Description
Senior Product Manager
Whitehall Resources currently require a Senior Product Manager to work with a key client.
Overall Purpose
As the Senior Product Manager, you will be responsible for the quality of the products that will delivered by the end client. You will be responsible for the overall vision and quality of the products being delivered, in conjunction with the programme director. You will identify opportunities for improving business outcomes and enhancing benefits, looking to continuously improve the quality, capability and efficiency of your products.
You will use your knowledge of user needs and business goals to frame and solve problems and set priorities for delivery teams, identify opportunities for improving business outcomes and look to continuously improve the quality, capability and efficiency of products and services.
Key Responsibilities
1. Form the vision for the products that you own and engage teams and stakeholders in the development of that vision over time.
2. Leading the production of roadmaps, release plans and life cycle plans for the delivery and maintenance of the product(s) from inception right the way through to retirement as well as inputting into the departmental wide approach to road mapping/life cycle planning.
3. Act as the main point of contact for stakeholder groups, ensuring that they are updated and engaged about the development of the product(s).
4. Take a product through its life cycle (eg discovery, Alpha, beta, live) including end client internal governance and GDS service assessments.
5. Represent users and focus on their needs throughout the delivery process
6. Lead the prioritisation process for the work that needs to be done by the development team by creating and maintaining a product backlog which balances immediate user needs with the long-term investment in development and overall business benefits
7. Ensure products are designed to standards, Technology Code of Practice and Accessibility legislation, providing final sign off on any completed functional development prior to the deployment to a production environment for your product(s).
8. Take the lead in using product or service usage data, and user feedback to devise new ideas for functionality or new ways of working with a continuous improvement mindset and take a lead in promoting such evidence/data driven design across the wider department
9. Take the lead in keeping people informed about the development of the product(s) and promoting its uptake and usage
Experience - essential
* Experience of leading the development of new, complex, related products to GDS standards
* Experience of taking products through GDS service standard assessments
* Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to understand, empathise with, negotiate and influence individuals and groups
* Successful track record promoting the needs of the team, and of the product; understanding how these may vary between the different phases of a product life cycle
* Experience in agile working and coaching others to work in an agile way.
Experience - desirable
* Experience of working on new, complex projects/programmes of work
* Experience of working in a complex regulatory environment
Key/priority skills
* Strategic ownership. You can develop a long-term vision and objectives. You are discerning and disciplined in focusing on what is important and most relevant. You know how to develop the capability of others. (Relevant skill level: expert)
* Digital Economy perspective. You know about the wider digital economy and advances in technology. You understand agile working at an organisational level. You can create the environment for success. You know how to initiate and support working with other digital, data and technology roles, job families and professions. (Relevant skill level: expert)
* life cycle perspective. You know how to successfully lead teams through the full product life cycle. You can identify which tools and techniques should be used at each stage. You can develop sustainable support models. You can identify and deal with potential risks across or between all stages of the product life cycle. You know how to coach others. You can contribute to the assessment of other teams, providing guidance and support as they move through stages of the product life cycle. (Relevant skill level: expert)
* Problem ownership. You know how to anticipate problems and how to defend against them at the right time. You understand how the problem fits into the larger picture. You can articulate the problem and help others to do it. You know how to build problem-solving capabilities in others. (Relevant skill level: expert)
* Product ownership. You can start to define and create approaches. You know how to coach others. You can implement new ways of working. You are aware of what other sectors are doing. You understand what is most important and applicable. (Relevant skill level: expert)
Other skills
* Agile working. You know how to coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project. You can think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes. You are able to act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team. (Relevant skill level: expert)
* Experience of working within constraints. You know how to influence, challenge and coach. You can anticipate how constraints might change and know where to challenge or remove constraints. (Relevant skill level: expert)
* Operational management. You keep abreast of industry best practice and can cascade ways of working. You know how to make operations efficient. You can act as the escalation point for major operational issues and champion operational management across the community. You can work closely with leaders of operational delivery teams in digital, data and technology. (Relevant skill level: expert)
* User focus. You know how to give direction on which tools or methods to use. You are experienced in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels. You can bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure these are met by the business. You know how to apply strategic thinking in how to provide the best service for the end user. (Relevant skill level: expert)
* Financial ownership. You understand the marketplace, realising the benefit and persuading others that a product is the right one to use. You know how to integrate a product with other services. You can ensure that products get used. You can realise benefits by linking work in progress back to the business case. You can build business cases based on user needs.
All of our opportunities require that applicants are eligible to work in the specified country/location, unless otherwise stated in the job description.