Location
London (based at London Fire Brigade’s Head Office, Union Street SE1 0LL)

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£67,715 per annum

About the Role
This is a leadership role within the User Centred Design (UCD) team, part of the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Digital Experience Unit (DEU). You will lead the DEU’s Service Design team, setting strategic direction, guiding and mentoring team members, and championing service design across the organisation. Your work will ensure that users can complete their goals effectively and that digital services support the delivery of GLA policy intent.

You will collaborate closely with policy teams, stakeholders, and other user-centred design and digital colleagues to explore problems, test ideas, and deliver improved outcomes for users. This may involve creating or refining internal and external processes, services, products, and content across both digital and offline channels within the GLA or GLA group.

Your responsibilities will cover the entire design and delivery process, including framing problems, understanding and visualising service landscapes, improving and reimagining end-to-end services, visualising processes, and supporting implementation.

You will lead and inspire a talented Service Design team, working alongside the Head of UCD, senior managers, and other team leads to embed inclusive, accessible, and environmentally sustainable design practices. You will line-manage and mentor Service Designers, User Researchers, and other team members, supporting their professional development and aligning their objectives with UCD priorities.

Your role will involve managing multiple high-profile projects, using research and evidence to shape design decisions, and developing high-quality service design artefacts such as journey maps, service blueprints, and prototypes to communicate design intent and test ideas.

Experience
- Proven experience leading service design in complex organisations, ideally within government or large-scale digital transformation.
- Demonstrated ability to use design systems to solve challenges across multiple services and identify the simplest, evidence-backed approaches.
- Skilled in mentoring and coaching teams to adopt iterative design processes with a consistent focus on user needs and outcomes.
- Experience leading strategic use of data in service design, integrating diverse insights to drive innovation.
- Expertise in inclusive design best practices, ensuring services meet or exceed legal, ethical, and user requirements.
- Experience contributing to policies and practices that embed accessibility and inclusive design into organisational culture.

About You
- Strategic thinker who understands the bigger picture and can translate vision into practical plans.
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate, inspire, and develop high-performing teams.
- Excellent planner and organiser, able to manage multiple priorities and foster collaboration.
- Stakeholder-focused, able to understand diverse needs and manage expectations effectively.
- Skilled communicator and influencer, capable of presenting clear, compelling arguments and negotiating to achieve objectives.
- Decisive, evidence-based decision maker who takes accountability and encourages team autonomy.
- Creative problem solver who challenges the status quo and supports innovation.
- Analytical with a strong research and data analysis capability, ensuring high-quality intelligence informs decisions.

Qualifications
- No specific qualifications are mandated; however, relevant experience in service design leadership within complex or governmental organisations is essential.
- Commitment to continuous professional development and embedding inclusive, accessible design practices.