The closing date for this job has now passed.

Job reference: 135099
Salary: Band 6 (£35,522 - £43,286)
Job closing date: 31/01/2023
Job Type: Administrative Services
Location: Flexible Location
Employment type: Fixed-term or Secondment
Hours Per Week: 37.5
Job posted date: 19/01/2023
Employer (NHS Board): NHS Education for Scotland
Department: Experience (NES Technology Service)

Job Advert

Flexible Location: Based throughout Scotland, NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office, remote and hybrid working. We’re happy to talk about how you want to work.

Work Pattern: Fixed-term, Full Time, 37.5 hours per week.

Fixed-term or Secondment* until 31st March 2024

*For NHS employee applicants: Secondment will be considered in the first instance.


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. It is in pursuit of this aim that NTS are working with partners to develop the National Digital Platform.


The National Digital Platform

In the future, the first point of contact for many health and social care services will be digital. This requires technology that enables innovation and communication between systems in order to ensure these services are delivered in the most effective way.

The National Digital Platform (NDP) is an open, standards-based platform, supporting technology for the health and social care environment. It underpins our commitment to making health and care information and services more accessible. Working with those delivering solutions across health and social care to bring new and existing digital components onto the platform, for re-use.

The National Digital Platform


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 User Researcher to join our small, but highly talented and growing team to collaborate and problem-solve some of the most complex challenges in health and social care.

Do you want 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 systems that reflect a deep understanding of their users’ needs and goals?

Do you want to play a key role in developing a user-centred approach to the design and delivery of digital technologies used across health and social care in Scotland?

Do you want to promote empathy with users amongst stakeholders and development teams?

Working within the Experience team 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 health and social care professionals, and the general public.​​​​​​​

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 and user interface principles
  • Ability to confidently participate in workshops, interviews, usability studies, surveys and contextual enquiries
  • 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
  • Clear communicator with a curious mind and an empathetic nature
  • Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise workload and 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 remote working
  • Generous NHS pension scheme
  • Annual incremental 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 Researcher role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning to User Research 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 applicants who wish to apply on a secondment basis are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current employer at the earliest opportunity.

Our recruitment process is currently 100% remote and if successful you would initially work remotely, only working from our offices once official guidance supports this.

All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail.

Online interviews will take place on 13th February 2023. Interviews will include giving a 10 minute presentation on the following topic:

'A case study of a research project you worked on that made a real and positive impact on a product or service'.

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.

Take a look around the company https://jobs.scot.nhs.uk/