Principal User Researcher (AI)

Location: United Kingdom, within reasonable travelling distance of hirify.global offices in Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, London, or Bristol. Hybrid work requires openness to travel and working at a hirify.global office or client site at least 2 days per week. Relocation support of up to £8,000 is available.

Company

hirify.global is an AI-enabled digital consultancy combining data-informed evidence, human-centred design, and software engineering to deliver digital services for public and private sector clients.

What you will do

• Lead user-centred research and delivery across complex, strategically important client engagements, programmes, and accounts.
• Advise senior and executive client stakeholders using data, insight, and primary research to shape long-term service strategy.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams in creating products and services that meet user needs and comply with GDS, accessibility, and other relevant standards.
• Lead internal workstreams for hirify.global’s research profession and evolve research practices as the market and AI develop.
• Recruit, lead, and mentor Senior and Lead user researchers while strengthening professional capability and continuous learning.
• Support business growth through pre-sales, bids, proposition development, thought leadership, and external representation of hirify.global’s research and UCD capability.

Requirements

• Extensive Principal-level research experience across complex delivery environments and a range of clients.
• Experience working effectively within and leading multidisciplinary teams using user-centred design throughout the product or service lifecycle.
• Strong experience applying a wide range of research methodologies and adapting research to participants’ accessibility needs.
• Expert consultancy and leadership skills, including confidence exploring problem spaces with clients and determining an appropriate way forward.
• Confidence operating in complex organisations and adapting quickly to new environments and ambiguous requirements.
• Experience identifying and mitigating ethics and safeguarding issues and supporting other researchers in doing so.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor researchers and UCD practitioners, building professional or team capability and supporting long-term growth.
• Working knowledge of the GDS Digital Standard and preparing for a GDS assessment, or extensive experience delivering research and user-centred approaches in the private sector.
• Practical experience implementing AI tools and workflows and providing continuous thought leadership within the research profession.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative, agile, inclusive, and human-centred working environment.
• Contributory pension scheme with hirify.global contributing 6% and employees contributing 2%.
• 25 days of holiday plus UK public holidays.
• Critical illness cover, life assurance, and death-in-service cover.
• Perkbox discounts, volunteer days, cycle-to-work scheme, electric vehicle salary sacrifice, and season ticket loans.
• Flexible benefits including private health and dental cover, additional pension contributions, extra holidays, wellbeing contributions, and charity or tree-planting contributions.