Job Specification

Purpose :

To provide expertise in the design, delivery, evaluation and maintenance of leading-edge user experience strategies and online experiences for citizens and businesses using the government's official websites.

To lead and conduct multiple concurrent research, content design and strategy projects to meet the needs of all OPS clients.

To provide advice on the development of web content/user experience strategies, standards, and performance measures for the OPS.

To visualize/design and provide strategic oversight across the government's website and digital platforms, and ensure content and features are simple, user-friendly, and accessible.

Key Responsibilities :

Provides expertise in developing and executing online user experience/content strategy as part of the agile development software life cycle, ensuring incorporation of best practices in user experience/content design. Provides advice and guidance on all aspects of user experience/content design strategy, assessing user characteristics, needs, goals, and opportunities. Develops processes to define and test usability requirements and metrics, and ensures that specifications and new features for the enterprise intranet follow standards/best practices, meeting usability and user experience standards and specifications.

Leads and negotiates the development of user experience/content standards and performance measures, produces design concepts/content strategy for digital services and ensures that specifications and new features follow standards.

Designs broader online information and services, including information architecture, and transaction/content design and flow, wireframes, page templates and navigation, functional specifications, and identifying opportunities for new functionality and connectivity.

Conducts stakeholder and subject matter expert consultations to determine and assess business needs; identifies emerging trends; and assesses and prioritizes feature requests and changes from clients (e.g. Cabinet Office, Premier's Office, Minister's Offices, ministries); to establish overall website requirements.

Designs and leads multiple concurrent projects to determine potential opportunities for website development and assess the impact on users of the websites and on the government and to develop optimal solutions to meet overall service requirements for the websites.

Leads and directs the development of website content, structures and features (e.g. user personas, task scenarios, wireframes, prototypes, functional specifications, navigation maps, information architecture and other design documents); sets standards and processes for design, quality assurance testing and evaluation of new content and features.

Leads prototyping activities for new software and tools to demonstrate capabilities and ensure that new features meet best practices, standards and specifications (e.g. accessible, reusable, simple, attractive, easy to use) before they are deployed.

Provides technical advice and guidance to clients on aspects such as usability, accessibility, clarity, navigation and design; provides feedback to clients on user experience through analysis of web analytics, visitor feedback, performance metrics and other tools; provides project status reports, outlining projects risks and mitigation strategies, to facilitate decision making for senior management; and prepares briefing notes, slide decks and white papers to present recommendations on a variety of digital topics.

Knowledge / Skill :

Knowledge of and skills in:
- User experience/content design and strategy principles, methodologies and techniques, including accessibility, information architecture, research methodologies and techniques, including web analytics, focus groups, and user testing and/or Internet, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) international standards; web accessibility standards, implementation and testing tools (e.g. for accessibility), and emerging trends in digital communications in order to provide advice and guidance on all aspects of content design and strategy to meet needs, goals and opportunities, lead the design and ongoing renewal of the government's website (Ontario.ca), and ensure that website development meets industry standards and remains accessible, stable and robust.
- Digital strategy trends, technologies and professional standards within the public sector context; experience in strategic communications and planning; understanding of the Cabinet Office and Premier's
Office/ministry/government strategic directions, priorities, issues and decision-making structures; government policies, standards and legislation relating to the internet.
- Open source content management systems and related tools; front-end markup and scripting languages: design and wire framing tools; web analytics software, to lead the design and ongoing renewal of the government's website (Ontario.ca).
- Government policies, standards and legislation relating to the internet; communications planning in a large organization; presentation and written communications principles and practices; to address client issues, present complex subject matter to non-technical audiences, and ensure that recommendations are within the government's framework for digital communications.
- Principles and techniques for editing of communications and other information, to optimize the development of web content for all clients.
- Project management principles, methodologies and best practices, to lead and conduct concurrent projects for research and development of website structures, features and content.
- Usability and user-experience principles, methodologies and techniques, including interdependencies of user interface and navigation design, accessibility, information architecture, graphic design and user-interface design to provide advice and guidance on all aspects of user experience and design, assessing user characteristics, needs, goals, and opportunities.

Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :

Communication skills to discuss issues, seek common ground between diverse parties to develop enterprise standards and leads development of collaborative solutions, and to communicate user experience development requirements.

Facilitation skills to lead consultations and negotiations to confirm requirements, present analysis and recommendations to senior Cabinet Office and Premier's Office staff; provide advice and guidance on web/content design and strategy; provide project updates, and exchange information.

Collaboration skills to provide leadership and advice on web content development to digital communications staff in ministries

Relationship building skills to liaise with external partners, vendors, other stakeholders and industry colleagues, to coordinate projects, share information, and discuss emerging trends in digital communications.

Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :

Analyzing and problem solving skills to:
- Develop, implement and evaluate new OPS strategies for the provision of innovative user experience and designs services to multiple clients with varying needs, consider client requirements, evidence and analytics, user experience methodologies, service capacity and organizational goals and objectives.
- Assess client business requirements and emerging trends in digital communications to determine optimal website design structures, features and content, and develops new digital standards.
- Evaluate evidence-based tools (e.g. web analytics, visitor feedback, performance metrics) to evaluate user experience and provide recommendations for website improvements.
- Research, develop and implement intranet user experience and digital standards and processes for use across government.
- Assess and prioritize change requests from clients and determining how best to address them.
- Identify emerging trends and design research projects to determine impact on government and potential opportunities; using evidence-based analysis to inform decision-making on user experience (e.g. web analytics, visitor feedback, performance metrics).
- Plan and coordinate research and development projects for the design and ongoing improvement of the government's websites (Ontario.ca).
- Lead and manage multiple concurrent projects.
- Lead and coordinate the development and implementation of online experience strategies, standards and processes for use across government, developing digital standards and guidelines.

Decision Making / Responsibility :

Responsible for:
- Providing expertise in the design, delivery, evaluation and maintenance of leading-edge user experience strategies and online experiences for citizens and businesses using the government's official websites.
- Visualizing/designing and providing strategic oversight across the government's website and digital platforms, and ensuring content and features are simple, user-friendly, and accessible.
- Ensuring high-quality user experience on the government's websites, including providing support to ministries working on Ontario.ca and other online/digital products.
- Providing leading-edge expertise contributing to the government-wide transformation of communications using digital technologies and/or tools.
- Developing and recommending digital communications standards and guidelines for the OPS.
- Leading consultations to confirm client business requirements and develop technical requirements for the
Ontario.ca website and resolves development issues to ensure that clients conform to established standards.
- Providing advice and analysis regarding digital communications to support senior management decision-making.
- Developing digital communications products to reflect government priorities and communications goals, including accessibility and ease of use for users.
Work is performed under direction and within the framework of the government decision-making processes, strategic directions, policies and programs; OPS communications strategies and priorities; and industry standards.

Contacts / Stakeholder :

Senior Cabinet Office and Premier's Office staff to present analysis and recommendations; provide advice and guidance on web/content design and strategy; provide project updates, and exchange information.

Digital communications staff in ministries to provide leadership and advice on web content development.

External partners, vendors, other stakeholders and industry colleagues to coordinate projects, share information, and discuss emerging trends in digital communications.

Internal/external clients and colleagues to builds relationships.

Guidance / Supervision :

Provides guidance to clients on aspects such as usability, accessibility, design and strategy.

Provides technical advice, expertise and guidance on all user experience and content aspects to clients and other stakeholders.

Demands / Pressures :

Work Demands :

Frequently required to deal with deadlines which are subject to change without notice, and unanticipated and/or contentious priorities.

Frequently required to respond to requests with short deadlines, where time pressures result in the occasional need to work beyond normal working hours

Mental / Sensory :

Frequent requirement for concentration to develop requirements for the Ontario.ca website

Conditions / Environment :

Work is performed in a typical office environment.