Senior Insight Researcher (Senior Research Officer) (Ref: 77401)

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service

Workstream: User Experience and Insight (UE&I)

Job Title: Senior Insight Researcher (Senior Research Officer)

Location: National, but with a requirement to travel – particularly to London

Duration: Permanent

Pay Band: Band B, SEO equivalent

Salary:£37,683 – £41,506

There are 2 roles available: 1. Crime Insight researcher 2. Civil, Family and Tribunals Insight researcher. The candidates will be asked for a preferred role at the interview stage.

The national salary range is £37,683 – £41,506, London salary range is £43,647 – £48,067. Your salary will be dependent on your base location.

This position is available for external applicants as well as existing civil servants on level transfer or promotion. New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum. Existing civil servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the new pay band or with an increase of 10 percent on their existing base salary (restricted to the new pay band maximum), whichever is the higher.

Background

HM Courts and Tribunals Service is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. It is an extremely exciting time to join, as HM Courts and Tribunals Service has been undertaking a first-of-its-kind change programme aimed at delivering pioneering modernisation of judicial services, exploiting digital technologies to deliver services that better serve the public. With over £1 billion of funding, this is the most ambitious programme of its kind anywhere in the world.

The change programme provides the opportunity to place citizen needs and expectations at the very heart of HMCTS. People will be able to participate with confidence, be treated with respect and understand what is happening at all stages of their case. Transformation will reduce cost and increase confidence of the judiciary, delivery partners and stakeholders in the justice system, whilst delivering benefits both to HMCTS and to the taxpayers. Importantly, service transformation is key to ensuring that HMCTS is on a sustainable financial footing for the future, and will enhance the UK justice system as a global leader.

The change programme is one of the largest across Government and it is an exciting and rewarding portfolio to be part of. You will gain a deep understanding of how a large complex portfolio operates as well as develop a broad range of effective business and research skills.

As the change programme concludes and reformed services bed in, your skills will also be deployed in generating insight for live services: supporting the administration of a fair, efficient and accessible courts and tribunals system; supporting an independent judiciary in the administration of justice; driving improvements across all aspects of the business; and collaborating with other justice organisations and agencies to improve access to justice.

Senior Research Officer – User Experience and Insight

The User Experience and Insight Division ensures that user characteristics, behaviours and needs are analysed and shared in inspiring ways to inform decision making throughout HMCTS.  This an exciting opportunity to be part of a multidisciplinary team, setting the direction for the use of research to create insight across digital services, customer services, and operational delivery teams. This is a hands-on research role within the courts service at a crucial time of change.

You will be carrying out research and evaluation to improve HMCTS services and the systems and processes underpinning our services. You will be contributing to the evidence base around HMCTS’s current Reform programme and its live services, helping to evaluate interventions and shape future changes and improvements. Projects will focus on the users of HMCTS services (e.g. defendants, victims and witnesses) and professional users of HMCTS systems and processes (e.g. court staff and judges). You will be working in a fast-paced operational environment where things can change quickly, but where there is a real opportunity to help shape frontline services. 

Key Responsibilities

We’re recruiting a resourceful, creative and adaptable research analyst who is keen to make a difference to users of the justice system to join our Insight team (within the User Experience and Insight Division). You will be working on a wide variety of research projects relating to court processes in the crime or civil, family and tribunal  jurisdictions. You will be required to design both large and small-scale research and evaluation projects, drawing on your knowledge of and skills in key quantitative and qualitative methods.

You will also be implementing much of the research we do: this is a ‘hands on’ role where you are likely to be out in the courts, carrying out fieldwork (e.g. qualitative and observational research, preparatory court visits to help with questionnaire design). You are also likely to be managing research contracts.

The role will encompass the following key tasks:

• Managing, leading and delivering on quantitative and qualitative research projects that enable HMCTS to make timely, evidence-based decisions.
• Designing research projects and evaluations; conducting secondary analysis of data and/ or undertaking primary research.
• Undertaking primary research to generate staff and public user insights
• Analysing and synthesising a range of evidence to present compelling summaries and narratives of knowledge (e.g. on court applicants, victims, witnesses and defendants).
• Communicating succinctly the results of analysis and managing relationships effectively with operational colleagues, senior stakeholders and external organisations to ensure maximum impact of analytical work being delivered.
• Providing advice, with support of senior analysts, on the outcomes of research and analysis.

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

There are two roles available, one will be focussed on the crime jurisdiction and the other role will focus on a combination of civil, family and tribunals. The roles will be similar in responsibilities and activities

Crime Insight role: the team’s work over the next year is likely to include, for example: Survey and qualitative work on how Common Platform – the criminal court’s new digital case management system – is ‘bedding in’ to courts, and work to help optimise new functionality; drawing together and disseminating the evidence base on key groups of users, such as defendants, jurors and victims and witnesses; reviewing the implementation of a trial of pre-recorded cross-examination in the Youth Court and primary research with criminal court users.

For information on HMCTS Reform and Common Platform, please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmcts-reform-crime-fact-sheets/fact-sheet-common-platform

Civil, Family and Tribunals role: the team’s work over the next year is likely to include qualitative and quantitative work on improving access to justice in civil, family and tribunal services as well as improving the operational perfromance of services through the analysis of  a wide evidence base including management infromation data, user experience data and primary research with users including citizens, court staff, judiciary and the third sector.

Required Skills

Essential Criteria:

We’re looking for a highly motivated analyst who meets the following essential criteria:

• Ability to pro-actively identify and scope research and evaluation opportunities and projects to generate insight.
• Experience of conducting social research, including: qualitative and quantitative research from development of research materials, surveys, field work (including face to face interviews), through to the analysis of data and evaluation.
• Evaluation research skills and knowledge of evaluation methods i.e. have experience of and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of a wide range of research methods (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, evaluation), to apply a multi-disciplinary approach.
• Knowledge and experience of applying data analysis and statistical methods skills.
• Familiarity with Excel and at least one statistical analysis package.
• Demonstrable experience of using research and insight to solve issues and problems within a business or organisation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including an ability to develop strong relationships with a range of stakeholders and identify their evaluation needs, and work closely and collaboratively with them.
• Comfort with managing a diverse, complex portfolio of work and ability to manage work flexibly and adapt as priorities change.

Desirable Criteria:

• An understanding of public policy and services, particularly in the criminal justice sector or civil, family and tribunals depending on the chosen preference.
• Familiarity with R.
• Experience of working in an area of criminal, civil, family or tribunals justice.

Government Social Research membership

The role is open to existing members of the Government Social Research (GSR) profession and non-members. If you are not already a member then you will need to meet the GSR eligibility criteria:

Qualification route:

• A degree (minimum 2:1) in a relevant social science with a substantial social research component, such as demography, economics, human geography, linguistics, psychology, social anthropology, sociology and statistics;
• OR a degree (minimum 2:2) with a relevant postgraduate qualification in social research.

OR

Professional Experience route:

• An undergraduate degree in any subject (at a minimum of 2:1, or 2:2 with a postgraduate degree) or degree equivalent (e.g. an advanced Certificate or Diploma from MRS), PLUS have at least 4 years’ social research practice experience.

Full eligibility guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-government-social-research-profession-membership

Qualification route:

• A degree (minimum 2:1) in a relevant social science with a substantial social research component, such as demography, economics, human geography, linguistics, psychology, social anthropology, sociology and statistics;

• OR a degree (minimum 2:2) with a relevant postgraduate qualification in social research.

OR

Professional Experience route:

• An undergraduate degree in any subject (at a minimum of 2:1, or 2:2 with a postgraduate degree) or degree equivalent (e.g. an advanced Certificate or Diploma from MRS), PLUS have at least 4 years’ social research practice experience.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Technical Skills 1
• Technical Skills 2
• Using & Promoting Social Research

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Job contact :

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com
• Telephone : 0845 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com