Location
Bristol, South West England, BS1 6PU
About the job
Job summary
Are you ready to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of digital and data services at the Planning Inspectorate?
As the Digital & Data Product Lead, you'll be at the heart of our transformation, driving performance across all Digital & Data services and making a real impact on the Inspectorate as a whole.
You'll be part of the Office of the Chief Digital and Information Officer (OCDIO), a team that governs and guides our Digital & Data Services. Together, we ensure that our services meet user needs, deliver value, and push forward our ambitious Digital & Data strategy.
Our Digital Services team is expanding, and we’re looking for motivated, dynamic leaders to help us deliver outstanding digital, data, and technology services. This is a high-profile opportunity to make a real difference in a supportive, high-performing environment.
If you thrive on challenge, value flexibility, and want to be part of a team driving meaningful change—this could be the role for you. We offer a competitive salary, excellent pension, and flexible working arrangements.
The Planning Inspectorate, an executive agency of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, plays a crucial role in planning decisions across England and Wales. Our work directly impacts communities, the economy, and people’s lives.
We’re in the midst of an exciting transformation—redesigning services and modernising our technology to better serve our users. With significant investment in our people, systems, and tools, we’re building a forward-thinking organisation where digital services are at the heart of everything we do.
The Planning Inspectorate has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. The work we do has a significant impact on people’s lives, the communities where they live and the economy.
We want our colleagues to be able to work more flexibly and more collaboratively, exploring new and innovative ways to improve the way we provide services.
For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please visit our careers page at Civil Service Careers
Job description
The Planning Inspectorate is looking for a strategic leader to define and drive the digital and data product vision across the Inspectorate, ensuring alignment with government-wide strategies and user needs. It requires governance of a complex service network, overseeing product lifecycle management, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement of digital services. The ideal candidate will also lead and develop high-performing teams, foster a culture of innovation and inclusivity, and ensure effective financial and resource planning across the product portfolio.
Each week involves a dynamic mix of strategic oversight, stakeholder engagement, and delivery coordination across enterprise-wide digital products and services. Key activities include:
Product & Service Strategy: Shaping the strategic direction of the enterprise product suite, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s service model and identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement.
Stakeholder Engagement: Regularly engaging with stakeholders across services to manage expectations, gather feedback, and ensure product alignment with business needs.
Delivery Management: Picking up delivery responsibilities for cross-cutting enterprise products, ensuring smooth coordination across multiple services and teams.
Product Ownership & Support: Providing guidance and support to the product management function within Digital & Data, promoting best practices and helping teams develop effective product strategies in a service-oriented environment.
Continuous Improvement: Spotting and exploring opportunities to enhance ways of working, foster cross-service collaboration, and leverage emerging technologies to solve business challenges.
Communication & Coordination: Maintaining clear and consistent communication around product goals, progress, and changes, both within the team and across the wider organisation.
Salary
New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. Internal rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.
This role is being advertised at Grade 7 with a salary range of £59,644 - £66,120.
Working hours:
Standard working week is 37 hours, flexible working hours policy available.
The Planning Inspectorate has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. The work we do has a significant impact on people’s lives, the communities where they live and the economy.
We want our colleagues to be able to work more flexibly and more collaboratively, exploring new and innovative ways to improve the way we provide services.
For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please visit our careers page at Civil Service Careers
Office Attendance
This role is contractually based at Temple Quay House, Bristol which is currently out of use due to undergoing refurbishment work. In the interim, we have the use of alternative office space in very close proximity to Bristol Temple Meads railway station. We recognise and value the mutual benefits of hybrid working and have a flexible approach to in person attendance, which can vary dependent on the requirements of individual business units - the details of which can be discussed with candidates if invited to attend an interview.
Person specification
We will assess your application against the Essential Criteria and Success Profile elements listed:
Essential Criteria
Implements the governance framework to enable governance activity to be conducted Governance (L6)
Sets policies, standards, and guidelines for how the organisation conducts strategy development and planning. Strategic planning (L6)
Identifies the communications and relationship needs of stakeholder groups. Translates communications/stakeholder engagement strategies into specific activities and deliverables. Stakeholder relationship management (L5)
Monitors the external environment to gather intelligence on emerging technologies. Emerging technology monitoring (L5)
Plans, manages and investigates business situation analysis where there is significant ambiguity and complexity Business situation analysis (L5)
Leads investment appraisal activities, advises on financial planning, budgeting, and negotiate & manage commercial relationships Investment appraisal (L5), Financial management (L5) Sourcing (L4)
Provides guidance on the application and operation of elementary physical, procedural and technical security controls Information security (L4)
Collates and analyses information for threat intelligence requirements from a variety of sources. Threat intelligence (L4)
Ability to write & maintain corporate guidance/policy
Desirable Criteria
Experience of managing line of business systems, such as Finance, HR, and Operational delivery.
Experience of working with Records Management teams to ensure that digital products are compliant and mindful of the Records Management requirement.
Knowledge of the Government’s Digital strategies and codes of practice
Awareness and understanding of industry standard security issues and processes. An understanding of ISO27001 would be an advantage.
Understanding of Data Protection law and regulations.
Experience of implementing demand management analysis and planning activities. Demand management (L5)
Others to consider:
Requirements definition and management REQM (L5)
Product management PROD (L6)
Methods and tools METL (L4)
For guidance on how to structure your application please visit: About the application process , Civil Service Careers
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together
Seeing the Big Picture
Changing and Improving
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