Associate Product Manager

Associate Product Manager

Location: National*

Closing Date: 22nd February

Interviews: From 5th March

Grade: SEO

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary:

National: £42,914 - £46,182

London: £49,325 - £53,081 (which may include an allowance up to £6,575)

Working pattern: Full-time, part-time, flexible working

Contract Type: Permanent

Number of Roles: 1

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

We’re recruiting an Associate Product Manager here at Justice Digital to join our warm, collaborative End User Compute Core Services team.

In this role, you will bring experience with IT Infrastructure (e.g., servers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, Azure Local) and an awareness of testing, effective use strategies, and quality assurance processes.

This role aligns against Associate Product Manager from the Government Digital and Data Framework

The EUCS team is part of Technology Services in Justice Digital, a modern and diverse workplace that promotes a healthy work-life balance and flexible working options. They design, deliver, and support the core IT infrastructure and systems that enable End User Compute Services and line-of-business applications for over 100,000 Ministry of Justice users across over 800 locations. 

Associate Product Managers champion the delivery and continuous improvement of products, working closely with more senior Product Leads to define, own and solve problems. They use their technical understanding, as well as knowledge of user needs and business goals to frame problems and help set priorities. They are responsible for developing the vision for a product or product subset, engaging teams and stakeholders in the development of that vision over time and help to manage a product through its life cycle. They may line manage other staff and support their professional development as well as be involved in recruitment. 

This can be an ‘entry-level’ role for people looking to progress into product management who have previous experience in technical roles.

These are exciting times at Justice Digital. We have a clear vision: to develop a digitally enabled justice system that works simply for its users, and we’re looking for enthusiastic, 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. The IT Infrastructure Associate Product Manager plays a crucial role in this and will provide input across various strands of this work.

As well as doing interesting work, we’re creating an environment that’s great to work in. We provide the opportunity to work with the latest technologies and offer brilliant training opportunities alongside support from expert colleagues. On top of that, you’ll find flexible working, an inclusive culture, and a place where your opinion is valued.

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital, please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025

Key Responsibilities:

• Play a key role in coordinating activities within a multi-disciplined team, following best practice, setting performance targets and ensuring KPIs are consistently achieved.

• Support the development and delivery of the product strategy and roadmap, acting as SME with a good technical understanding of IT Infrastructure Hardware, and a solutions focus to critique and suggest solutions to meet user needs and the product roadmap

• Help to prioritise future requirements to create modern and efficient, enterprise-level EUC IT Infrastructure solutions and services that deliver value for money and enable the Ministry of Justice to meet its operational objectives across the UK.

• Deliver high-quality results and support strategic decisions within tight timescales.

• Develop and deliver continuous service improvements and work as part of a multi-functional team to create, refine and prioritise a product backlog of changes and enhancements.

• Discuss requirements with technical and non-technical audiences

• Maintain and publish all product documentation to a high standard, including business requirements and user stories.

• Develop effective relationships with stakeholders and third-party suppliers.

• Review operational ways of working and keep up-to-date progress records on activities.

• Working with internal teams and suppliers to identify resolutions to incidents and problem tickets, and utilise this data to improve the product.

• Demonstrate good understanding of the most modern standards and practices for IT Infrastructure and share with the wider team and the Justice Digital community.

• Work collaboratively with other areas of EUCS and Justice Digital.

The Associate Product Manager will work collaboratively with:

• Service Owners

• Technical Architecture, Engineering and Service Operations teams

• 3rd party Service Managers, Project and Technical leads

• Senior Operations Managers within the EUC team

• Key MOJ stakeholders

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Benefits

• 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.

• A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best in class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.

• Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow.

• Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates).

• 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the King’s birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.

• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, 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!

• Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.

• Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT.

• Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location).

• Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.

• 5 days volunteering paid leave.

• Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.

Person Specification

Essential

• Product Management: Create and prioritise actionable goals for your teams, balancing user needs and business perspectives. Make or recommend an evidence-based decision using insight and data. Use a range of product management methods, for example, prioritisation and road mapping. Work with others in multidisciplinary teams to plan and deliver high-quality product increments

• Applying User Insights: identify and engage users and stakeholders to identify user needs and trends. Decide when you need more user insights and when you have enough to make a decision. Work with others to define the problem and research goals. Use quantitative and qualitative user insights to improve product or service outcomes

• Agile and Lean Delivery: demonstrate experience in applying Agile principles in practice. Provide a clear, open and transparent framework in which teams can deliver. Show an awareness of Agile tools and are starting to use them intelligently. Visualise and make visible the work of the team
• Managing Product Outcomes: Explain the importance of identifying and measuring product outcomes. Explain the need for baseline data. Identify and explain the priority outcomes for your product or feature
• Stakeholder Relationship Management: identify important stakeholders and communicate with them clearly and regularly. Tailor communication to stakeholders' needs and work with them to build relationships while meeting user needs. Build and reach consensus with stakeholders. Work to improve stakeholder relationships using evidence to explain decisions
• Good knowledge of IT Infrastructure environments: the underpinning products and technologies including Azure Locals, Servers, switches, firewalls; firewalls, Microsoft and Linux operating systems.
• Able to act as the subject matter expert: within the IT Infrastructure Product area and be conversant with other complementary technologies and related products, services and solutions

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.

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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

How to Apply

Candidates must submit a CV (no more than 2 pages) and Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement (no more than 750 words) should highlight your relevant experience and skills, supported by clear examples of work you have undertaken. It must address the following three criteria, listed within the Person Specification. Please structure your response using a separate paragraph for each:

• Product Management: create and prioritise actionable goals for your teams, balancing user needs and business perspectives. Make or recommend an evidence-based decision using insight and data. Use a range of product management methods, for example, prioritisation and road mapping. Work with others in multidisciplinary teams to plan and deliver high-quality product increments

• Managing Product Outcomes: Explain the importance of identifying and measuring product outcomes. Explain the need for baseline data. Identify and explain the priority outcomes for your product or feature

• Good knowledge of IT Infrastructure environments and the underpinning products and technologies including Azure Locals, Servers, switches, firewalls; firewalls, Microsoft and Linux operating systems.

A diverse panel will review your application against the three criteria specified above.

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on the below criteria will be conducted before the sift:

• Product Management: create and prioritise actionable goals for your teams, balancing user needs and business perspectives. Make or recommend an evidence-based decision using insight and data. Use a range of product management methods, for example, prioritisation and road mapping. Work with others in multidisciplinary teams to plan and deliver high-quality product increments

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement

Application Guidance

In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process:

• Working Together

• Changing and Improving

• Managing a Quality Service

• Communicating and Influencing

A diverse panel will review your application against the Person Specification above.

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on the below Criteria will be conducted before the sift.

• Product Management create and prioritise actionable goals for your teams, balancing user needs and business perspectives. Make or recommend an evidence-based decision using insight and data. Use a range of product management methods, for example, prioritisation and road mapping. Work with others in multidisciplinary teams to plan and deliver high-quality product increments

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Terms & Conditions

Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk