POST TITLE: Product Manager, Identity Assurance Programme (x1)
PAY BAND: Band A
UNIT/DIVISION: Government Digital Service
LOCATION: Holborn, London
TYPE OF POSTING: 24 Month Fixed Term Appointment

VACANCY ADVERT AND JOB DESCRIPTION – MAIN DUTIES OF THE POST

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is part of the Cabinet Office, which sits at the centre of government to ensure Her Majesty’s Government runs effectively.

We’re a multidisciplinary team of developers, designers, policy experts and more, responsible for the digital transformation of public services. We were formed by Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude in response to Martha Lane Fox’s report, which demanded ‘Revolution, not evolution’ in digital services. We do this by relentlessly focusing on the needs of the user.

In the last 2 years, GDS has:

built GOV.UK, the simpler, clearer and faster home of services and information for UK citizens and winner of the 2013 Design of the Year – http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2013/designs-of-the-year-2013

coordinated the delivery of the UK government’s digital strategy – http://publications.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/digital/

published a service design manual containing guidance for teams throughout the civil service

worked with other government departments to complete discovery on 25 services that are being transformed to be “digital by default” and begun building alphas and customer facing betas of those services

To find out what else we’ve delivered, visit https://gds.blog.gov.uk

The Cabinet Office Identity Assurance Programme, based in the Government Digital Service, is developing services that allow users to prove their identity online so that they can access new digital public services.

This is a world-leading programme, which involves a unique and interesting mixture of technical, usability, security, privacy and commercial challenges that need to be met to deliver the public services that users need.

We are looking for product managers to help the UK government build and run great digital services for the people of the UK.  Candidates must have a strong background in digital product development with the ability to lead multidisciplinary agile delivery teams.

Successful candidates will deliver new and improved features and the ongoing management of digital products that help citizens and businesses access digital public services. You will be responsible for the delivery, on-going success and continuous improvement of one or more digital products relating to the delivery of the Identity Assurance Service.

The main responsibilities of the post are:

Lead one or more multi disciplinary agile delivery teams to deliver excellent new products and/or iterations to existing products to meet user needs.

Gather user requirements based on a communicable understanding of diverse audience groups.

Define and get user buy in for product definition and delivery approach.

Create effective, prioritised product descriptions and delivery plans to meet user needs in a cost effective way.

Interpret user research in order to make informed product decisions, noting that users do not always know what they want.

Keep continually abreast of changes to user habits, preferences and behaviours across various digital platforms and their implications for successful delivery of government digital services.

Underpin the delivery and iteration of digital services through effective analysis of qualitative and quantitative user data.

Disseminate an understanding of the digital marketplace, including best practice, costs, suppliers, methodologies and skills to both internal and external stakeholders.

Communicate with a wide range of digital delivery disciplines and talent both internally and externally.

Be actively involved across partner and user communities to promote the department’s principles and foster a collaborative approach to solution delivery and engagement.

The post will be re-evaluated at the end of the 24-month period to match against the on-going requirements of GDS with a view to the possibility of contract extension or conversion to a permanent appointment.

CONTACT DETAILS

FOR INFORMATION REGARDING RECRUITMENT PROCESS, ELIGIBILITY, TERMS & CONDITIONS:
cabinet-office.external@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THESE POSTS:
nick.kalisperas@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk

CLOSING DATE: 19th October 2014
EXPECTED SIFT DATE: 22nd – 24th October 2014
EXPECTED INTERVIEW DATES: w/c 3rd November 2014

APPLICATIONS ARE WELCOME FROM PART TIMERS AND JOB SHARERS

EXISTING CIVIL SERVANTS WILL JOIN ON 24 MONTH LOAN

SALARY SCALE: £46,000 – £60,484

PERSON SPECIFICATION – COMPETENCES/SKILLS REQUIRED

Specialist skills and requirements

Essential

Have been responsible for delivery and on-going product management of high quality, digital products.

Desirable

Digital product management of products involving security and/or identity context
Facilitation of meetings and requirements gathering workshops

SETTING DIRECTION

Changing and Improving

Essential

Encourage a culture of innovation focused on adding value – give people space to think creatively

Effectively capture, utilise and share customer insight and views from a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure better policy and delivery

Spot warning signs of things going wrong and provide a decisive response to significant delivery challenges

Seeing the Big Picture

Essential

Bring together views and perspectives of stakeholders to gain a wider picture of the landscape surrounding activities and policies

Ensures relevant issues relating to their activity/policy area are effectively fed into strategy and big picture considerations

Create policies, plans and service provision to meet citizens’ diverse needs based on an up-to-date knowledge of needs, issues and relevant good practice

Making Effective Decisions

Essential

Push decision making to the right level within their teams, not allow unnecessary bureaucracy and structure to suppress innovation and delivery.

Identify the main issues in complex problems, clarify understanding or stakeholder expectations, to seek best option

Make difficult decisions by pragmatically weighing the complexities involved against the need to act

ENGAGING PEOPLE

Leading and Communicating

Essential

Confidently engage with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to generate commitment to goals

Clarify strategies and plans, giving clear sense of direction and purpose for self and team

Be open and inviting of the views of others and respond despite pressure to ignore, revert or concede

Collaborating and Partnering

Essential

Actively involve partners to deliver a business outcome through collaboration that achieves better results for citizens

Effectively manage team dynamics when working across Departmental and other boundaries.

Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on objectives and shared interests

Building Capability for All

Essential

Ensure that individual and organisational learning and talent development opportunities are fully exploited in order to enhance organisational capability

Establish and drive intra and inter team discussions to learn from experience and adapt organisational processes and plans

Identify capability requirements needed to deliver future team objectives and manage team resources to meet these needs

DELIVERING RESULTS

Managing a Quality Service

Essential

Ensure the service offer thoroughly considers customers’ needs and a broad range of available methods to meet this, including new technology where relevant.

Exemplify positive customer service behaviours and promote a culture focused on ensuring customer needs are meet

Ensure adherence to legal and regulatory requirements in service delivery and build diversity and equality considerations into plans

Delivering at Pace

Essential

Clarify business priorities, roles and responsibilities and secure individual and team ownership

Maintain effective performance in difficult and challenging circumstances, encouraging others to do the same

Review, challenge and adjust performance levels to ensure quality outcomes are delivered on time

How to Apply

Please send your CV and completed CV cover sheet (for external non civil servant applicants sections A, B, and E must be completed), Written Statement of Suitability describing why you’re interested in the role and how you meet the essential competencies and specialist skills required to: cabinet-office.external@dwp.gsi.gov.uk quoting ref IRC76858 no later than close of business 19th October 2014

Please note if you are invited to interview there will be a short exercise in relation to digital product management that you will have to do in the 30mins before the interview. Part of the interview will be a discussion of that exercise.

Late or faxed applications will not be accepted