Lead User Researcher

Role overview

Softwire is hiring a Lead User Researcher to join its Design and Research team. This role suits someone who is comfortable challenging assumptions, asking the right questions at the right moment, and improving how the team, clients, and the wider business work. You will operate in a hybrid leadership-and-practice role: guiding projects while staying hands-on in research where your expertise will make the biggest difference.

You will collaborate closely with clients on user-centred engagements and help strengthen long-term client relationships. The work spans service design, UX, delivery, and research within multidisciplinary teams.

About the team and company

Softwire is a UK technology and strategy consultancy working with organisations across enterprise and government. The company helps turn strategic goals into measurable outcomes at scale, with practices covering AI transformation, data platforms, systems engineering, and advanced customer experience and experience design.

The design function brings together service designers, researchers, UX and UI designers, engineers, delivery managers, and AI/data specialists. The team works across discovery and delivery, builds real services rather than stopping at concepts, and focuses on prototype-led, user-centred delivery. Softwire also emphasizes long-term partnerships that deliver practical outcomes in the real world.

The company was founded on the belief that a strong culture and supportive working environment lead to better results. It has been recognised as a top UK employer and is known for a growing client base that trusts it with complex, mission-critical work.

What you'll do

You will lead user research across delivery lifecycles, convert insight into decisions, work directly with clients and users, and help improve the organisation’s research practice. The role also includes mentoring, quality assurance, and support for business growth.

Additional information

This role involves work with public sector clients and requires the ability to achieve SC clearance.

Package and benefits

Softwire offers transparent pay scales and a profit share arrangement linked to the role and the company’s overall performance.

Salary is based on experience and ranges from £79,000 to £88,700. In addition, the average profit share is between £11,500 and £15,250 depending on experience and company performance.

Benefits include an additional 5% pension contribution, 25 days of annual leave with the option to buy and sell leave, time off for company-wide morale events and charitable activities, a free annual eye test, income protection, a cycle-to-work scheme, an electric vehicle lease scheme, and payroll charity donations.

The employer promotes flexibility and work-life balance, with an expectation that employees should not regularly work long hours.

Working style

This is an on-site position in the London Area, United Kingdom.

Responsibility details

• Design and run research across different phases of product and service delivery, from early discovery through live service.
• Select the most suitable methods for each context, including interviews, usability testing, co-design, and mixed-method research.
• Engage with users directly to understand their needs, behaviours, environments, and barriers, including people with access needs or vulnerable circumstances.
• Analyse findings and turn them into clear outputs that help teams and clients make informed product and service decisions.
• Convert evidence into practical guidance for service design, product direction, and delivery prioritisation.
• Run workshops, playback sessions, and stakeholder conversations to build alignment around user needs.
• Develop trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders and support them in adopting user-centred approaches.
• Work closely with designers, engineers, product managers, and delivery leads in multidisciplinary teams.
• Advise on research strategy, participant recruitment, ethics, consent, and strong research practice.
• Provide senior quality assurance and oversight to ensure high standards in methods, delivery, and outputs.
• Help public sector clients meet the Government Service Standard and create inclusive, accessible services for diverse users.
• Coach and mentor researchers and designers to grow user-centred capability across projects and within Softwire.
• Improve design and research practice by enhancing methods, tools, standards, and thought leadership.
• Promote the value of user research both internally and externally to show the impact of evidence-led design.
• Support new business work by helping scope opportunities, shape proposals, and contribute to bids, especially for public sector and user-centred work.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of experience in user research or a closely related field.
• Strong expertise in user research methods and user-centred practice.
• Substantial experience delivering services in government or the public sector.
• Hands-on experience working to the Government Service Standard.
• Proven ability to lead research on complex agile projects with large teams.
• Strong understanding of inclusive practice and how to apply it to accessible services.
• Ability to assess and use tools and technologies that improve research delivery.
• Confidence influencing senior stakeholders, product managers, designers, and engineers.
• Experience managing other researchers and supporting ongoing learning and development.
• Ability to provide senior guidance on methods, tools, equipment, quality, and standards.
• Experience scoping user-centred design projects and estimating the resources needed.
• Experience in presales and/or government procurement.
• Ability to obtain SC clearance.

Perks

• Transparent salary bands and a profit share scheme.
• Employer pension contribution of 5% of salary.
• 25 days of annual leave, with the option to buy or sell leave.
• Paid time off for company morale events.
• Paid time off for charitable activities.
• Free yearly eye test.
• Income protection cover.
• Cycle-to-work support.
• Electric vehicle lease scheme.
• Payroll charity donations.
• Flexible working culture with an emphasis on work-life balance.

Eligibility

Candidates should be experienced user researchers who can work in the London Area on-site, have a strong background in public sector service delivery, and be able to obtain SC clearance. The role is best suited to someone ready to lead, mentor, and influence research practice at a senior level.