Job Advert
In June 2025, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care introduced two key frameworks: the Population Health Framework and the Service Renewal Framework (SRF). The SRF sets out an ambitious vision to drive innovation and enable more integrated delivery across Scotland’s health and care services. As part of this transformation, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) will come together to form a new organisation: Public Services Delivery Scotland in April 2026. The new organisation will play a pivotal role in supporting the renewal and long-term sustainability of health and care services across Scotland.
To learn more about the new organisation, please read the public consultation paper, NHS Delivery – A New National Delivery Organisation, available on the Scottish Government website
Flexible Location: NES is a remote-friendly employer with staff based throughout Scotland. We support office-based and hybrid working arrangements. We welcome conversations about alternative working patterns—please get in touch during the application process to discuss.
Work Pattern: Fixed Term, Full Time, 37 hours per week
As from 1/4/26, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro-rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected
Fixed-term or Secondment** until 31st March 2027
**For NHS applicants, an NHS secondment will be offered in the first instance. For non-NHS applicants, a fixed-term or secondment would be considered.
You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.
Who We Are
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.
NES Technology Service (NTS) has created a strategic programme for the transformation of digital based services to allow NES to become a leading digital organisation in Scottish Health, digital by default and fully aligned with the Scottish Government’s technology strategies.
Our Technology
We are in the business of providing safe, secure and innovative technology products and services that aim to improve outcomes across education, training, workforce, health and care in the public sector in Scotland. Using modern cloud-based technology we deliver sustainable products and services for the future
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Senior User Researcher to join our talented and growing team to work on some of the most complex but rewarding challenges in health and social care.
Do you know how to involve people and staff in the design of tools, technologies and services that support them?
Do you enjoy uncovering user behaviours, needs and motivations to help teams design products and systems that reflect a deep understanding of their users’ needs and goals?
Do you have a track record in generating valuable evidence to improve existing digital products as well as design new ones?
Do you know how to collaborate well with other designers, business analysts, developers and service owners?
Do you know how to communicate the user perspective to stakeholders and delivery teams so they can apply it to their work?
Working within the User-Centred Design team within NES Technology Service you will have the opportunity to provide actionable insights that represent the voice of our users to directly inform the development and delivery of user-centred digital services for the general public and health and care professionals.
Does this sound like you?
What We Love to See
User Researchers offer a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:
Proven experience as a user researcher
A clear understanding of user research techniques in a digital context for new and existing products
Ability to confidently lead and facilitate workshops, interviews, usability studies, surveys and contextual enquiries
Understanding of user recruitment and how to optimise the impact of remote research
Experienced in collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams, communicating research in a clear, meaningful and actionable manner
Ability to collaboratively plan and conduct user research with a diverse range of stakeholders and users
Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, utilising tact and persuasion skills when necessary
Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workloads, to meet strict deadlines
Benefits Which Matter
As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:
Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and hybrid working
Generous NHS pension scheme
Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
NHS discounts and more
Diversity and Inclusion
Developing a successful national service for Scotland is impossible without ensuring we consider the diverse needs, perspectives and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland in our work.
We are focused on hiring the very best talent available for NES, and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with respect and has a positive recruitment experience – regardless of the outcome.
It’s not essential to be in a user research role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning after working in another field. Your experiences elsewhere can bring a fresh perspective to our work.
If you are considering applying and feel it would be helpful to discuss this initially, please contact colin.sanders@nhs.scot
Next Steps
**NHS candidates will be considered firstly on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current NHS employer at the earliest opportunity, ideally prior to application.
All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail.
In person OR online interviews Online interviews including a presentation will take place between 22nd – 27th April 2026.
For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.
Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CVs will not be accepted.
Please be advised that if you are successful in being offered the role following the recruitment process, you will be expected to attend the office prior to your start date to complete face-to-face pre-employment checks. If you require any adjustments to support this, please let us know.
To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.
As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.
For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here.
It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.
If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: EoS.ERRS@nhs.scot