Product Manager in London

Coventry (CV1 2WT), Manchester (M1 2WD), London (SW1P 3BT), Sheffield (S1 2FJ)

Job Summary
The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is a fast paced, challenging and exciting place to work. Our work supports a core strand of the Department of Education's strategy, delivering national curriculum assessments that support a high performing, world class, education system. STA offers a rare opportunity to bring together the work from policy inception, right through to delivery and implementation in schools. We're passionate about ensuring that every child leaves their school ready to make a successful start at their next stage of education. Assessment is one of the Department's highest-profile areas, with far-reaching changes taking place in recent years and with more to come.

The Division
The Assessment Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) Division is accountable for the digital technology and data management used to produce and deliver assessments that meet the purposes set out by Ministers.

It is also responsible for a programme of transformation work that will allow greater use of digital automation, data and technology in the way that STA carries out its functions. This exciting programme will transform how digital technology is used to enable high-quality assessment and learning. It has potential to reduce teacher workloads and give them more data to inform their practice. We are passionate about making technology work in meaningful ways to support pedagogy, and we are looking for someone who shares this passion.

The Post
This is an exciting opportunity within the STA's Assessment Digital Data and Technology (ADDaT) Division as we look to build upon our existing digital service capability. The role is central to the growth of digital transformation within STA, ensuring the quality of our digital products and services.

Job Description
As a Product Manager, you will provide product management leadership enabling the growth of digital transformation within STA. You will work closely with a range of colleagues across the STA and the Department for Education, as well as suppliers, to set the direction for digital products and services. You will be part of motivated and multidisciplinary teams, who are passionate about the work they do and are committed to delivering exemplary services for their users.

As a Product Manager, responsibilities will include, but not limited to:

• Lead one or more multidisciplinary teams to deliver solutions and iteratively improve digital services.
• Be an expert and advocate for your product/s, able to simplify technical concepts and bring people along with you to develop and iterate the service.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the products users and their needs, to champion these in your team and with stakeholders and partners.
• Create value for money and champion working in the open.
• Collaboratively define, explain, and iterate an evidence-based product vision that is compelling to your users, team, and stakeholders.
• Share user insights to policy and other teams, maintaining strong stakeholder relationships to bring teams in the wider service ecosystem together.
• Set measurable goals for your product and report against these to demonstrate progress.
• Analyse and use trusted data from research, analysis or other sources to make decisions and enable continuous improvement.
• Reflect on and help improve your team's ways of working, being enthusiastic and willing to muck in when needed.
• Prioritise problems and opportunities to tackle, balancing the needs of users, policy goals, value for taxpayer money and technical feasibility.
• Play an active role in the Department's Product Community of Practice, where Product Managers across DfE come together to share learning, celebrate progress, and solve for common problems.
• Contribute to the wider DfE community and culture, such as by supporting other more junior product managers through mentoring or working cross service on problems like incident management.

As a Product Manager, you will provide product management leadership enabling the growth of digital transformation within STA. You will work closely with a range of colleagues across the STA and the Department for Education, as well as suppliers, to set the direction for digital products and services. You will be part of motivated and multidisciplinary teams, who are passionate about the work they do and are committed to delivering exemplary services for their users.

As a Product Manager, responsibilities will include, but not limited to:

• Lead one or more multidisciplinary teams to deliver solutions and iteratively improve digital services.
• Be an expert and advocate for your product/s, able to simplify technical concepts and bring people along with you to develop and iterate the service.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the products users and their needs, to champion these in your team and with stakeholders and partners.
• Create value for money and champion working in the open.
• Collaboratively define, explain, and iterate an evidence-based product vision that is compelling to your users, team, and stakeholders.
• Share user insights to policy and other teams, maintaining strong stakeholder relationships to bring teams in the wider service ecosystem together.
• Set measurable goals for your product and report against these to demonstrate progress.
• Analyse and use trusted data from research, analysis or other sources to make decisions and enable continuous improvement.
• Reflect on and help improve your team's ways of working, being enthusiastic and willing to muck in when needed.
• Prioritise problems and opportunities to tackle, balancing the needs of users, policy goals, value for taxpayer money and technical feasibility.
• Play an active role in the Department's Product Community of Practice, where Product Managers across DfE come together to share learning, celebrate progress, and solve for common problems.
• Contribute to the wider DfE community and culture, such as by supporting other more junior product managers through mentoring or working cross service on problems like incident management.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Experience of working as a product owner/manager within an Agile environment.
• Leadership: sound leadership skills to set a product vision and build support for it, lead and motivate teams of people within and external to their organisation.
• Strategic ownership: experience of developing long-term product visions and roadmaps focusing on outcomes.
• User focus: experience of meeting user needs bringing insight and expertise in how user needs evolve.
• Problem management: ability to anticipate problems in digital products and services, demonstrating an understating of how the problem fits into the large picture, and seeking positive solutions.
• Communication and stakeholder engagement: excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of the Government Digital Service (GDS) standards.
• Knowledge of, or desire to learn about, digital products and services used to deliver large-scale assessments.

Desirable criteria will only be assessed at interview, in the event of a tie break situation, to make an informed decision.
Further information can be found on the DDaT Capability Framework.

Alongside your salary of £58,185, Department for Education contributes £16,856 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department's