Human Centered Design - User Researcher

Position Description:

At CGI, we’re transforming how people interact with digital services that truly make a difference. You’ll be joining CGI’s UK Centre of Excellence for Human-Centred Design; a team we call Sparck.

As a User Researcher, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping meaningful, evidence-led experiences that improve lives and drive measurable business and policy outcomes. You’ll lead research across complex service areas, translating deep user insight into design and strategic decisions. This is a unique opportunity to influence service design at scale, collaborate across diverse disciplines, and grow a culture of inclusive, ethical, and creative research within one of the world’s most trusted digital consultancies.

CGI was recognised in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work List 2025 and has been named a UK ‘Best Employer’ by the Financial Times. We offer a competitive salary, excellent pension, private healthcare, plus a share scheme (3.5% + 3.5% matching) which makes you a CGI Partner not just an employee. We are committed to inclusivity, building a genuinely diverse community of tech talent and inspiring everyone to pursue careers in our sector, including our Armed Forces, and are proud to hold a Gold Award in recognition of our support of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant. Join us and you’ll be part of an open, friendly community of experts. We’ll train and support you in taking your career wherever you want it to go.

Due to the secure nature of the programme, you will need to hold UK Security Clearance or be eligible to go through this clearance. This is a hybrid position, but you will be expected to travel to CGI offices or client sites 2-3 days per week on average.

Your future duties and responsibilities:

In this role, you will lead the design and delivery of impactful user research that shapes digital experiences across complex service areas. You’ll work collaboratively with service designers, product teams, and technologists to ensure every decision is rooted in evidence. Your expertise will help CGI’s clients deliver accessible, inclusive, and user-centred services that achieve measurable results.

You’ll also play a key role in growing CGI’s user research capability—mentoring others, building best practice, and championing the value of ethical, trauma-informed, and inclusive research approaches. You’ll be part of a supportive, multidisciplinary environment where creativity, ownership, and collaboration are at the heart of how we work.

• Lead & Innovate: Plan, design, and lead user research across the full service lifecycle.

• Discover & Understand: Use a blend of qualitative and quantitative methods to uncover user needs and behaviours.

• Translate & Influence: Turn complex findings into clear insights and recommendations that guide design and policy.

• Collaborate & Inspire: Work across disciplines to co-design solutions and embed user-centred thinking.

• Mentor & Develop: Support and coach junior researchers, promoting best practice in research ethics and methodology.

• Optimise & Improve: Enhance research operations, recruitment, and data management to streamline delivery and impact.

Required qualifications to be successful in this role:

You should bring significant experience leading end-to-end research in complex, multidisciplinary environments, with a strong understanding of user-centred design, accessibility, and ethical research. You’ll combine analytical rigour with storytelling skill, enabling you to influence stakeholders and drive evidence-based decision making.

• Proven experience leading user research for digital services with complex user journeys

• Strong understanding of GDS and/or NHS design standards and how research supports service assessments

• Proficiency in a range of methodologies (e.g. interviews, ethnography, surveys, diary studies, usability testing)

• Ability to synthesise findings into clear insights that shape strategy and design

• Experience mentoring and developing others within a research or design team

• Skilled collaborator with experience in agile delivery environments

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and influencing skills

Desirable:

• Experience across both public and private sector research

• Ability to translate research insights into actionable service improvements

• Experience conducting research in complex public sector environments

#LI-LW1

Skills:

• Client management

• Communication

• Mentoring and coaching

• Prototyping

• Stakeholder management

• User-Centered Design

• Leadership

What you can expect from us:

Together, as owners, let’s turn meaningful insights into action.

Life at CGI is rooted in ownership, teamwork, respect and belonging. Here, you’ll reach your full potential because…

You are invited to be an owner from day 1 as we work together to bring our Dream to life. That’s why we call ourselves CGI Partners rather than employees. We benefit from our collective success and actively shape our company’s strategy and direction.

Your work creates value. You’ll develop innovative solutions and build relationships with teammates and clients while accessing global capabilities to scale your ideas, embrace new opportunities, and benefit from expansive industry and technology expertise.

You’ll shape your career by joining a company built to grow and last. You’ll be supported by leaders who care about your health and well-being and provide you with opportunities to deepen your skills and broaden your horizons.

That same commitment to fairness extends to how we use technology. To support our recruitment team, AI tools may be used to help assess applications though they never replace human judgement. All hiring decisions remain entirely in the hands of our recruitment professionals.

Come join our team—one of the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world.