Senior Design Researcher

Ensera Design is a world-class user-centred innovation and product development consultancy, specializing in the medical and consumer health sectors with offices in Bristol, Colorado and New Jersey. As part of Ensera, we collaborate globally with contract manufacturing facilities in Europe, the USA, and Asia.

We are currently seeking an experienced Senior Design Researcher to lead discovery and exploration work that gets to the why behind people's behaviours and turns insights into actionable opportunities for our clients. Initially this role will join the team for 12-months, but there is potential for this to become a permanent role.

The role plays a key part in shaping research-led design strategy, leading complex projects from start to finish, and collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders. As well as project work, this role will also support sales activity through thought leadership and proposal writing.

You'll have a passion for healthcare as well as user research. You'll be excited about the diversity of projects and topic areas that working in a consultancy brings and be comfortable with the natural peaks and troughs that come with this. You will be comfortable not only leading large-scale, cross-expertise projects but also managing smaller research-only projects, including taking responsibility for budgets and delivering high-quality work within the agreed deadlines.

Whilst you do not need to meet all of these points, please ensure you meet the majority of them before making an application:

• Demonstrable consultancy experience leading cross-expertise projects, as well as smaller research-only projects, preferably within product design.
• Demonstrable experience leading global contextual research, creating screeners and collaborating with others to organise recruitment of participants.
• Demonstrable expertise in translating insights found into clear, actionable narratives.
• Comfortable moderating research sessions & facilitated discussions and with planning & facilitating workshops with empathy and rigour.
• Experience working with experts across multiple areas, including managing external clients.
• Experience working within healthcare or a passion for the sector.
• Some experience of mentoring/ coaching more junior colleagues is desirable.

The salary for this role is in line with our Senior band, £51,000 to £65,000. Please note that we ask you to provide your expected salary within the band as part of your application, this helps us understand how you view your experience against the role's scope.

Ensera Design offers interesting and varied work combined with a supportive team culture to provide a stimulating environment where you will have the opportunity to develop and learn from others. We offer flexible working policies where working patterns are agreed with our line managers, taking into account the role, needs of the individual, and the team.

We recognise that we are only as good as our people and we know how important it is to support our team.

We offer:

• Performance-related company-wide bonus.
• Flexible hybrid working in line with our core hours (Mon-Thu, 9:30am-12:00pm & 2:00pm-4:00pm; Fri, 9:30am-12:00pm).
• Private healthcare for you and your family.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• Salary exchange pension scheme.
• 25 days of annual leave, plus the option to purchase up to one working week and additional days for length of service.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme and digital wellbeing platform.
• Cycle to Work & Electric Vehicle Lease schemes.
• Death in service (x4 gross salary).
• Training and development opportunities, including dedicated learning days and regular knowledge sharing sessions.
• A free lunch the first Monday of every month alongside our company wide meeting.
• Free breakfast every Wednesday, and plenty of opportunities to socialise, including team organised activities, summer and Christmas parties, and more.

We are based in an iconic Grade II listed building in the heart of Bristol. Our vibrant workspace houses state of the art labs, a design studio, usability suites, and collaborative meeting spaces. Nestled in a lively neighbourhood with independent shops, we're just a short walk from Park Street, the Harbourside, and St. Nick's Markets.

We are proud of our values:

• Find a way: We work as one team, combining our knowledge and experience to unite around a shared goal. We trust each other and do what's needed to get things done and exceed expectations.
• Pull together: We believe anything is possible. When faced with challenges we take the initiative, using our creative spirit and determination to find bold solutions and deliver results that move us forward.
• Care: We act with integrity, take pride in our work, and support each other. We each play our part to make a positive impact for our customers, our colleagues, and our planet.

Our diverse, multidisciplinary team spans research, design, human factors, engineering, prototyping, manufacturing, and beyond. Together, we deliver cutting edge solutions for clients ranging from global leaders to innovative start ups, with a particular focus on medical devices, drug delivery, orthopaedics, and diagnostics.

Do we sound like a good match for you?

If you'd like to discuss the role or would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments you may need to make your application, we'd love to hear from you. If you think you might be the right person for us but want an informal chat first then get in touch via .

Please note the deadline for this vacancy is 17th April although we reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier if we have a high level of applications. We look forward to hearing from you!

At Ensera Design we believe that designing for people means including all people, starting with the team behind the work. Our human centred design ethos is rooted in empathy, and our values - pull together, find a way, and care - guide us in building a team that reflects the diversity of the world we design for.

We know that different perspectives lead to better ideas, stronger collaboration, and more meaningful outcomes. If you meet the skills and experience for this role, we welcome your application - whatever your background, identity, or path into design. What matters to us is that you share our belief in purposeful, people first design.

Polite notice for agencies - We appreciate the interest from recruitment partners; however, we are managing this hiring process directly and ask that agencies do not contact us regarding this role. Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift to Ensera Design.