This role may be located in one of the following locations; Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester Newcastle or Sheffield. Please find further information on the Corporate hub locations here.
Job Summary
The Debt Programme is enabling customers to manage and pay back any debt owing to DWP. The current platform supports recoveries of £2.8Bn a year and is used by several thousand agents with a replacement platform currently in discovery.
The wider Debt Programme and Projects are being delivered by multi-functional teams, in varying stages of development phases and are often complex and providing DWP with Transformational objectives.
As part of your role, you will be playing a part in the Digital Debt Management programme defining testing strategy, implementing automation and best practices across both current and future debt solutions.
As a Senior Product Manager, you will drive the product teams for a large and complex part of our organisation, major programme or core service.
You will be as passionate about people as you are about products, leading teams to define, design and deliver your vision and realise the value for your users.
Please note - As part of the role, you may be required to travel regularly to the other digital hubs. The frequency of this will be discussed further should you be successful.
Job Description
As a Senior Product Manager, you will:
* You will have proven ability to lead a team of digital professionals, setting direction and enabling creation of products that meet strategic aims as well as having a deep knowledge of product management techniques.
* Experience working at a senior level and across organisational boundaries to build positive relationships and gain support for your aims.
* Experience in developing product strategy and meaningful, value driven roadmaps that guide your teams and your stakeholders.
* Have experience in developing and continuously improving service, increasing performance and quality.
* Experience of driving customer insight and be committed to User Centred Design to develop digital services and a high degree of user awareness.
* Provide leadership and direction to the product team, working with Product Managers to shape the vision, scope and high-level roadmap for critical products and services.
* Track progress against goals and performance metrics for all products within the service or programme evaluating success against defined outcomes and ensuring return on investment.
* Co-ordinate product development across multiple products to support the overall strategy for the service or programme.
* Ensure the products are developed to an appropriate level of quality taking into consideration expected lifetime, investment and timeframes.
* Manage Product Managers within the product team to support their professional development and career progression.
* Build and maintain a relationship with providers/suppliers, seeking to capitalise on the value-add offerings.
* Maintain a thorough understanding of all elements of inclusivity in our digital services ensuring accessible digital services are core to our service offer.
As a Senior Product Manager, You Will
* You will have proven ability to lead a team of digital professionals, setting direction and enabling creation of products that meet strategic aims as well as having a deep knowledge of product management techniques.
* Experience working at a senior level and across organisational boundaries to build positive relationships and gain support for your aims.
* Experience in developing product strategy and meaningful, value driven roadmaps that guide your teams and your stakeholders.
* Have experience in developing and continuously improving service, increasing performance and quality.
* Experience of driving customer insight and be committed to User Centred Design to develop digital services and a high degree of user awareness.
* Provide leadership and direction to the product team, working with Product Managers to shape the vision, scope and high-level roadmap for critical products and services.
* Track progress against goals and performance metrics for all products within the service or programme evaluating success against defined outcomes and ensuring return on investment.
* Co-ordinate product development across multiple products to support the overall strategy for the service or programme.
* Ensure the products are developed to an appropriate level of quality taking into consideration expected lifetime, investment and timeframes.
* Manage Product Managers within the product team to support their professional development and career progression.
* Build and maintain a relationship with providers/suppliers, seeking to capitalise on the value-add offerings.
* Maintain a thorough understanding of all elements of inclusivity in our digital services ensuring accessible digital services are core to our service offer.
Person specification
When Giving Details In Your Employment History And Personal Statement You Should Highlight Your Experience In Line With Essential Criteria Below
* 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.
* Decision making in a time pressured situation.
* Experience of applying influence and challenging the status quo so you can meet your vision.
* Mentoring and coaching product people and teams to deliver highly quality products and services.
* Working knowledge of agile methodology, when to use it and when to not and how you move through the agile lifecycle.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Akhtar.Ali1@dwp.gov.uk.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Product Management
Alongside your salary of £72,664, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £21,050 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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
Pay for this role is from £72,664 to £77,740.
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.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.
Stage 1: Application
Your Application Will Consist Of Four Parts
* A Personal Details application form.
* Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed.
* Personal statement - up to 1000 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the Person Specification.
* Technical statement (up to 250 words). The following question is aligned to the required technical skill of Product Management.
* How can you set the product direction and goals, own the product vision and roadmap, and gain buy-in from the team and stakeholders through effective communication?
The sift panel will use the information in your employment history, personal statement, and technical statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.
An initial sift will be conducted using the technical statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.
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.
* We recognise that AI may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the DWP AI Candidate Guide to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.
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 above.
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 mid June 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
If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.
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.
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.
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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.
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.
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.
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact
* Name : Akhtar Ali
* Email : Akhtar.Ali1@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
* Email : digitalrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you wish to make a complaint, please find further details here: https://careers.dwp.gov.uk/how-we-recruit/. #J-18808-Ljbffr