Senior User Researcher

Good Growth is responsible for delivering and implementing the Mayor’s environment, transport and economic strategies and for the effective implementation of the London Plan. The Directorate is also responsible for regeneration, enterprise, growth, capital projects and design work.

London is a city recognised as the global capital for arts and culture. Our creative industries are vital to London’s success and contribute to this success.

The Culture, Creative Industries and 24‑Hour London portfolio at the Greater London Authority focuses on supporting London’s cultural and creative economy, strengthening cultural infrastructure, and ensuring the city functions as a global, inclusive 24‑hour city. This includes overseeing major projects such as Creative Enterprise Zones, London Borough of Culture, and initiatives that support the night‑time economy.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Culture, Creative Industries and 24 Hour London (CCI24) Unit delivering the Mayor’s and the Strategic Licensing policy. You’ll be at the heart of a fast‑paced, cross‑organisational effort to design and implement new licensing powers—with the ambition to launch by Summer 2026.

This is a unique opportunity to:

• Support and shape a new policy and regulatory function within the GLA
• Drive innovation in how licensing supports London’s economic and cultural vibrancy
• Work with senior stakeholders across government, industry, and the city
• Make a visible impact on how London works, plays, and grows

As the Senior User Researcher, you will lead the planning, design and delivery of user research activities to help the GLA get a deep understanding of the people that use our digital and data services and products, to support delivery of London’s Strategic Licensing policy.

What your day will look like:

• Designing and delivering user research to understand how people interact with Strategic Licensing services and where they can be improved.
• Running interviews, usability testing and data analysis to gather insight and turn it into practical recommendations.
• Working closely with product, design and policy colleagues to shape services around user needs.
• Supporting senior stakeholders to understand research findings and use them to inform decisions and priorities.
• Leading research in complex or high‑risk areas, balancing multiple projects and focusing on what will have the biggest impact.
• Embedding user‑centred design across the programme by setting standards and promoting good practice.
• Turning research into clear, compelling insight that helps teams improve services and user experiences.
• Using data and feedback to test, measure and continuously improve products and services.
• Building a shared evidence base to deepen understanding of Londoners’ needs.
• Championing inclusive, accessible design so services work for all users.
• Working in a fast‑paced, agile environment with colleagues across teams and organisations.
• Supporting and quality assuring the work of others, helping to build strong research capability.

To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:

• Proven deep experience of the user research profession and skills and user‑centred design and service design.
• Ability to use diverse research methods to elicit insights into citizen and staff need, designing comprehensive research exercises, and translating these into recommendations and reports.
• Significant experience of working as a user researcher in teams building products and platforms from inception to live.
• Successful track record of working across multidisciplinary teams to deliver digital products using agile methodology in a large and complex organisation.
• Can show evidence of experience in product thinking and leading a user research function that functions effectively within the product development lifecycle as part of an agile delivery function.
• Ability to build and execute a backlog of work, translating user need into user stories for the product team to deliver against.
• Experience of working across modern technology platforms, including cloud technology, architecture, agile delivery methods and software practices.
• Demonstrates a deep understanding of digital inclusion and how to build accessible online services.
• Demonstrates strong research communications skills.
• Experience of advising organisations on the best research methods and best practice and implementing standards frameworks and training that guide the delivery of best practice across an organisation.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are currently under‑represented in our workforce.

GLA staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in our offices and remotely depending on their role. In addition to a good salary package, you will be paid every four weeks, providing frequent salary payments. We also offer an attractive range of benefits including 30 days’ annual leave, interest‑free season ticket loan, interest‑free bicycle loan and a career average pension scheme.