Lead Product Manager
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 9th February 2025
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About the job
Job summary
We’re part of the UK’s biggest government department, administering the state pension and a range of working age, disability, and ill health benefits to around 22 million claimants and customers. People who use our services are among some of the most vulnerable in our society.
All our product managers are part of a community where we share our experiences and problems and show what we are working on. It may not be easy at times, but you’ll be well supported, and you’ll get a minimum of 5 days learning and development annually.
The role sits within our Common Digital Experience Team. You will drive forward the strategy for providing agent facing digital capabilities. You will lead a team to iterate a live service with a user-base of over 100,000. You will also lead on the strategy for new cross-cutting products, working across multiple benefit lines.
Job description
As a lead product manager, you will be accountable for all the decisions made within your portfolio and actively own a roadmap of roadmaps. You will own and lead the product strategy and vision for your area and make key evidenced based strategic and tactical product decisions. You will have the overall priority call and use a wide range of techniques to make those decisions.
You will work with and communicate product success and failure to a wide range of stakeholders, both internally and external to DWP. You will defend key controversial decisions about your set of products and protect the team, so they have the space to deliver. You will also have wide ranging experience of product management techniques that you can coach and mentor other product professionals on.
You will be part of a senior leadership team, contributing to the aims of DWP digital and also line manage product managers within your area.
Additionally, you’ll be a part of our Product Community of Practice, where Product Managers across DWP Digital come together to share learning, discuss their development needs, gain support, and solve common problems.
Person specification
See selection process for further details.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Peter.sweeney1@dwp.gov.uk.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Experience of leading products, setting the direction of travel, championing the product and setting the team up to succeed.
Benefits
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
Your application will consist of four parts:
1. A Personal Details application form.
2. Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed.
3. Personal statement - up to 750 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria below:
- Experience of influencing stakeholders in difficult circumstances and diffusing challenging situations.
- You know how to put users first as part of a commitment to user-centred design and know how to achieve this amongst competing priorities including achieving value for the business.
- Ability to identify if a piece of work is complex or has risk attached to it, and what level of complexity or risk there is.
- Experience of making decisions under pressure or with little information.
- Have experience of mentoring and coaching product people and teams to deliver highly quality products and services.
4. Technical statement (up to 250 words).
- Experience of leading products, setting the direction of travel, championing the product and setting the team up to succeed.
An initial sift will be conducted using the technical statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.
The sift panel will use the information in your employment history, personal statement, and technical statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
Important Information
• You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history, personal statement or technical statement contain any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the essential criteria and technical statement.
You will be asked to do a 5 minute presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.
Interviews will take place from early March 2025.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the interview questions in advance of the interview, at least 5 days prior to your interview. These questions should be treated as confidential and should not be shared. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your experience and abilities. Candidates may be asked further probing questions if their response is deemed to require further information to determine suitability for the role.
Candidates are strongly encouraged to secure their interview slot promptly to ensure fairness in preparation time with the questions provided in advance.
Further Information:
Find out more about Working for DWP
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list order by location.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
The evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism, or sharing of questions, information or answers throughout any part of the selection process is found, your application will be withdrawn. Examples of plagiarism can include:
- Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
- Copying content from an online/published source
- Using forms of Artificial Intelligence to produce application content which you present as your own.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via DigitalRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit page.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Peter Sweeney
- Email : Peter.sweeney1@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dwprecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
