Organisation: Greater London Authority 

Job title: Service Design Lead 
Reference: 4447 

Salary: £67,715 per annum                                            

Grade: 11 

Contract type: Fixed-term contract for 1 year 

Contract details: Fulltime 37 hours a week                                       

Team: Strategic Licensing and 24 Hour London                                           

Directorate: Good Growth 

Interview date: TB C 

Location: Hybrid/Union Street  

Application closing date: Monday 14 June 2026 at 23:59  

Good Growth   

Good Growth is responsible for delivering and implementing the Mayor’s environment, transport and economic strategies and for the effective implementation of the London Plan. The Directorate is also responsible for regeneration (where the programme is not housing led), enterprise, growth, capital projects and design work. 

About the team 

London is a city recognised as the global capital for arts and culture. Our theatres, music venues, museums and galleries are renowned across the world. Our creative industries are vital to London’s success and the recording studios, rehearsal spaces, artists' workspaces, grassroots music, and LGBTQ+ venues all contribute to this success. 

The Culture, Creative Industries and 24-Hour London portfolio at the Greater London Authority focuses on supporting London’s cultural and creative economy, strengthening cultural infrastructure, and ensuring the city functions as a global, inclusive 24‑hour city. This includes overseeing major projects such as Creative Enterprise Zones, London Borough of Culture, the Fourth Plinth commission, and initiatives that support the night‑time economy. Alongside programme delivery, the team is preparing for devolved powers of licensing to the Mayor — working with boroughs, the police, industry and communities to ensure that licensing and regulatory frameworks support vibrancy, safety and economic growth while balancing local impacts. 

The Culture, Creative Industries and 24-Hour London Unit, in partnership with teams across the Greater London Authority (GLA), is leading an exciting new government-backed pilot to establish strategic licensing powers for the Mayor of London. This high-profile initiative is a cornerstone of the Government’s and Mayor’s shared growth agenda—unlocking opportunities for London’s hospitality, cultural and nighttime economies.  

About the role  

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Culture, Creative Industries and 24 Hour London (CCI24) Unit delivering the Mayor’s and the Strategic Licensing policy.  

You’ll be at the heart of a fast-paced, cross-organisational effort to design and implement new licensing powers—with the ambition to launch by Summer 2026.  

This is a unique opportunity to:  

• Support and shape a new policy and regulatory function within the GLA  

• Drive innovation in how licensing supports London’s economic and cultural vibrancy  

• Work with senior stakeholders across government, industry, and the city  

• Make a visible impact on how London works, plays, and grows  

As Service Design Lead for Strategic Licensing you will shape, steer and deliver the service design approach, working across policy teams, project stakeholders and multidisciplinary specialists. You will guide and coordinate service design activity for the project and may manage or matrix‑manage other user‑centred design professionals, depending on project needs.  

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 

• Setting the service design approach for a brand‑new licensing function, aligning methods, priorities and artefacts with policy intent, user needs and the Mayor’s strategic goals. 

• Guiding user researchers, content designers, interaction designers and analysts through complex problem spaces, helping them design together and make evidence‑based decisions at pace. 

• Visualising end‑to‑end services, mapping processes, and producing high‑quality artefacts that help senior leaders, policy teams and delivery partners understand how the new licensing system should work. 

• Embedding accessibility, sustainability and equity into every stage of the service, and integrating insights from research, data and lived experience to shape decisions. 

• Running co‑design sessions with senior stakeholders, quality‑assuring supplier outputs, mentoring designers, and ensuring the emerging service is feasible, user‑centred and ready for implementation. 

Skills, knowledge and experience  

To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria: 

• Proven experience leading service design in complex and large-scale programmes, using evidence-based approaches and design systems to deliver simple, scalable solutions across multiple services. 

• The skills to mentor and coach multidisciplinary teams in iterative, user-centred design practices, embedding continuous improvement and outcome-focused delivery. 

• The ability to set standards for service design and inclusive design practices, guiding teams from discovery through implementation while ensuring accessibility, legal compliance and excellent user experiences. 

• The capability to lead the strategic use of data, user research and insight to inform service design decisions, develop data-driven strategies, and drive innovation and effectiveness. 

• The ability to facilitate complex co-design sessions and built strong relationships with senior stakeholders, confidently managing expectations, navigating difficult discussions and aligning diverse perspectives. 

• The expertise to define and lead strategic service design direction within the programme, influencing decision-making through compelling narratives, championing design value and shaping policies that embed accessibility and user-centred design. 

Behavioural Competencies 

Planning and Organising 

… is thinking ahead, managing time, priorities and risk, and developing structured and efficient approaches to deliver work on time and to a high standard. 

Level 4 indicators: 

• Exchanges ideas and knowledge with partners, subject-matter experts, and senior stakeholders to foster new research agendas and derive insights for the GLA 

• Takes accountability for the quality of intelligence that research and new policy are based upon 

• Encourages new and innovative insights from analysis 

• Evaluates the feasibility and cost effectiveness of research proposals, 

• Stringently assessing whether the research will add real value 

• Encourages research with a highly practical focus and maximum impact for Londoners 

Stakeholder focus 

… is consulting with, listening to and understanding the needs of those our work impacts and using this knowledge to shape what we do and manage others’ expectations. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Understands diverse stakeholder needs and tailors team deliverables accordingly 

• Is a role model to others, encouraging them to think of Londoners first 

• Manages stakeholder expectations, so they are high but realistic 

• Removes barriers to understanding the needs of diverse stakeholders, including hard to reach groups 

• Focuses own and team’s efforts on delivering a quality and committed service 

Communicating and influencing 

… is presenting information and arguments clearly and convincingly so that others see us as credible and articulate, and engage with us. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Encourages and supports teams in engaging in transparent and inclusive communication 

• Influences others and gains buy-in using compelling, well thought through arguments 

• Negotiates effectively to deliver GLA priorities 

• Synthesises the complex viewpoints of others, recognises where compromise is necessary and brokers agreement 

• Advocates positively for the GLA both within and outside the organisation 

Strategic thinking 

…is using an understanding of the bigger picture to uncover potential challenges and opportunities for the long term and turning these into a compelling vision for action. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Translates GLA vision and strategy into practical and tangible plans for own team or delivery partners 

• Consistently takes account of the wider implications of team’s actions for the GLA 

• Encourages self and others to think about organisation’s long term potential 

• Informs strategy development by identifying gaps in current delivery or evidence 

• Takes account of a wide range of public and partner needs to inform team’s work 

Decision making 

… is forming sound, evidence-based judgements, making choices, assessing risks to delivery, and taking accountability for results. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Makes sound decisions quickly on behalf of the GLA when a situation requires intervention 

• Takes responsibility for team decisions, providing rationale when those decisions are questioned 

• Involves senior stakeholders early in decisions that impact them 

• Analyses organisational risks associated with decisions, including those with long term impacts, before committing to action 

• Encourages others in the team to make decisions in their own area of expertise, take appropriate risks and learn from experience 

Problem solving 

… is analysing and interpreting situations from a variety of viewpoints and finding creative, workable and timely solutions. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Clarifies ambiguous problems, questioning assumptions to reach a fuller understanding 

• Actively challenges the status quo to find new ways of doing things, looking for good practice 

• Seeks and incorporates diverse perspectives to help produce workable strategies to address compel issues 

• Initiates consultation on opportunities to improve work processes 

• Supports the organisation to implement innovative suggestions 

Research and analysis 

… is gathering intelligence (information, opinion and data) from varied sources, making sense of it, testing its validity and drawing conclusions that can lead to practical benefits. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Expands networks to gain new information sources for research and policy development 

• Identifies and implements methods to ensure intelligence is of a high quality 

• Encourages others to analyse data from different angles, using multiple perspectives to identify connections and new insights 

• Tailors research investment in line with likely impact for Londoners and policy priorities 

• Retains a bigger picture view, ensuring research recommendations are appropriate and practical for the GLA and its stakeholders 

Organisational awareness 

… is understanding and being sensitive to organisational dynamics, culture and politics across and beyond the GLA and shaping our approach accordingly. 

Level 3 indicators: 

• Uses understanding of differences between the GLA and its partners to improve working relationships 

• Helps others understand the GLA and the compel environment in which it operates 

• Translates changing political agendas into tangible actions 

• Considers the diverse needs of Londoners in formulating GLA objectives 

• Helps others understand how the media and external perceptions of the GLA influence work 

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here: GLA Competency Framework 

This role is based at London Fire Brigade’s Head Office (Union Street SE1 0LL). 

How to apply  

If you would like to apply for the role you will need to submit the following: 

• Up to date CV  

• Personal statement with a maximum of 1500 words. Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria outlined above in the advert. 

Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement have a maximum file size of 1.5MB each and upload your Personal Statement to the ‘CV and Cover Letters’ section’ of the form, ensuring you address the technical requirements and competencies in your Personal Statement. 

Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement are saved with the job reference number as part of the naming convention (E.g., “CV – applicant name - 012345) 

As part of GLA’s continuing commitment to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer we will be removing personal identifiable information from CVs and Personal Statements that could cause discrimination.  

We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. 

 
If you have questions about the role 

If you wish to talk to someone about the role, the hiring manager Maria Portugal would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them at maria.portugal@london.gov.uk  

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact the glaopdcrecruitment@tfl.gov.uk who support the GLA with recruitment. 

Is this role eligible for sponsorship? 

This role DOES NOT meet the criteria for sponsorship for external candidates. It may meet the criteria for sponsorship for some internal candidates, in limited circumstances. Please contact the hiring manager if you wish to discuss this further. 

Assessment process  

Once you have submitted an application, your details will be reviewed by a panel. 

If shortlisted, you’ll be invited to an interview/assessment.