Senior Product Manager

Department of Health and Social Care

Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 1st May 2024

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Details

Reference number

349834

Salary

£53,116

National: £53,116, London: £57,114

A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Permanent
Loan
Secondment

Length of employment

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment).

Business area

DHSC - Group Operations - Ministers, Accountability and Strategy (MAS)

Type of role

Analytical
Architecture and Data
Digital
Operational Delivery

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Leeds, London

About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

We are recruiting a Grade 7 to lead the Digital Innovation team within the Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries (MCPE) unit. You will report to the Head of Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries and work with the counterparts on Freedom of Information (FOI) and correspondence to ensure unity and collaboration across MCPE. You will be an active part of the wider Senior Management Team for MCPE and Governance and Accountability, which MCPE reports to, and will make decisions that take consideration of the entire business area.

The MCPE unit is the central team responsible for:

• the processing and drafting of Correspondence received from MPs, VIPs and the public.
• the processing and drafting of FOIs, EIRs, IRs and ICO investigations.

MCPE includes a digital team which oversees the running of Scribe - the department's case management system for correspondence, complaints, FOIs and Parliamentary Questions.

We take great pride in providing a high-quality service both to ministers and the public, and deal with some of the highest volumes of enquiries across Whitehall. Health is one of the top domestic policy issues and our policies hit the headlines on a daily basis meaning our work is often in the public eye.

It is therefore essential that we have access to the best quality products available within budget, and effective training for colleagues across the department to ensure accurate and real-time data can be drawn from them to inform senior leaders and ministers as required. The successful candidate will lead on this and will work cross-Whitehall to ensure we are actively sharing good practices, striving for efficiency, and using technology and digital platforms to support performance achievements.

The expectation of high standards from our leaders is matched by our commitment to development. You will have access to an exciting range of opportunities across the Ministers, Accountability and Strategy directorate that will help you in your career progression.

Job description

The Senior Product Manager will provide senior leadership across MCPE's Digital team. This team currently encompasses EO to SEO staff members.

This is a new role requiring an individual who is experienced in researching, testing and implementing digital options. It is an opportunity to work in an exciting and challenging environment, leading on the development and transformation of our digital processes; particularly in relation to automation and AI and setting up the department's webform, thus creating efficiencies and ensuring the department delivers a quality service that offers value for money.

As aforementioned, DHSC is one of departments receiving the highest volumes in Whitehall. It will be your role to understand the departments digital strategy and use this to provide the strategic direction of your team with a goal of driving efficiencies in responding to letters from the public.

The ideal candidate will need to be someone who is pro-active and comfortable working with autonomy in an ambiguous environment. This role will require excellent working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. You’ll need to work at pace to deliver a number of competing responsibilities associated with this role.

Person specification

Your main day to day responsibilities will be:

• Forming the vision for the product(s) you own and engage teams and stakeholders in the development of that vision over time. You will need to be able to communicate the vision with senior leaders and stakeholders and gain buy in from them as well as being able to deliver successfully on the mission.
• Leading and delivering transformational change to modernise operational processes, including, but not limited to correspondence, FOIs and PQs.
• Drive continuous improvement promoting the role of automation and technology and supporting your team to embrace and deliver changes positively.
• Working closely with IT service colleagues to ensure the appropriate governance controls are being adhered to.
• Leading, inspiring and developing a team of an SEO, HEO and an EO. Providing direction, motivation, developing your team to be successful and tackling HR matters as and when required.
• Work with stakeholders on the procurement, maintenance and quality of the department's MCPE's operating systems.
• Work closely with other teams within the Department and cross-Whitehall to evolve working processes and practices and ensure we have the most effective and efficient systems in place.
• Lead continual development and management of a sophisticated suite of management information which you will use proactively with MCPE's Team Leaders and the directorate's Senior Leadership Team to maintain high performance throughout the Department, preparing for potential challenges and troubleshooting any issues.
• You can demonstrate a working understanding of design, technology and data principles. You understand the variety and complexity of users’ digital needs and how the product will meet those needs.
• Ensuring the overall quality of the product(s) you are responsible are in line with standards including, but not limited to, the Government Digital Service Standard, TDA standards, Technology Code of Practice and Accessibility legislation. Taking a leading role in promoting these standards across the department and government as a whole.

Key skills and experience required for the role

Essential Skills

Experience in delivering digital products with demonstrable evidence of:

• Experience of creating and communicating a product roadmap that delivers business objectives, and gaining stakeholder buy in.
• Able to apply an agile project management methodology and mindset to enable incremental delivery.
• You know how to design operational processes for the running and maintenance of products or services throughout their product life cycle.
• You can redesign operational processes, amend existing processes, and plan and put into operation the stages of a new product or service development.
• Working in the delivery of technology-based projects.
• Budgeting and financial control skills as well as commercial awareness.
• Lead and direct the team to enable delivery through the different product phases.
• Have worked with users to understand their needs and represented the user in all decision making.
• Prioritising product backlogs based on user needs, value and effort.

Your normal place of work will be your contractual primary workplace, usually either London or Leeds.  Within DHSC we offer non-contractual hybrid working. The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time spent in the office, enabling in person interaction and collaboration and enhancing team working, learning, and support. 

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need. 

There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements.  

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Please provide details of your experience in Product Management and your use of Technical Writing to bridge the gap between technical teams and end users/stakeholders
• DDaT – Senior product manager

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• Please provide details of your experience in Product Management and your use of Technical Writing to bridge the gap between technical teams and end users/stakeholders

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,116, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £14,354 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Sift date: W/C 29/04/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 13/05/2024

Interview location: By video. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift. 

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on CV, Statement of Suitability, Technical Skills.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert. 

Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 750 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert. 

An initial sift based on your Statement of Suitability may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours, Strengths, Experience (presentation) and Technical Skills (DDaT – Senior product manager).  

Candidates will be asked to give a presentation which will assess experience: Experience of working in a product management environment. Details of the presentation question will be issued to candidates with the release of the sift scores.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available. 

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ 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. 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.