Junior User Researcher - FT.com/Apps

About Us

Here at the FT, gold-standard journalism is just the beginning. 500-people strong, our Product & Tech team keeps us ahead of the ever-changing digital landscape by delivering cutting-edge products to over one million digital subscribers every day. Our plans for growth rely on a diverse, dedicated and dynamic group of product, tech, delivery and data specialists - everyone’s welcome in this friendly, forward-thinking team. And with entrepreneurial spirit, intelligence and opportunity at every turn, there’s no limits to where your FT career will take you.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace

At the FT, we give all employees a voice so that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. We believe that a supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves at work. We'll continue to remove barriers for all, and in particular barriers facing employees from underrepresented groups.

Overview of the role and team structure

We’re looking for a Junior User Researcher to join the Product Research & Design team in our London Office.

As a Junior User Researcher, you will work alongside experienced User Researchers to help teams get a deeper understanding of the people that use FT.com and the app. You will use a wide range of user research methods, including usability testing, contextual research, interviewing, online surveys etc.

You’ll be working on ft.com and the app, alongside a fully empowered squad of engineers, designers, product managers, with support from and access to relevant stakeholders from around the FT such as editorial, marketing, 

You’ll help deliver end-to-end product experiences, from exploratory research into opportunity definition, from ideation into concepting, from testing into shipping, measuring and iterating.

You’ll receive regular guidance and support from your squad, your line manager, our Director of Product Research & Design, and of course the whole research team. We work hard to foster a safe environment where we share and discuss our work proactively, to inspire, support and guide each other.

What you’ll be doing week to week:

• Researching and learning about users. Working alongside experienced researchers to help design, plan and conduct research activities to uncover the behaviours and motivations of customers and users, using different and relevant methodologies.
  
  
• Working collaboratively to build your experience across FT.com and the FT App by assisting with recruitment, interview note-taking, synthesis and analysis of data and insights etc
  
  
• Ideating, concepting and testing. Working with teams  to help evolve ideas into concepts and testing these with users.
  
  
• Synthesising learnings and sharing insights creatively. Taking what you've learnt and disseminating knowledge in the most appropriate format for your squad and throughout the business. 
  
  

What we’re looking for from you

We welcome applications from people with low User Research experience, or perhaps you are looking to transition from a different career with similar or transferable skills. As a business we value different perspectives and the diversity this affords.  Below are our ideal requirements, but we will hire on potential. 

You should be:

• An organised team player with a desire to learn, and hone your craft. 
  
  
• Naturally inquisitive and always asking 'why?', with an open mind and genuine interest in human behaviour.
  
  
• An articulate communicator who is able to present clear findings that colleagues can understand and use.
  
  
• Passionate about understanding and improving digital experiences, with a desire to keep up to date on innovations and trends in the user research community.
  
  

Ideally you will also have the following skills, or some experience with

• Basic user research methods, when to use those methods and how to apply them correctly.
  
  
• Experience of basic techniques for analysis of research data and synthesis of findings.
  
  
• Some experience and understanding of user-centred service design and delivery practices.

Have an interest, qualification or experience in the following:

Psychology/ Anthropology/ Sociology/ HCI/ Computer Science/ Product Design or related field.

Growth and development

We have a transparent, measureable progression framework, which will outline all of the skills FT user researchers need, and detail on how to progress in each skill category. We will use this as a basis for your biannual reviews, where you’ll self assess against the progression framework, track progression, and agree areas of focus with your line manager. 

We invest in our people to allow them to grow both personally and professionally whilst working at The FT. We offer a variety of ways in which you can progress your career with us, some of which are highlighted below: 

• Career coaching - Career coaching is time spent focused on you and how you can achieve your career aspirations.
  
  
• Mentoring programme - The mentoring programme aims to connect people across the business to support professional and personal growth through knowledge sharing and guidance.
  
  
• Learning and development - The FT offers a host of learning and development opportunities that will not only help you build the skills you need to grow in your profession or field, but will also help you improve your own personal development, with courses such as self-coaching, productivity, presentation confidence, research techniques and much more.

What’s in it for you? Our Benefits

Our benefits vary depending on location, but we are committed to providing best in class perks across all our offices as well as an inclusive environment to develop your career. Examples of our benefits include; generous annual leave allowances, flexible working (including working from home), medical cover, enhanced maternity & paternity packages, subsidised gym memberships and Giving Back opportunities. Full details of our benefits can be found here.

Further Information

The FT is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all. We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We have implemented a hybrid working model and we also promote flexible working and will consider specific requests around flexibility for all roles where it can be accommodated. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or have any questions, please send an email to [email protected] and a member of our team will be happy to help.

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