About the team
The UCD team brings together specialisms including digital engagement, service design, user research, business analysis, content and interaction design and performance analysis. These specialisms work in harmony with a shared mission to make all products and services as inclusive, accessible and user-centric as possible.
About the role
This is a leadership role within the User Centred Design team, in the GLA’s Digital Experience Unit. You’ll lead the DEU’s Service Design team, setting the direction, guiding teams and championing the role of service design across the organisation, ensuring users can complete their goals and that our digital services support the delivery of GLA policy intent.
You’ll work with policy teams, stakeholders and other user centred design and digital colleagues to explore problems, test ideas and deliver better outcomes for users. This may involve the creation of, or changes to, internal and external processes, services, products and content across both digital and offline channels, within the GLA or GLA group.
You will be working through the entire design and delivery process, from framing problems, understanding, and visualising the service landscapes for teams, improving and reimagining end-to-end services, visualising processes, services and products and supporting their implementation
What your day will look like
- You will be leading and inspiring a talented Service Design team, working with the Head of UCD, senior managers and other team leads to set the direction of service design within the GLA.
- You will be line-managing and mentoring the Service Designer, User Researcher, and other team members — supporting their professional development and aligning their OKRs with UCD priorities.
- You will be working with other colleagues in the UCD team and wider DEU, in a collaborative way, planning project activity in a way that uses the resource we have efficiently and allows for transparency and collaboration across teams.
- You will be working on multiple, high-profile projects, working collaboratively with colleagues to design and iterate services to support user needs and embedding inclusive, accessible, and environmentally sustainable design.
- You will be using research and evidence to shape service design decisions, ensuring user needs and organisational goals are aligned.
- You will be developing high-quality service design artefacts — such as journey maps, service blueprints, and prototypes — to communicate design intent and test ideas.
Skills, knowledge and experience
To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:
- Proven experience leading service design in complex organisations, ideally in government or large-scale digital transformation. Can show evidence of using design systems to solve challenges across multiple services and can identify the simplest approach out of a variety of approaches, backed by evidence.
- The skills to mentor and coach teams in adopting and refining iterative processes, ensuring a consistent focus on user needs and outcomes across all stages of design.
- The ability to set the standard for iterative design practices, guiding teams through complex projects from initial concept to final implementation.
- The capability to lead the strategic use of data in service design, integrating insights from a wide range of sources to drive innovation and effectiveness.
- The expertise to provide guidance on best practices for inclusive design, ensuring that all services meet or exceed legal, ethical, and user needs.
- The commitment to contribute to the development of policies and practices that embed accessibility and inclusive design into the organisation's culture and processes.
