User Researcher

User Researcher Jobs in Lusaka – Open Ownership

Open Ownership is seeking a skilled User Researcher to join our digital team based in Lusaka, Zambia. This full-time position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a transformative project modernizing Zambia’s Business Register, enhancing beneficial ownership transparency and digital governance.

About the Role: User Researcher Jobs in Lusaka

The User Researcher will play a pivotal role in planning and executing user research and usability testing throughout the development lifecycle. Working closely with the Digital Lead and developers, you will ensure the new company registry system meets the diverse needs of users, including PACRA internal staff, businesses, company service providers, and government data users.

This position is based at PACRA House, Haile Selassie Avenue, Longacres, Lusaka. It is a six-month international self-employed contractor role, with a daily remuneration of ZMW 2,150 (equivalent to approximately ZMW 45,150 per month). The contract is initially until 14 December 2026, with potential extensions based on funding and performance.

Project Overview

The Patents and Company Registration Agency (PACRA), in partnership with Open Ownership, is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of Zambia’s Business Register. This initiative aims to replace legacy systems with an efficient, scalable, and internationally aligned digital registry. The project focuses on improving user experience, enhancing infrastructure, and integrating workflows to increase compliance and transparency.

The first year involves rebuilding core infrastructure and implementing key workflows such as name clearance, company incorporation, beneficial ownership declarations, and data access via API. The User Researcher will be embedded within an agile digital team, contributing to the design and development of this critical system.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct user research activities including discovery research, usability testing, and evaluative testing of prototypes and live features.
• Recruit and manage research participants across multiple user groups with varying digital literacy levels.
• Synthesize research insights into actionable recommendations to inform sprint planning and product decisions.
• Maintain a repository of user research findings to build institutional knowledge over time.
• Advocate for user needs within the team and support the Digital Lead and developers in understanding user impacts of design and technical choices.
• Design and conduct structured usability tests to identify barriers, accessibility concerns, and adoption challenges.
• Collaborate iteratively with the development team to validate improvements and ensure inclusivity for diverse user environments.
• Contribute to agile team processes including sprint planning and retrospectives from a user research perspective.
• Support product strategy and stakeholder communications with evidence-based insights.
• Help establish lightweight research operations suited to the project scale and context.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for a Lusaka-based professional with proven experience conducting user research and usability testing in agile software development environments. The ideal candidate will be adept at working at pace, adapting research methods to dynamic product contexts, and communicating findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Demonstrated experience conducting user research and usability testing within agile teams.
• Experience recruiting and engaging diverse user groups, including low digital literacy and institutional users.
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods such as interviews, contextual inquiry, surveys, and card sorting.
• Ability to translate research findings into user stories, personas, journey maps, or usability reports.
• Experience collaborating closely with developers in sprint-based workflows to influence product decisions.
• Experience in government or public sector contexts in Zambia is highly desirable.
• Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills with confidence to lead sessions involving senior stakeholders and public participants.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; knowledge of local Zambian languages is an advantage.
• Self-organized with the ability to manage multiple workstreams independently.
• Empathetic and practical approach to understanding user interactions with digital systems.

Application Process

To apply, please submit your CV, a link to your GitHub or portfolio, and a cover letter outlining your suitability for this role by midnight on 5 July (CAT). Applications should be sent to recruitment@openownership.org with “User Researcher” in the subject line.

The selection process includes a panel interview during the week commencing 13 July. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Additional Information

Open Ownership is fiscally sponsored by Global Impact, a US-based nonprofit (501c3). This arrangement allows Open Ownership to operate programs without establishing a separate legal entity. Your contract will be with Global Impact on behalf of Open Ownership. For more information, check out here.

Job Details