About the role
Permanent
Up to £65,000 + Pension + BUPA + ShareSave + 6.6 weeks holiday + Hybrid Working (2 days per week in the office)
Southampton, Store Support Office
Role Purpose: As a B&Q UX Researcher, you will use your curiosity, empathy and strong analytical skills in the delivery of research solutions for several digital services, products and features, across all digital touchpoints of the customer experience. You will manage the end-to-end research process – from scoping to synthesis - uncovering key insights that will shape design decisions and influence strategic direction. You'll collaborate closely with designers, product owners, and cross-functional teams to identify research needs, communicate findings clearly and help to drive user-centred innovation.
Beyond project delivery, you will play an active role in enhancing ways of working and contributing to the continuous improvement of research methods, tools and governance. With a broad and evolving remit, you'll have the opportunity to support everything from early-stage propositions to detailed feature and component development—delivering meaningful, seamless, and high-quality experiences to our customers.
We believe anyone can improve their home to make life better. From our Southampton Store Support office (SSO) we equip our stores, our people, and our whole business with everything it takes to help our millions of customers create a home they’ll love. Join us as a UX Researcher and you’ll be a big part of this.
Key responsibilities
Key Accountabilities / Responsibilities:
- Conduct end-to-end research across digital and omni-channel experiences using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, ensuring insights are contextualised within the broader user journey and aligned with product and business goals
- Proactively identifying when research would be valuable, setting objectives, and advising appropriate methodologies based on project goals, timelines and priorities
- Translate observations into digestible, valuable, actionable insights to mitigate delivery risks
- Encourage collaboration and engagement across the research process to encourage deeper understanding of user needs
- Synthesize existing research, internal knowledge, and external data to inform next steps, identify gaps, and suggest new lines of enquiry
- Influence the evolution of ways of working across Group and Banner by championing user-centred practices and continuously improving how research is planned, shared, and applied
- Actively contribute to establishing a shared research knowledge base, promoting knowledge reuse and insight consolidation across product areas
- Take accountability for the quality and coherence of the experiences your team delivers, ensuring they are grounded in evidence and aligned with user needs
Required skills & experience
Required Skills & Experience:
- Takes ownership and responsibility for delivering high-quality, end-to-end research
- A self-starter who identifies opportunities, raises potential risks and proposes practical solutions
- Comfortable managing ambiguity with a strategic and systems-orientated mindset
- Excellent attention to detail, able to prioritise what matters most to users and the business
- Skilled in a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods, with the ability to select the right approach for the context
- Able to synthesise and frame research findings within the broader product and customer journey context
- Naturally collaborative and curious, eager to challenge assumptions and improve ways of working
- A strong storyteller and presenter, able to tailor insights to different audiences and clearly articulate the “so what”
- Who gives and receives quality feedback in equal measures
- Work collaboratively with inter-disciplinary teams, supporting through research, in the development of crafted, valuable customer experiences
- Comfortable in customer-facing interview scenarios, from 1:1 user interviews to longitudinal studies, operating with empathy and professionalism
- Strong planning and prioritisation, organisation and documentation skills, with experience managing multiple workstreams
- Adept at supporting cross-functional teams through the product lifecycle – helping them connect with user needs and translate insights into action
- Able to work at pace: turning around quick feedback to unblock decisions and following up with deeper, strategic insight
- Champions the value of research and best practice across teams, encouraging experimentation and new approaches
- Participate in and contribute to design critiques and post project reviews
- Contribute to a culture of innovation by sharing new technologies and industry design trends within Team, Chapter and beyond
- Inquisitive and eager to continuously improve and learn, staying up to date with new technologies, industry and design trends
Desirable Skills & Experience
- Experience reviewing / interpreting quantitative data (web and onsite behavioural analytics, survey data etc) to complement qualitative insights and inform design decisions
- Comfortable working in an Agile, multidisciplinary teams and iterating research in fast-paced delivery environments, working across multiple squads
- Familiarity with both Lean UX Research processes for rapid testing as well as more robust, in-depth methods for strategic insight generation
- Skilled in hypothesis driven design, using research to validate assumptions and shape iterative product development
- Experience conducting research across omni-channel user experiences
- Knowledge of ResearchOps Principles, including participant recruitment, tooling, ethics and research asset management
- Proficient using online research platforms (User Testing, Fable, Optimal Workshop etc) and comfortable with light video editing for storytelling purposes
- Familiar with prototyping (including their limitations) and documentation practices to communicate insights effectively
Career progression
What's in it for me?
As part of a great team, you’ll be valued for who you are. We’re committed to making B&Q more diverse and representative of the communities we serve, where everyone can feel they belong and have equal opportunities. You will have access to a range of networks that represent our colleagues and allies and help us to continue to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business.
We also recognise that wellness means different things to different people, and we want to help colleagues be at their best and feel well by offering a range of benefits to help you. As well as a competitive salary, our benefits package includes an award-winning pension scheme, bonus, ShareSave options, 6.6 weeks holiday, payroll giving, an Employee Assistance Programme, shopping discounts, colleague wellbeing benefits and lots more!
So we can support you during the application or interview process, please contact recruitment@b-and-q.co.uk for any recruitment adjustments.
We want to ensure that all employees, future employees and applicants to all Kingfisher companies are treated equally regardless of age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, colour, ethnic or national origin, culture, religious belief, philosophical belief, political opinion, disability, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.
If you require any additional support or adjustments to help you make an application, please contact us at recruitment@b-and-q.co.uk.
Rewards &
benefits
Discount card
The one we all love! Get 20% discount on your purchases at B&Q in-store and online, after you've been with us for 3 months.
Share schemes
Share in the success you help create. With our shareplans, from just £5 per month, you can build up a savings pot, or use what you save to be a Kingfisher share holder.
Life assurance
If the worst should happen, Life Assurance ensures those close to you have some protection.
Employee assistance programme
We offer free and confidential support and counselling to help you through matters such as wellbeing, divorce, legal, and financial management.
Salary/Bonus
We offer competitive salaries for all roles, and benchmark them, to ensure that we’re getting it right. And, as we value the contribution of all our colleagues equally, whether they are 17 or 70, our rates of pay for each job is the same.
Pension
You’ll have access to the award-winning Kingfisher Pension Scheme, and we’ll put money in alongside your savings too.
Medical
We have a number of medical benefits available depending on your role to help you and your family look after yourselves.
Leave
All work and no play is no fun! So, you can enjoy 6.6 weeks' leave, plus we'll reward you with additional leave and cash rewards to celebrate long service anniversaries and milestone years.
Flexible working
The chance to achieve more balance between work and your other commitments.
Shopping discounts
Take advantage of fantastic discounts on loads of products and services, just for being a B&Q colleague!
Gym discounts
We have a network of over 3,300 health clubs offering discounts to colleagues and their partners of up to 25% on self-paid gym memberships.
Eye care
If you use a computer regularly for work, then we pay for your eye test
every two years. If you do require glasses, then you’ll also get £49/€69 towards single focal lenses and frames too.
Cycling to work scheme
Whether you are thinking green, trying to get fit or saving money, our cycle to work scheme helps colleagues spread the cost and save money on any bike and safety equipment through salary sacrifice.
Long service
Just like most families, we like to celebrate anniversaries and milestone years. For every 10 years up to 40 years’ service we give extra annual leave and a cash payment.
Training &
development
Learn & Develop at B&Q
When you join B&Q, we want you to be all you can be. From the minute you walk through our doors to the exciting moment you make that next career move, we're here to help you make the most of every opportunity. Thanks to our friendly learning system, Leo, we make sure you always have the support you need to take on every challenge and fit your learning around your life. Here, we know that the best way to grow is together.
Flexible learning with Leo
Leo is your every day, on the go learning and development partner. Helping you build the knowledge you need now and in the future. With Leo, you can access training and content, anywhere, anytime and on any device. You can even influence the type of training on offer by rating and recommending content, and letting us know what we can do to improve. Award-winning and featuring over 150 different learning activities - like short videos, articles, workshops and webinars - think of Leo as your 24/7 training pal, designed to help you make the most of your B&Q career journey.
Developing in role
Learning never stops at B&Q. Whether you've been in your role for one day or five years, there's always something to be curious about. It's why we're always creating learning opportunities and experiences that'll give you the chance to develop your skills. Like our First Line Manager programme: a course that helps our newest line managers build their confidence and management skills. Or our Leadership Development programme that challenges our more experienced leaders to reflect on and adapt their approach for our ever-evolving ways of working.
Building expertise and know-how
We believe anyone can learn the technical skills to do their job with excellence. It's all about attitude and behaviour here. So, if you're passionate about customer service and design, we'll teach you how to create beautiful kitchens. If you're someone who loves being outdoors, we'll help you learn about our garden ranges. And, if you're someone who just loves what we do but doesn't know where to start, we'll help you find the perfect role for you to grow into.
Accelerated Development Talent Programmes
Whatever goal you're working to at B&Q, we want to help you get there. We do this by designing a number of programmes which help you to practice your skills and learn new ones, gain valuable experiences, learn from others and jump on opportunities that are right for you. From leaders taking their first steps into management to those simply looking for a new challenge, we're there to make sure you achieve your ambitions.
Induction
At B&Q, we want every new colleague to understand our values, our customers, and how we work together to achieve our purpose. That’s why we’ve designed an induction programme that’ll give you real insight into our business, our culture and help you feel included from day one. For your first few weeks on the job you’ll work with your team and line manager, mixing online learning with practical tasks, to grow your knowledge a little every day.
A day in the life
Tare, Online Merchandiser
I make customer interactions with B&Q better, from a digital point of view. It means looking closely at customer journeys, seeing what customers are doing, and listening to them through feedback and reports, then seeing how I can take that information and practically tweak it and improve things so they have better experiences.
Explore our
store support office
Facilities
In B&Q house, you’ll enjoy an onsite gym, a subsidised Costa, a canteen and restaurant, prayer room, plus open plan and cosy work spaces, an outdoor picnic area, and bike sheds for those who cycle in.
Sustainability
B&Q House has a biomass boiler, solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system. Our building also makes use of upcycled and recycled furniture and fittings, and features natural ventilation, heat retention and CO2 management, all via our very own weather station on the roof.
Why
choose us?
Why Digital & Technology at B&Q?
We're much more than just our stores these days, which is why our Digital & Technology teams are so important. Using technology to create seamless customer experiences for millions, they're helping us change for the future.
Why B&QReady to apply?
Step 1:
Apply via bandqcareers.com
Step 2:
We'll contact you for a phone interview
Step 3:
We’ll carry out a face to face or online interview (and we may request a 2nd interview if the role you're applying for is more complex).
Step 4:
We’ll contact you with feedback, and maybe even a job offer.
Check out our FAQs for more information about interviewing at B&Q.