HR transformation initiatives