Senior User Researcher

Application closing date: Wednesday 17 June 2026 at 23:59 
 

Good Growth  

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 (where the programme is not housing led), enterprise, growth, capital projects and design work. 

About the team  

London is a city recognised as the global capital for arts and culture. Our theatres, music venues, museums and galleries are renowned across the world. Our creative industries are vital to London’s success and the recording studios, rehearsal spaces, artists' workspaces, grassroots music, and LGBTQ+ venues all 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, the Fourth Plinth commission, and initiatives that support the night‑time economy. Alongside programme delivery, the team is preparing for devolved powers of licensing to the Mayor — working with boroughs, the police, industry and communities to ensure that licensing and regulatory frameworks support vibrancy, safety and economic growth while balancing local impacts. 

The Culture, Creative Industries and 24-Hour London Unit, in partnership with teams across the Greater London Authority (GLA), is leading an exciting new government-backed pilot to establish strategic licensing powers for the Mayor of London. This high-profile initiative is a cornerstone of the Government’s and Mayor’s shared growth agenda—unlocking opportunities for London’s hospitality, cultural and nighttime economies.  

About the role  

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. 

Skills, knowledge and experience  

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.  
   

• Can demonstrate a deep understanding of digital inclusion and how to build accessible online services.  
   

• Can demonstrate strong research communications skills. Able to gather, distil, and simplify large amount of data, judging what is and isn’t important, including writing reports that quickly help someone understand the problem to be solved. Can explain what users need from us succinctly, to a diverse, non-expert audience. 

• Can demonstrate 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.  

Behavioural Competencies  

Communicating and Influencing (core) 

… is presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us. 

Level 4 indicators: 

• Articulates self with credibility and conviction, encouraging buy-in to corporate position 

• Influences the thinking of other organisations, encouraging them to deliver in line with the GLA 

• Ensures that the organisation communicates inclusively with staff and external stakeholders 

• Acts as a credible and convincing spokesperson and negotiator for the GLA 

• Instils a corporate commitment to accessible communication 

Stakeholder Focus (core) 

… is consulting with, listening to and understanding the needs of those our work impacts and using this knowledge to shape what we do and manage others’ expectations.  

Level 4 indicators: 

• Adapts objectives and the GLA’s public facing position based on the context behind stakeholder needs and requests 

• Builds the GLA’s reputation as an organisation committed to meeting the needs of Londoners 

• Manages partner organisations’ and Londoners’ expectations of the GLA by anticipating and influencing changing priorities 

• Instils a culture that encourages GLA staff to think about meeting Londoners’ needs first 

• Builds the confidence of staff, partner organisations and Londoners by ensuring the GLA delivers quality work 

Problem Solving (core) 
… is analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints and finding creative, workable and timely solutions. 
 
Level 3 indicators: 

• Clarifies ambiguous problems, questioning assumptions to reach a fuller understanding 

• Actively challenges the status quo to find new ways of doing things, looking for good practice 

• Seeks and incorporates diverse perspectives to help produce workable strategies to address complex issues 

• Initiates consultation on opportunities to improve work processes 

• Supports the organisation to implement innovative suggestions  

Strategic thinking (core) 

…is using an understanding of the bigger picture to uncover potential challenges and opportunities for the long term and turning these into a compelling vision for action. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Translates GLA vision and strategy into practical and tangible plans for own team or delivery partners 

• Consistently takes account of the wider implications of team’s actions for the GLA 

• Encourages self and others to think about organisation’s long term potential 

• Informs strategy development by identifying gaps in current delivery or evidence 

• Takes account of a wide range of public and partner needs to inform team’s work 

Responding to pressure and change 

… is being flexible and adapting positively, to sustain performance when the situation changes, workload increases, tensions rise or priorities shift. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Clarifies direction and adapts to changing priorities and uncertain times 

• Minimises the pressure of change for the directorate, lessening the impact for the team 

• Uses change as an opportunity to improve ways of working, encouraging others’ buy-in 

• Keeps staff motivated and engaged during times of change, promoting the benefits 

• Takes ownership for communicating change initiatives clearly, ensuring smooth implementation 

Planning and Organising  

… is thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk, and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard. 

Level 2 indicators: 

• Prioritises work in line with key team or project deliverables 

• Makes contingency plans to account for changing work priorities, deadlines and milestones 

• Identifies and consults with sponsors or stakeholders in planning work 

• Pays close attention to detail, ensuring team’s work is delivered to a high standard 

• Negotiates realistic timescales for work delivery, ensuring team deliverables can be met 
   

Decision making

… is forming sound, evidence-based judgements, making choices, assessing risks to delivery, and taking accountability for results. 

Level 2 indicators: 

• Takes decisions as necessary on the basis of the information available 

• Makes decisions without unnecessarily referring to others 

• Involves and consults internal and external stakeholders early in decisions that impact them 

• Identifies potential barriers to decision making and initiates action to move a situation forward 

• Demonstrates awareness of the GLA’s decision making processes and how to use them 

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here: GLA Competency Framework 

This role is based at London Fire Brigade’s Head Office (Union Street SE1 0LL). 

How to apply  

If you would like to apply for the role you will need to submit the following: 

• Up to date CV  

• Personal statement with a maximum of 1500 words. Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria outlined above in the advert. 

Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement have a maximum file size of 1.5MB each and upload your Personal Statement to the ‘CV and Cover Letters’ section’ of the form, ensuring you address the technical requirements and competencies in your Personal Statement. 

Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement are saved with the job reference number as part of the naming convention (E.g., “CV – applicant name - 012345)