Senior Interaction Designer

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Research England

Senior Interaction Designer

Salary: £43,116 per annum
Hours: Full time
Contract Type: Fixed Term (Concluding Dec 2029)
Location: Westward House, Bristol (Remote / Hybrid)
Grade: UKRI E
Closing Date: 25 Sep 24

About the Research Excellence Framework (REF)

The REF (ref.ac.uk) is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions, with the most recent exercise concluding in 2021. It is a peer review assessment process involving submissions from higher education institutions across the UK. Research England delivered REF 2021 on behalf of the four UK funding bodies and the results have driven the annual distribution of approximately £2 billion of research funding to UK universities.

Purpose of the role

An exciting opportunity to lead and shape the design, development, and delivery of the UK's next research assessment exercise.

We require systems to be delivered to support:

• Administration of the exercise
• The submission of large volumes of research data from all participating HEIs (for example Research Universities)
• The dissemination and assessment of all elements of the research data submitted

Linking up with members of the user centred design team within UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) DDaT (Digital, Data and Technology) but working solely on the REF project, you will provide UX design, practices, tools and techniques to ensure user needs for REF are met simply and intuitively. You will collaborate with individuals across multiple disciplines in an environment where priorities can quickly change, and new user needs are emerging all the time. You will work with subject-matter experts (SMEs) across all areas of REF to help them understand the importance of user-centre designed. The users of the REF systems are heavily invested in the product and keen to provide feedback.

As a senior interaction designer, you will work within your digital services team to plan, design and participate in research activities with users that help teams gain a deep understanding of the people that use REF services. You will use the information from users of the system, from previous REF exercise to prototype the service to aid research and development.

You will:

• Advocate appropriate strategies for research, test and design to enable ongoing improvements to the REF service
• Create designs and prototypes of the various touch points of the REF service
• Work to generate the feedback and insight to build a clear picture of the service users and deliver solutions that they need
• Support product owners by generating new and useful user insights and translating it into features and actions that will allow them to iteratively improve their service for users
• Collaborate with wider UKRI and Gov UK UX teams as appropriate.

Person Specification

Qualifications:

• You will have a background in psychology, anthropology, or design either at degree level, and / or experience in user experience research, interaction design and service design

Shortlisting criteria (essential):

• Experience of pre-development into development processes - working in multi-disciplinary teams to ensure user feedback is iterated into the service
• Experience of producing high quality UX outputs: Figma designs and prototypes, specification on developer tickets. Supported with personas, user journeys, user flows as required
• Experience of collaborating within an Agile development environment, balancing user needs, business requirements and technical constraints
• Experience of usability and accessibility testing, including with Assisted Digital Needs groups, to continuously iterate ideas and designs that work for all users

Desirable:

• Experience of UK GDS service design patterns and standards
• Figma expert
• Working with front end development team to implement a fork of the Gov Design system
• Experience conducting user research

Interview criteria:

• Experience of delivering Discovery, Alpha and Beta phases in multi-stakeholder environments
• Experience of defining services or products from scratch with a mix of business requirements, user feedback and SME
• Experience of iterating a live digital service
• Experience of being part of a community of user experience members to share expertise and best practice across all UKRI digital services

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Agile working. You can identify and compare the best processes or delivery methods to use, including measuring and evaluating outcomes. You can help the team to decide the best approach. You can help teams to manage and visualise outcomes, prioritise work and adhere to agreed minimum viable product (MVP), priorities and scope. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Communicating between the technical and non-technical. You can listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders, and interpret them. You can effectively manage stakeholder expectations. You can manage active and reactive communication. You can support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Community collaboration. You can work collaboratively in a group, actively networking with others. You can adapt feedback to ensure it's effective and lasting. You can use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them. You can identify issues through Agile 'health checks' with the team, and help to stimulate the right responses
• Digital perspective. You can apply a digital understanding to your work. You can identify and implement solutions for assisted digital. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Evidence- and context-based design. You can design systems for use across multiple services and can identify the simplest of a variety of approaches. (Skill level: expert)
• Leadership and guidance. You can make decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase. You can build consensus between services or independent stakeholders. You can identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them. You can engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick. You can bring people together to form a motivated team and help create the right environment for a team to work in. You can facilitate the best team makeup depending on the situation. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Prototyping. You can use a variety of prototyping methods. You can share best practice and coach others. You can look at strategic service design end to end. (Skill level: expert)
• Prototyping in code. You can create and validate a dynamic prototype. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Strategic thinking. You can define strategies and policies, providing guidance to others on working in the strategic context. You can evaluate current strategies to ensure business requirements are being met and exceeded where possible. (Skill level: practitioner)
• User focus. You can give direction on which tools or methods to use. You can demonstrate experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels. You can bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure they are met by the business. You can apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user
• Working within constraints. You can identify, communicate and work within constraints. You can challenge the validity of constraints. You can ensure standards are being met. (Skill level: Expert)

Applications

Online applications only for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter to the attachments section (ignore free textbox for cover letter under 'Experience' section) which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'Experience' section of the application process.

Additional information

Developing talent:

We are committed to developing employees in their roles throughout their career. Learning and development plans enable employees to continue their professional development through training and development opportunities such as e-learning, classroom training and on-the-job experiences. We encourage our employees to share their learning across teams and organisations.

Benefits:

UKRI can offer the successful candidate:

- Flexible Working

- 30 days annual leave + Public Holidays

- Access to Civil Service Pension Scheme

- Various everyday discounts through our dedicated provider

Visit our dedicated benefits webpage for more info: Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

SOC Granted

Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager.

For more information please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitment@ukri.org

About Research England

Research England is one of the nine Councils within UK Research and Innovation. As a key component of the research funding system, Research England will oversee UKRI's England-only functions in relation to university research and knowledge exchange (KE). This includes providing grant funding to English universities for related activities; developing and implementing the Research Excellence Framework in partnership with the UK Higher Education funding bodies; supervising the sustainability of the Higher Education research base in England; guide the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund; and coordinate the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF). Research England will build and sustain the conditions for a healthy and dynamic research and KE system in English universities. They also work closely with their counterparts in the Devolved Administrations.

For more information about Research England, click here.

About UK Research Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce'.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.