At Places for People, we hire People, not numbers! So, if you like the sound of one of our jobs, please apply - you could be just who we're looking for! Of course, experience and track record are important, but we're more interested in hiring someone that embodies our People Promises. That's someone that does the right thing, is enthusiastic and motivated to grow, believes in Community spirit, is respectful and enjoys their work. As the UK's leading Social Enterprise we're dedicated to creating inclusive and thriving Communities for both our Customers and Employees.

More about the team

Our UX team sits at the heart of IT, shaping the design and usability of digital products across Places for People. We combine user needs with business goals to create solutions that are functional, intuitive, and accessible.

More about your role

Reporting to the UX Manager, we are looking to recruit 2 UX Researchers on a permanent basis.

In this role, you'll be responsible for researching and influencing all stages of design and development, working closely with stakeholders across the business to ensure that decisions are driven by evidence and insight.

You will leverage your experience in creating and maintaining Personas, service blueprints, and customer journey maps that help teams build a deeper understanding of our users. You will apply both qualitative and quantitative research methods to surface insights, measure impact, and ensure our solutions are aligned to user needs as well as business goals.

A key part of the role will be communicating findings in a clear and persuasive way, so that research directly shapes design direction. Ultimately, you will make sure the digital experiences we deliver are intuitive, accessible, and genuinely improve the lives of the people who use them.

At Places for People, we are committed to a safe working environment so a basic DBS check is mandatory.

More about you

You're an experienced UX Researcher (or in a closely related discipline) with a strong track record of planning and delivering research that improves products and services. You use evidence to help teams understand user needs, reduce risk, and make confident decisions that balance customer outcomes with business goals.

You're confident selecting and applying the right qualitative and quantitative methods, analysing findings, and translating insights into clear, actionable recommendations. You communicate research in a compelling way, collaborate well with product, design and engineering, and can influence stakeholders at different levels. You bring an inclusive mindset, considering accessibility and diverse needs throughout your research approach.

Essential

• Proven experience delivering UX research and clearly demonstrating impact on decisions and outcomes
• Experience planning, running and analysing research using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g., interviews, usability testing, surveys, analytics)
• Ability to synthesise findings into insights and recommendations that teams can act on, and to communicate these clearly to stakeholders
• Knowledge of (or experience working within) an agile software development lifecycle and continuous discovery ways of working
• Experience creating and maintaining research artefacts such as personas, journey maps and service blueprints
• Understanding of inclusive research practice, including accessibility considerations and recruiting for diverse perspectives
• Experience using collaboration and research tools such as Miro (and similar)

Desirable

• Experience supporting research operations (e.g., consent/ethics, GDPR-aware research practices, participant recruitment, repositories)
• Experience working with prototypes to validate concepts and iterate solutions through testing
• Experience working on complex services or large-scale digital programmes with multiple stakeholder groups

Benefits

We are a large diverse and ambitious business, which will give you all the challenge you could wish for.

We know that there's always more we can do to make you smile, that's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package with each role, yours will include:

• Competitive salary, with a salary review yearly
• Pension with matched contributions up to 7%
• Excellent holiday package – up to 35 days annual leave with the option to buy or sell leave
• Cashback plan for healthcare costs – up to £500 saving per year
• A bonus scheme for all colleagues at 2%
• Training and development
• Extra perks including huge discounts and offers from shops, cinemas and much more.

What's next?

If you meet the criteria and are ready to make the next step in your career then apply following our simple 5 minute application process, upload a CV and a supporting statement which demonstrates how you meet the requirements of the role. If you have any questions please email the recruitment team recruitment@placesforpeople.co.uk

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we offer a guaranteed interview to candidates who are disabled, neurodiverse, or have served in the Armed Forces, provided you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this in your application.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview experience, please let us know. We're happy to work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to perform at your best.

If you are a Places for People customer and you're looking for support with your application, please contact our skills and employment team on skillsemployment@placesforpeople.co.uk.

Please note that we may bring the closing date forward, if we receive a large number of quality applications. If you are interested in this role we would advise applying immediately to avoid disappointment.

If you are using a mobile device such as an iPad then ensure your CV is stored in the cloud, we currently support Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox.

We understand the importance of a supportive and inclusive work culture so please talk to us at interview about flexibility you may need. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we promise not to judge you for asking. For this role we are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times or compressed hours.

If you are a recruitment agency please note we operate a PSL and do not take cold calls

Safeguarding

At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect.

We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability. Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment.

By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities