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Working as a Senior Product Manager at the Home Office

Hi, my name is Paul, and I joined the Home Office just over a year ago, working on a new Intranet project as part of the Product Team. I was previously working for Royal Mail and BT, so joining the Home Office was a nice progression for me moving from the Private Sector to the Public Sector. 

I wanted to join the Home Office because I felt I could utilise my skills well in the Senior Product Manager position I applied for, and also because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. 

I started off my career after university by building websites. I then went into ecommerce, managing online shops and transitioned into working as a Product Owner at Royal Mail. I oversaw online postage and looking after end to end digital experience. This is when I started to develop more of an interest within the product space. I was working on both internal product and digital experience where I started reusing my design skills.  

Then the pandemic hit and, as a result, the company I was working for had a restructure across the whole organisation. I saw an opportunity come up during this time at the Home Office and it looked quite relevant to my experience, so I thought there was no harm in applying for it. 

Since joining I have managed a lot of employee-facing projects, along with writing reports and working to tight schedules to ensure the products are delivered. I have found every day is different working here, so the variety of the work is broad and challenging. 

My day-to-day duties can vary quite a bit including things like: 

  • Working closely with the Delivery Managers in driving key campaigns forward 

  • In depth conversations liaising with the User Centre Design (UCD) team 

  • Writing reports across project delivery key metrics 

  • Making sure the project is delivered within agreed timescales  

The best thing about working in the Product team is when we deliver something rewarding as you have been directly part of this. When I first joined the organisation, I found it to be very fast-paced; however, over time I have realised I enjoy this element, as it helps to keep me on my feet. We get to work on some great projects which bring in positive change across the whole organisation.  

I also enjoy the flexibility of the work environment here and working from home when needed really helps with having a good work life balance. 

For anyone considering working for the Home Office, I would say to them to not be scared and just to apply. You never know where it may lead you in your career journey. Coming from the Private Sector I thought things might be different, but we have the same user-centric principles when it comes to product delivery and the transition has been interesting for me. 

I would highly recommend the Digital Service Manager – Passports and Civil Registration role we are currently recruiting for (closing date 12 June). If you’re interested, you could reach out to one of our lead recruiters to understand what the role involves and learn more about the application and interview process. 

For more information about the types of different roles that the Home Office recruits for, check out the Home Office Careers website.  

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Principal Technical Architect
Manchester

What's NewFeatured stories and upcoming events with the Digital, Data and Technology Team at the Home OfficeRead our blog about how we are becoming more user-centred in our approach to the design and delivery of our products and services, whilst working alongside other technical professions, to build a complex data-driven product. To learn more about why it is our goal to find ways of embedding diversity and inclusion into our research and design practices, visit our blog page.To learn more about what it's like to work within the Delivery Profession inside the Home Office, visit our blog page. You can find more stories from the team and be the first to hear about upcoming events on our Digital Data and Technology LinkedIn Life and Home Office Careers pages. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------You can read about the professions and roles on our careers website. Hear from the teamWatch the videos to hear from Software Engineers, Charlotte and Sulthan within the DDaT Engineering team about the projects their working on and how delivering public services at the Home Office can positively impact millions of lives every day.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Home OfficeThe Home Office is the lead government department for immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime, fire, counter-terrorism and policing every day, our work delivers outcomes for UK citizens, providing them with the means to travel the world, tackling illegal migration and removing foreign national offenders, disrupting terrorist attacks and organised criminal groups, stopping people from becoming victims of crime and supporting those who require asylum and safeguarding.To achieve all this, we rely on talented people with a wide range of skills. This includes digital, data and technology skills, where we are recruiting to our teams based in Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow and Croydon. Learn more about our work and organisation The DDaT Profession Career Framework features over 150 defined roles, grouped into 9 skills clusters – with staff often employed across fast-paced, multi-disciplinary teams: The 9 clusters are: ArchitectureCyber Security Data Engineering IT Operations Product Quality Assurance and TestingTechnology Delivery Management User Centred Design Why join Home Office Digital, Data and Technology?Home Office Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) designs, builds and develops services for the rest of the department and for government. Our role is to enable transformation through improved business efficiency. The DDaT function is made up of around 2,300 staff, augmented by a number of supplier partners. Every year our systems support up to 3 million visa applications, checks on 100 million border crossings, up to 8 million passport applications and delivers 140 million police checks on people, vehicles and property. The scale of our projects is matched only by the opportunities for our people.We are a friendly team who will support and challenge you to contribute. Our culture is inclusive, progressive and values the unique contributions everyone makes. Our tech strategy is also clear: we work in agile product- and user-centred teams, with cloud native and interdisciplinary working as the focus. Digital inclusion, accessibility and forming a technical community across departments are also key. Our main delivery centres are in Manchester Sheffield, Croydon, Glasgow, but we also have offices in Southport, Westminster, Liverpool, west London and north London. The team in Manchester is based in The Soapworks which is within the Media City boundary, 1½ miles from Manchester city centre, 2½ miles away from Manchester Piccadilly station and a 2-minute walk from the Exchange Quay tram stop.We offer a range of benefits for staff, including outstanding pensions schemes and a serious focus on continuous professional development. Learning and DevelopmentWe offer Learning and Development opportunities relevant to your role, which could include: AWS training and certification, Azure training and certification, O’Reilly Books as well as high quality management training, for example.In addition, we offer allocated study leave and support when studying for a relevant qualification or other accredited development. This may include BCS Membership, for example, or study towards a degree or masters qualification. Diversity & Inclusion We are committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, creating a welcoming, inclusive workforce where people can bring their whole selves to work. We’re proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the Civil Service, a Stonewall Top 100 Workplace Equality Employer and a Social Mobility Foundation Top 75 employer. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and are a Disability Confident Leader. Our benefits Competitive starting salaries for your gradeAn additional allowance of up to £13,700 for candidates with exceptional skills and experienceA Civil Service pension with employer contribution rates of between 26.6% and 30.3%, depending on salary A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity Learning and development tailored to your roleAn environment with flexible working options25 days annual leave on appointment, rising to 30 days after 10 years' service, plus 8 days public holidays and 1 day additional privilege dayWe also offer:Season ticket loans and rental deposit loans Cycle to work and payroll givingEmployee discounts - including a huge number of retailers (via the Edenred platform), Microsoft Home Use programme and gym membership A variety of staff recognition schemes Health and wellbeing initiativesStaff support networksMaternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay, followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaidUp to 5 days paid leave for volunteeringStudy leave and support for studying for a qualification or other accredited development relevant to your roleJoin us and make a difference If you’re looking for a digital career where you can make an impact, using cutting edge tech and have the opportunity to build your CV with projects that will help you stand out from the crowd, see our current available roles on offer. You can also read our blog to learn more about our people and the brilliant work they do and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Home Office Digital, Data and Technology

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