Overview:
Join us in working together to improve the lives of the people of Scotland
The Payments Service Team
Our mission is to design, build, implement and manage a single common cloud based payments platform and service used by all Public Sector bodies in Scotland. By establishing a national infrastructure for payments we can increase efficiency and simplify the experience for all involved in receiving or making payments.
Currently in a private beta phase, we’re proud that our initial work and collaboration with partners including the Student Award Agency means they are able to manage and deliver payments efficiently, on time and at scale.
Working closely with the Senior User Researcher your work will be instrumental to delivery of a modern end-to-end payment service which is inclusive, accessible and meets the current and future needs of diverse users.
Looking back on a successful first year you can take pride knowing your work has made life easier for public sector colleagues and the people of Scotland. Highlights include progress from private to public beta; working with an increased number and diversity of users and seeing how your research has resulted in the design, new features and roadmap for improving the payments platform.
We adopt agile methodologies with user centred design being central to our work. As a member of the multi-disciplinary Payments team you will be collaborating with colleagues and external partners in areas including engineering, product, user centred design and service design.
Typically releasing on a monthly cadence while maintaining the service we hold daily stand-ups and regular retrospectives using Jira and Confluence for collaborating on managing delivery and sharing information.
Sharing knowledge and learning from others is key to our success and something we all value – especially when helping new team members. We’re ambitious and excited by the complexity of our work but take time for regular social interaction and weekly social activities which will build collaboration and understanding.
Responsibilities:
How will I spend my time?
Execute a range of field and lab based user research types according to business and project needs.- Manage user research tools and facilities.
- Facilitate the inclusion of different types of users in appropriate research activities.
- Advocate for accessibility, assisted digital, and inclusive design practices and help teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users.
- Support teams to continually improve their understanding of and engagement with users.
- Provide actionable insights to support design decision making and write user needs and user stories.
- Manage ethics and consent processes, and support the development of privacy and equalities impact assessments.
Competencies
People Management
Communications and Engagement
Improving Performance
Analysis and Use of Evidence
If invited to any interview or assessment the panel will be looking for evidence of how you meet the above competencies. More details on these are available in the Person Specification.
Essential Criteria & Qualifications:
No specific qualifications required.
We’d love you to apply if you meet the following essential criteria. If you’d like to chat before applying please contact
[email protected].
Essential Criteria
1. Experience in a digital research setting, designing and delivering a wide range of inclusive user-centred design research including: negotiating research briefs, leading research activity, and delivering actionable insights.
2. Demonstrates the ability to choose and apply appropriate user-centred design research methods (from data gathering to synthesis and analysis) for different design life cycle phases and situations.
3. Ability to communicate research approaches and insights effectively in such a way as to stimulate conversation and collaboration.
4. Knowledge of other user centred design practices and experience of collaborating with them for service delivery.
What we can offer you
A rewarding role where you grow professionally, have a positive impact (potentially on millions) while enjoying a healthy work-life balance.
Remote Working
We operate a flexible location policy, with a named base in Scotland of Victoria Quay, Edinburgh.
Currently the team is working on a remote basis typically spending two days in the office each quarter at Victoria Quay, Edinburgh. Should you wish to spend more time in the office we will be very happy to support this.
Staff are assigned to the base office, however there may be a need for travel to other Scottish Government offices/other locations depending on assigned work.
Benefits
We provide an attractive package with extensive benefits including: -
Salary between £33,120.and £37,936.- £5000 Digital (DDaT) Pay Supplement after a 3-month qualifying period ***
- Generous Pension Scheme with employer contributions ranging from 26.6% to 30.3%.
- Flexible working arrangements including compressed hours and flexi time, with potential to accrue up to 4 days off a month.
- 25 Days Annual Leave (increasing in line with service) plus 11.5 days Public & Privilege holidays.
- Access to a wide range of courses offered by the Scottish Digital Academy, plus opportunities to gain professional memberships and academic qualifications.
- Automatic Membership of the Scottish Government DDaT profession and professional development system.
We operate a flexible location policy, with a named base in Scotland. Staff are assigned to the base office, however there may be a need for travel to other Scottish Government offices/other locations depending on assigned work.
Hear from colleagues discussing Digital Careers at Scottish Government.
Click here to learn more about the full range of benefits you could enjoy.
*** Digital (DDaT) Pay Supplement
This post attracts a £5000 DDAT pay supplement after a 3 months DDaT competency qualifying period. Pay supplements are temporary payments and are subject to regular review.
How To Apply.
The Closing Date for applications is the 5th March.
To apply please submit the following using our online application process: -
A CV (no longer than two A4 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements, with particular reference to the essential criteria- A Personal Statement (no longer than 750 words) explaining why you consider your personal skills, qualities, and experience suitable for this role, with particular reference to the essential criteria
We are unable to progress applications which fail to provide clear evidence of meeting the essential criteria in their CV and Personal Statement.
DDaT Recruitment Candidate Guide
DDaT Recruitment_-_Further_Information
Person Specification
Diversity and Inclusion
Delivering 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 welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, and work to ensure a positive recruitment experience where everyone is treated fairly, and with respect regardless of the outcome.
It’s not essential to be in a similar role right now. You may be working in another field or returning from a career break - the experiences you have gained through this can bring fresh perspectives to our teams and work.
The Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via [email protected]
As part of any recruitment process, Scottish Government and associated public bodies collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants and applicants for public appointments.
Personal information you provide in the recruitment process will be made available to Scottish Government and our additional data processors.