Head of Product (GOV.UK) - GDS - G6

Location

Bristol, London, Manchester

About the job

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

joining up public sector services
harnessing the power of AI for the public good
strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
elevating leadership and investing in talent
funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need

GOV.UK is now the established digital interface between government and the public. It’s well used - with over 28 billion page views since go-live - and is consistently among the most-visited websites in the country. It's extremely well known according to YouGov, and the signature design and logo is instantly recognisable as the trusted source of government information and services. GOV.UK has become truly essential to living, working and studying in the UK. 

Our teams are organised around delivering on our priorities, which are to:

grow GOV.UK to reach people when and where they need government information
make GOV.UK more proactive in helping people
evolve to match user expectations for new technologies

We are looking for a Head of Product to lead the continued development of GOV.UK web proposition, publishing tooling and platform, while supporting the programme’s ambitious strategy for growth.

Job description

As the Head of Product for GOV.UK, you’ll be responsible for growing and leading the high performing product teams in the GOV.UK directorate. In this role, you will be responsible for delivering critical government products and services to key stakeholders: citizens and government departments. These products operate at significant scale, are impactful through supporting citizens across every interaction with government, and are built collaboratively with government department partners to ensure these interactions are as simple and efficient as possible. 

Reporting to the Deputy Director - Web, Publishing, Platform & Design System, you will develop a sustainable and engaged product community, who work together towards a common goal through strategic objectives and shared community goals, sharing learning and ideas openly. You’ll also be a key member of the GOV.UK Senior Management Team, leading on initiatives taking place across the directorate.

You’ll thrive using agile methods and enjoy working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams. Above all, you’ll want to make government better, which may sometimes involve challenging the status quo.

As a Head of Product, GOV.UK you’ll:

contribute to a clear product vision, with key focus on balancing operational and iterative product development with innovation that meets or exceeds our growth strategy
develop and drive an everyday culture of experimentation across all product teams, balancing experimentation of innovative experiences with operational efficiencies.
provide ongoing direction and leadership for multi-disciplinary product teams in running, supporting and continuously improving products, so that they meet user needs while working toward measurable objectives and data driven outcomes.
lead on OKR development and product roadmaps that support both strategic development and operational delivery
be a visible leader who takes responsibility, while supporting the wellbeing and professional development of the product community in GOV.UK
support GOV.UK’s Deputy Directors in the implementation of strategic initiatives and delivery of operational challenges

Person specification

We’re interested in people who:

have a strong experience of leadership in product management, with a track-record for launching and evolving great digital products at scale, with multiple teams in multi-disciplinary agile environments
created and developed product strategy for your products and direct the work of delivery teams through all phases of delivery, from discovery to continuous improvement in a live setting
assessed products and services and given constructive feedback and guidance on priorities and improvements
engaged with senior stakeholders, including suppliers, coordinating activity across a number of organisations toward common objectives
set, monitored and reported measurable performance targets for teams and products
experience recruiting, coaching and line managing product managers, identifying learning and development opportunities for individuals and teams
possess familiarity with working with suppliers through the end-to-end procurement process
have been in a role with a focus on operational maturity and ensuring a consistent approach to user and technical operational support

We’re interested in people who have experience of developing, launching and iterating products in the following areas:

web and mobile user experiences, at scale
publishing platforms, content lifecycle and metadata
proactive and / or personalised products that support complex digital interactions 
resilient, secure platforms

If you meet a few of those criteria but think that you might not meet every last one then don’t let that stop you from submitting an application.