Introduction
These are exciting times at MOJ Digital and Technology. We have a clear vision - to develop a digitally-enabled justice system that works more simply for users - and we’re looking for talented people to help us achieve it.
We’re making things better by building adaptable, effective services and making systems that are simple to use for staff and citizens. It can be challenging but it’s also important and rewarding.
As well as doing great work, we’re creating a place that’s great to do work in. We offer tip-top kit, brilliant training opportunities and support from expert colleagues. On top of that, you’ll find flexible working, an inclusive culture and a place where your opinion is valued.
The Legal Aid Agency is transforming at pace. It is our ambition to provide fair access to justice for people in need through user focused services, so that they can find and get legal support. We want to do this by overhauling the legacy technology that underpins our systems; better leveraging our data; and building our services with ever greater efficiency.
We apply a lean startup mentality at scale and need Senior Product Managers who can operate in areas of extreme uncertainty by working with agility. We want Senior Product Managers who can make data-driven decisions within an empowered, co-located software team of specialists including developers, researchers, designers and stakeholders from across the justice system. We have a great culture and modern tools (like Macbooks, Slack and Google apps).
The Role
As Senior Product Manager you will be an experienced product manager leading a multidisciplinary team, supporting and continuously improving products of significant scale and complexity.
You will take products through discovery, alpha, beta and live phases of development with the goal of making government services simpler, easier and faster to use. You will devise and iterate the product roadmap and backlog, be a champion for user needs, document product knowledge, and communicate plans and progress through various channels including the blog, stakeholder meetings and demos. You will also be an active part of the broader product management community, coaching and mentoring Associate Product Managers and Product Managers, supporting the quality assessment of your colleagues’ products (known as ‘service assessment’), and sharing learning and new techniques with the community.
As a Senior Product Manager for the MOJ you will work with other delivery agencies within the justice system, central government departments, and the wider public sector to transform public services.
Senior Product Managers at the MOJ lead exciting services that improve lives. It is an opportunity to work with committed and talented user researchers, developers, designers, analysts, agile, and content specialists who share a vision for making better government through smarter use of technology.
Our product management profession is described on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/communities/product-and-service-community.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
take products through discovery, alpha, beta, live, maturity, and retirement phases of the product life-cycle with the goal of making government services simpler, easier and faster to use
devise and iterate the product strategy for a group of products
be a champion for user needs, document product knowledge, and communicate plans and progress through various channels including the blog, stakeholder meetings and demos
support a professional community of product managers through coaching and mentoring
take part in informal support networks with your peers.
CAPABILITIES (across the Product Management community)
Capabilities are the knowledge and skills required to do a certain job or task.
Essential:
Product ownership - the core tactical skills of product management, capturing user needs to inform decision-making and prioritisation, and translated into actionable goals for a team (often through tools such as the backlog and user stories). You’ll be working to at least ‘expert’ level, capable of defining your own approaches and coaching others, and aware of what other sectors are doing
Strategic ownership - the core strategic skills of product management, building the overall value proposition, business model, vision and roadmap that enable us to focus on outcomes, not outputs. You’ll be working to at least ‘practitioner’ level, capable of building product strategy from scant information and getting buy-in from colleagues
Lifecycle perspective - Understanding of the different phases of the product lifecycle and the impact this has on product strategy. You’ll be ‘expert’ in this skill, capable of leading products through the full product lifecycle based on an understanding of how product strategy changes as a product grows in use
Problem ownership - we make promises to solve problems, not commitments to specific features or solutions so require people who can explore and define problems before they design solutions. You’ll be working to at least ‘expert level’, capability of defining problems from scant information using research, articulating and defending the problem definition (when needed), and understanding how the problem fits into the bigger picture
User Focus - User-centred design is at the heart of our work. You’ll be working to at least ‘expert’ level in this area: able to commission and collaborate with user researchers to gain the insights necessary to understand and meet the needs of users across a variety of channels and using insights to ensure that you meet the changing needs of all users
Agility - we believe in the intent behind the Agile Manifesto for Software Development and require people who focus on releasing value to users early and often within clearly framed hypotheses, combined with a commitment to improving team performance. You’ll be working to at least ‘expert’ level, and recognised as such, able to support your teams to choose the best product approach(es) to suit your context, increasing the value of your product each increment as efficiently as possible.
Desirable:
DDaT perspective - Able to demonstrate a working understanding of design, technology and data principles. Understands the variety and complexity of users’ digital needs and how the product will meet those needs. Understands the importance of assisted digital. Able to design services and make decisions to meet users needs.
Financial ownership - Understands the market place, realising the benefit and persuading others that a product is the right one to use. Able to integrate a product with other services. Capable of ensuring products get used. Able to realise benefits by linking work in progress back to the business case. Able to build business cases based on user needs.
Understanding constraints - Can identify and understand constraints, and is able to communicate these and work within them. Is able to challenge the validity of constraints. Capable of ensuring standards are being met.
In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles, a flexible framework, to assess candidates against a range of elements using a variety of selection methods, therefore giving you the opportunity to demonstrate the various elements required to be successful in the role.
At the interview we will be assessing your technical/specialist skills and experience, testing your ability through relevant assessments and asking you questions around the behaviours we require to be successful in this role. The behaviours we assess are:
Leadership
Communicating and influencing
Working together
Developing self and others
Making effective decisions
Delivering at pace
Seeing the big picture
Changing and improving
Managing a quality service
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.
Selection process details
Candidates must submit
a current and relevant CV;
a Cover letter (1 page max) setting out why you are interested in the role and how you meet the essential skills and experience required.
At the CV review/sift stage we will use the specialist skills and experience to determine your suitability for the role. At the interview we ask you questions based on the specialist skills and experience as well as behaviours outlined.
At the Interview we will ask open-ended questions to which they are seeking answers/evidence of essential, previous skills, experience and behaviours in order to guide their hiring decision.
Note: interviews are expected to last one hour.
Note: due to the volume of applications we receive we are unable to provide feedback after the CV review (sift) stage.
Salary and working arrangements
If successful, the salary we offer you will be within the advertised range and will depend on the skills and experience you demonstrate at the interview. Therefore in your cover letter it would be helpful to the hiring teams if you can indicate your salary expectations and if possible your notice period.
Benefits:
37 hours/week and flexible working options - working from home or remotely, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
We have a fantastic learning and development offer
£1000 of learning and development spend per year
A civil service pension with employer contributions of 26-30% depending on salary.
25 days annual leave, which increases 1 day per year up to maximum of 30 days (plus bank holidays), and an extra day off for the Queen’s birthday.
Great maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
Bike loans and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
5 days volunteering paid leave.
Free membership to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
Things you need to know
Security and Immigration checks
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules.
If you're applying for a role requiring security clearance please be aware that foreign or dual nationality is not an automatic bar. However certain posts may have restrictions which could affect those who do not have sole British nationality or who have personal connections with certain countries outside the UK.
Nationality requirements
Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.
Eligibility
Candidates in their probationary period are not eligible to apply for vacancies within this department.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
Contact point for applicants- for further information regarding this role please contact MoJ D&T Recruitment.
Further information
All Civil Servants will adhere to the 'Civil Service code’, which outlines the Civil Service's core values, and the standards of behaviour expected of all civil servants in upholding these values.
Note for current Civil Servants: If successful, the salary offered would normally be determined by applying the MoJ salary progression rules. If the appointment is on level transfer your substantive salary (excluding any allowances) will remain unchanged, unless it exceeds the maximum stated within the MoJ pay band, and unless your current salary is below the relevant MoJ grade minimum. If the appointment is on temporary or substantive promotion the salary will be increased by the appropriate promotion percentage or moved to the minimum of the relevant MoJ grade minimum, whichever is the greater. Civil Servant Applicants should be aware there may be an opportunity for you to be transferred on a permanent basis if this role has been advertised as a fixed term appointment.
Note for non Civil servant applicants: This post is open to UK Nationals, Commonwealth Citizens, EEA Nationals of other member states and certain non-EEA family members. There must be no employment restrictions or time limit on your permitted stay in the UK. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for at least 3 years and in some cases 5 or even 10 years preceding your application due to the requirement to have a checkable history for security vetting purposes. If you answer 'No' to the questions regarding nationality then it is unlikely your application will be pursued. If you are unsure as to your eligibility on any of these points, please contact the recruitment team for clarification or advice. Non Civil Servant Applicants should be aware there may be an opportunity for this post to be converted to permanency if it has been advertised as a fixed term appointment.
Assessment centre dates
Interviews expected to take place w/c 4th May 2020
Closing Date:
21/04/2020, 23:55 hours.
Contact information
If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - 34157.
To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why.
For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).
If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:
You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
You were studying abroad
You were living overseas with parents
In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.
Success Profiles
Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.
if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance