The LGIU – Local Government Information Unit – is a not-for-profit, non-partisan membership organisation. We are for local government and anyone with an interest in local democracy and finding local solutions to the challenges that we all face. Our resources, innovative research and connections are relied on by colleagues across the globe.  Our purpose is the promotion for the public good of efficient public administration of local government by the provision of information, advice, research and training and the publication of research.

We are looking for a Head of Systems and Digital to join us. This is a newly created post which reflects our need to invest in our online systems and continually improve the way that we communicate with our users.

When the LGIU was formed in 1983 our key communication tool was our basement franking machine!  We are now in our 40th year and we now rely on our website, mailing systems and CRM database to share our intelligence and insights.  We currently have more than 30,000 subscribers worldwide receiving LGIU resources but our ambition is to go further. We aim to be the preeminent global hub for the best information, ideas and insight about local government and local democracy, and we know that this aim will only be achieved through investment in our digital systems  and capabilities.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you’ll be responsible for LGIU’s digital infrastructure and strategy. You’ll have the opportunity to build a team and you’ll oversee a continuing programme of investment and improvement to enable LGIU to achieve its global objectives through the effective deployment and maintenance of web-based technologies and interfaces.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring that our users have a seamless online experience that has been designed to meet their needs and which enables them to get the most from LGIU membership. You will lead on the development and maintenance of technical solutions and interfaces and for supporting membership and engagement through data and performance reports.

In carrying out our work, we work with a number of third parties and this role will be the key point of contact between our internal teams and our external technology suppliers, ensuring that projects are managed effectively and communication flows freely. As such, this role requires strong project management and relationship management skills.

Responsibilities

Strategy

Lead on the development of a digital strategy and roadmap for the organisation, liaising and consulting with other Head of Departments and partners as necessary to identify their needs and the needs of users, and then overseeing the development of digital solutions that meet those needs.

Systems and Database Management

• Proactively support and develop our systems and capabilities to ensure that the organisation obtains maximum benefit from them, and where necessary to develop new systems and processes across the organisation.
• Oversee the management and utilisation of our membership CRM.
• Support and maintenance of technical solutions and interfaces across the company’s web, email and data systems.  This primarily includes the integration between the website / customer relationship database and mailer software.
• Oversee the management of system updates and resolution of issues such as email deliverability issues.
• System interrogations, data cleansing, data gathering, extraction and analysis to report on, maintain and improve systems and ensure a good experience for users.
• Maintain an awareness of the wider market place to ensure that LGIU systems and processes respond to changing needs and conditions.
• Support business development and member support through data and reporting
• Management of user focused change and improvement projects (including a planned redesign of the website).
• Ensure that all change and improvement projects maintain a focus on user needs.

General

• Line management of the Membership Data and Insight Coordinator
• To oversee the management of the company’s hardware and software services and subscriptions.
• To act as a point of contact and relationship manager for our member IT departments and  all third party support agencies including the external web partner.
• To keep abreast of the changing digital landscape, proactively identifying opportunities to learn from new innovations or best practice examples

Policy and Compliance

• To lead the development and enforcement of policies and procedures concerning the use and governance of data and database systems, ensuring that all users of data within the LGIU understand their roles and responsibilities in the management of data.
• To ensure the organisation is adhering to data protection law and safeguarding requirements in relation to its use of data. To be the gatekeeper of any personal data that is shared by or with a third party by performing data exports and imports from the database as and when they are required.
• To ensure ongoing compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Data Protection Act (2018) across the organisation. To proactively identify any areas where personal data is being processed and ensure appropriate data management processes are adhered to.
• To complete administrative tasks relating to the GDPR including, but not limited to breach notification and logging, data privacy impact assessment reviews, data sharing agreements, subject access requests and rights to be forgotten

Experience and Expertise

• Experience implementing and managing CRM systems.
• Experience implementing, managing and supporting web applications (e.g. web content management systems), interfaces and integrations.
• Experience delivering integrated, multi-domain business and IT applications e.g. database, integrations, web-based applications.
• Experience managing complex datasets in both B2B and B2C environments .
• Detailed knowledge of legislation, standards and best practice relating to web services and applications.
• Detailed knowledge of web analytics and performance tools such as Google Analytics.
• An understanding of user-centred design and content
• Experience in managing projects and subcontractors.

Behaviours

• You will bring excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage and influence internal and external stakeholders.
• We are looking for an innovative problem solver who thinks to the future and prioritises long term solutions over short term fixes.
• You will be capable of operating collaboratively and effectively in a multidisciplinary environment. You will be comfortable sharing your expertise and perspectives and will seek input and advice from others in order to best meet the needs of users.

We’d love it if you have:

• Experience in a membership organisation
• Experience using CiviCRM
• An interest in local democracy and in supporting local government
• Line management experience
• Experience in developing business intelligence systems and tools
• Experience with custom WordPress.org development/maintenance.

Benefits

• The role – This is a permanent full-time position (35 hours per week) working for LGiU International with a salary of £50,000 pa.  We offer the Nest pension plan.
• Location – remotely based in the UK with occasional office attendance in London.
• Flexible working – We support flexible working arrangements to promote a healthy work life balance so if you have a preferred working pattern, we’ll do everything we can to accommodate it.
• Holiday – You’ll get a very generous holiday allowance of 30 days per year plus bank holidays, well above the UK average.
• Health and wellbeing – LGiU provides support through our corporate Health Assured membership, which includes free confidential counselling sessions and other mental health resources.
• Learning – There are loads of opportunities to learn more about local government policy and politics and to develop your skills.  You’re free to attend any of our learning and development sessions and we support staff to upskill through attending events and courses and through further study.
• We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, ethnicities, sexualities, gender identities and ages.  If you have a disability for which you need adjustments in the interview process or the role itself, please let us know so we can make sure you’re able to participate fully.

To apply

If you have the skills, experience and ambition for this role then we’d love to hear from you. If you meet most but not all of the requirements in this job posting, please do apply. You are very much of interest to us and we encourage you to fill out our application  Use the form at the top of this page or find the same form at this link to apply for this role.

The deadline for applications is midnight, Sunday 2nd April 2023. Shortlisted candidates will be notified on Wednesday 5th April. Interviews will be virtual and take place on  Friday 14th April and Monday 17 April.

To avoid the risk of bias in our hiring processes, we will be using anonymised screening questions to shortlist candidates for interview. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit a CV ahead of their interview.

The successful candidate will start as soon as possible, depending on their notice period.