CIO Group
Lead Product Manager
Salary: £69,056 per annum.
Band: UKRI Band F.
Contract Type: Open ended.
Hours: Full-time/Part Time. (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)
Location: Swindon - Hybrid working with around 2 days a week in the office
Closing Date: 07/06/26
We recommend interested individuals apply at their earliest convenience as we reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised deadline if we receive sufficient applications for these roles.
About the role
You will lead the Product Management discipline for UKRI, promoting its value to UKRI stakeholders and ensuring that we build the right digital services in the right way to create value for the organisation and our users. Balancing user needs, organisational strategy and technical delivery, you will support a discipline of both CIO Group and business Product Managers to create and manage clear roadmaps for both new and live UKRI digital services.
As the Lead Product Manager, you will report to the UKRI Head of Product and Design within the Digital and Funding Platforms group. You will support and oversee a portfolio of services across UKRI Digital and Funding platforms, working closely with the Head of Funding Platforms and their teams to identify, implement and improve strategies and tactics for their products. You will promote best practice and work closely with both Funding policy and business change teams to understand organisational constraints, business value and how to balance conflicting priorities.
Your responsibilities:
- Lead and drive the strategic roadmap for UKRI Funding Platforms.
- Provide product leadership in Funding Platform projects and services across the UKRI digital community, working closely with the Head of Product and Design.
- Work closely with user-centred design teams to investigate problems and design solutions.
- Organise and lead Design Sprints and other workshop-based activities to quickly understand value, feasibility, and to help teams work toward shared outcomes
- Develop and run the UKRI product management Community of Practice.
- Oversee a range of service delivery activities relevant to the Funding Platforms portfolio.
Coach and mentor Product Managers at all levels including business service owners and contractors.
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Personal Specification
The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).
Essential
- Expert practitioner in Product Management with relevant qualifications. (S)
- Experience of designing and leading workshops and collaborative sessions to align stakeholders, support effective collaboration, and achieve shared outcomes. (I)
- Experience of delivering digital services to the GDS standard. (S&I)
- Evidence of the ability to manage, influence, challenge, mentor and coach team members. (S&I)
- Proven substantial experience of working with user-centred design teams to solve business problems. (S&I)
- Evidence of delivering outcomes with defined benefits representing value for money. (I)
- Excellent communication and presentation skills. (I)
- High levels of accountability demonstrated through ownership of complex decisions, delivery commitments, and outcomes. (I)
Excellent influencing and stakeholder management skills. (I)
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Please submit a CV and covering letter (Covering letter should be no longer than 500 words) which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.
If we receive a high volume of applications, we reserve the right to assess candidates against one of the essential criteria.
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 rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Benefits
We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!
A list of benefits below:
- An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
- 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
- Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
- Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
- Flexible working options.
Plus, many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance.
For further information on our benefits please see:
Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact [email protected].
Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact [email protected].
