User Research Manager

Salary: £33,750 - £36,250 Location: Flexible in either; London, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds or Exeter (with travel around England) Contract Type: Permanent Are you an experienced user research manager who is excited about how funders can support charities better? Could you help make sure decisions on how national lottery funding is designed are based on excellent user insight? Do you see potential before problems, and opportunities alongside challenges? Are you passionate about your community? So are we. Come and join us in this key role and enable people to do great things. For an informal conversation about this opportunity, please contact Ruth Davis, Head of Continuous Improvement, at ruth.davis@biglotteryfund.org.uk Who are we? Our purpose is to ensure that the money raised thanks to National Lottery players goes back to communities across the UK and makes a real difference to the quality of life of millions of people. The National Lottery was set up not only so that people could have the chance of winning life-changing prizes, but also to support projects (whether in sport, the arts, heritage or charities) which improve our communities and bring people together. At the Big Lottery Fund we focus on supporting charities and people with great ideas, local or national, large or small, which will create opportunities for people to improve their lives. As the largest funder of communities in the UK, the Big Lottery Fund plays a vital role in community life. Last year we made more than 13,000 National Lottery grants, totalling in excess of ¿¡712 million, and reaching every local authority across the UK. Our new strategy: People in the Lead The power of people is at the heart of the Big Lottery Fund, and forms the basis of our strategic framework, People in the Lead. We believe vibrant communities are built and renewed by the people living in them. This drives our work and its helping shape the future of our funding. We start with what people bring to the table, rather than what they dont have; and we believe that people and communities are best placed to solve their problems, take advantage of opportunities, and rise to challenges. Our job is to support them in doing so. Changing the way we work in England In 2014, we started a national conversation to to find out what we can do to improve the way we give out money raised by National Lottery players. The feedback we received told us that communities would like us to: Have a more personal relationship with our customers Understand more about the local context to inform our decisions Reduce the complexity of our application processes so they are more flexible; and take some risks Invest in the skills and development of charities and community groups Support collaborations and partnership working As a result, we are investing more in listening to the people, charities and communities that we serve, and ensuring we can act on their ideas and priorities. As a User Research Manager, you will be part of our Continuous Improvement team. You will design and carry out research strategies with our key users, using a wide variety of research methods. You will work with our development and funding managers, and work as part of multi-disciplinary service design teams. You will share user insights so that they can lead to changes and improvements to the funding and support that we offer. What is it like to work at the Big Lottery Fund? We are a values-driven organisation where our staff care passionately about making a difference to people and communities and advancing equalities. We are looking for talented people who share these values, who want to learn and grow and enable others to do so. Above all, were looking for someone who wants to be part of changing the ways that funders support charities so that funding and support is responsive and rooted in what matters to communities. We also offer a wide range of generous benefits including company pension scheme, generous holidays, flexible working, childcare vouchers, season ticket and cycle to work loans. About applying To apply online and further details about the role, our application process, the Funds work, and our range of excellent benefits, please visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/jobs Closing date: 16th October 2017 Interview date: 26th October 2017 The Fund is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. We are committed to increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities and will respond positively to meet individual needs throughout the recruitment process. Once in post, the Fund will ensure that any appropriate reasonable adjustments to our workplace are made, in order to support colleagues with any form of disability.