UX Researcher

The Open University (OU) is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

The role

Learning Experience and Technology (LXT) contains teams which work together collaboratively to design, deliver, and manage a sustainable and unified end-to-end learner experience of technology. We are seeking an experienced User Experience (UX) professional to support the core user-led research, analysis, design, development and user centred continuous improvement of student-facing innovative digital products for a diverse range of users.

The UX Researcher role is a new position within the team and will enhance the ability of the Online Student Experience team to ensure user-centred design principles and processes are fundamental to the development of new products and the continuous improvement of existing ones.

The OU campus is based in Milton Keynes however we are happy to offer flexible working for these opportunities, with occasional travel to Milton Keynes required.

Skills and experience

This role will suit you if you:

• Possess a higher education qualification or at least 2 years of directly relevant work experience.
• Have demonstrable experience of embedding user-centred design processes and practices whilst also having experience of the application of user-centred design principles in product design and enhancement.
• Possess previous experience of designing and running usability testing sessions.
• Are experienced in reporting and presenting your research methodologies and analysis to sell your solutions to various stakeholders.

The full summary of duties and skills required for the role can be found within the Job Description.

If you would like to discuss the application or recruitment process before making an application, please contact Phil Kennett at Resourcing Hub on 01908 655544 or Alicja Hyla at alicja.hyla@open.ac.uk quoting the reference 20734 UX Researcher.

What you get in return

We have a strong commitment to providing training and development in and beyond your current role. This includes thorough induction into the organisation and regular reviews of your training and development needs.

We also offer a great range of benefits that support our employees and their families for the long term. Staff Benefits include an attractive pension proposition and 33 days holiday per annum pro rata, plus Bank Holidays and Christmas closure days.

How to apply

Unless otherwise stated in the advert, all applications are completed online via the OU Job’s page and following the instructions below and clicking the “APPLY NOW” link below. Applications submitted via 3rd party websites will not be considered.

Access details for disabled applicants are available from the Resourcing Hub, telephone: 01908 655544, quoting the vacancy reference above.

To apply for this role please submit the following.

• CV

• Personal statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

The above documents will need to be submitted as one attachment during the application process, please include the personal statement followed by the CV in this document.

To ensure that your file is uploaded to our system correctly, please make sure your document is saved with the following file name as appropriate to the vacancy you are applying for: 20734UX Researcher, surname, first initial.

You will need to have your documents ready ahead of submitting the electronic application.

You will receive updates regarding your application from resourcing-applications@open.ac.uk Please ensure this email address is added to your list of trusted senders. Please also keep an eye on your junk folder to ensure you do not miss any important updates regarding this role

You can view your application communications on the Candidate portal.

Please note: If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the application closing date, please assume that on this occasion you have not been selected for interview, however we thank you for your interest in The Open University and encourage you to apply for future positions.

Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

Closing date: 2nd March 2023 - 12:00

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.