About LOTI

The London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI) helps London borough councils and the Greater London Authority (GLA) use innovation, data and technology to be high performing organisations, improve services and tackle London’s biggest challenges together. We’re funded by our membership of 26 London boroughs, the GLA and London Councils. We’re hosted by London Councils, which represents London’s 32 councils and the City of London. Read about LOTI’s work at: https://loti.london/.

Job Purpose 

London local government faces huge challenges as it seeks to meet the needs of its residents. To design effective solutions to those challenges, LOTI advocates that borough councils do not merely improve the technologies they use, but also think deeply and creatively about user needs, their ways of working, processes and service models.

To help achieve this, LOTI is seeking a Service Designer to bring their talents to support our diverse portfolio of projects with London local government. Over the next three years, we have a strategic focus on four thematic areas: Digital Inclusion, Adult Social Care, Housing and Net Zero. This role will support the research, design and development phases of new and existing projects across all these themes, implementing and embedding good design practices and principles, as well as helping to nurture and spread those same skills across London local government. 

You’ll report to LOTI’s Digital Innovation Delivery Lead (your line manager) while working to bring your skills in user research and service design to support projects across the whole LOTI team.

How We Work

The LOTI team is made up of nine people. You would be our tenth member of staff. While being small, LOTI can draw on the time, ideas and energy of dozens of people from across our membership. We are committed to being a high-performing team, constantly reviewing, learning and adapting our ways of working and operating in a high-challenge, high-support culture. We approach all aspects of our work with an outcomes-driven mindset, with an emphasis on finding creative and pragmatic solutions that can work in the complex environment of local government. 

Principal Responsibilities

Reporting to LOTI’s Digital Innovation Delivery Lead, you will:

• Work to deliver the user research and service design aspects of projects led by different members of the LOTI team, while being supported and under the guidance of your line manager.

• Use (and advise the LOTI team and its members on how to deploy) a variety of service design tools and methods such as primary and secondary research, user stories, personas, wireframes/prototypes, in order to help design products and services that address real user needs and successfully achieve project outcomes across the four LOTI thematic areas.

• Iteratively design processes, services and/or products providing expertise in the optimisation of accessibility and usability, ensuring that solutions meet the Government Digital Service Standard.

• Use LOTI’s outcomes-driven methodology and agile methods for the planning and execution of projects.

• Undertake activities that are likely to include:

  • Conducting discoveries to better understand and define user needs and problems, scoping potential solutions for streamlining services and developing products;

  • Mapping of user journeys/business flows;

  • Developing and owning detailed research and design plans;

  • Iteratively prototyping and testing products and services;

  • Making insight-led recommendations and supporting the scaling and adoption of services/products;

  • Designing, supporting or running project-related workshops and events;

  • Working with LOTI’s partners and contractors to deliver projects, products and services;

  • Convening project partners at each stage of the design process to clarify hypotheses and keep them focused on the project’s key goals and activities;

  • Managing relationships with technical contractors and other experts;

  • Guiding partners on the use of LOTI’s outcomes-driven methodology;

  • Monitoring and seeking effective solutions to issues and risks, escalating where necessary;

  • Working with data specialists in the LOTI team to ensure data ethics and information governance processes and principles are followed as part of the design of projects;

  • Ensuring the progress and outputs of each design project are captured and shared as part of our commitment to working in the open.

  • Ensuring the views of all participating project partners are fully considered, verified and validated and that effective prioritisation is applied to ensure a successful project outcome.

• Write clear and concise start/end of project summaries and reports, sometimes in conjunction with other partners/consultants, making recommendations based on gathered insights.

• Represent LOTI at meetings with local authorities, the GLA, other organisations and relevant networks and communities of practice, as required. 

• Actively participate in the coordination and delivery of other LOTI team projects and activities.

Organisational Responsibilities

• To adhere to London Councils’ policies, procedures, regulations and protocols in the discharge of all duties, in all aspects of work, including the Data Protection Act 2018.

• To take care at all times to uphold health and safety at work for self and others and observe London Councils’ Health and Safety policy and related procedures. 

• To uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in line with the expectations of a local government officer and to adhere to such standards in order to uphold the reputation of London Councils and local government in London.  

About You

Our ideal candidate will:

• Enjoy problem-solving in complex, changeable and sometimes ambiguous environments with many different stakeholders, where creativity and a strong dose of pragmatism are required.  

• Be informed and credible in talking to local authorities about the role of user-centred design methods in improving public services.

• Be comfortable designing and running exploratory design-led workshops that seek to clarify desired outcomes.

• Be comfortable with contributing to design briefs for technology partners and overseeing the delivery of technology products.

• Have experience managing projects using agile methods involving multiple teams and/or organisations, while building strong relationships with all partners.

• Have buckets of initiative and a willingness to find or develop new approaches based on the needs of our team and members.

• Be a clear and articulate communicator, both in writing and in person.

• Be comfortable working in a small and fast-moving team, managing a mixed and varied workload, and responding effectively to the needs of a range of stakeholders.

• Be committed to constantly learning, trialing new methods and honing your craft with the support of the LOTI team

Note

LOTI’s work constantly evolves as we try new things, learn and adapt to meet the needs of our members. This job description is therefore not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the post-holder works. Other duties appropriate to the post may be assigned from time to time.

Hybrid working

The nature of LOTI’s activities is such that a significant amount of work can be conducted remotely. We currently envisage that 1-2 days a week (usually a Monday plus one other) will be spent in London, but the timing and frequency will be discussed and agreed with the team based on the needs of our members and London Councils' policies.