Senior Product Manager

Job Description

If you enjoy helping teams define problems, navigate delivery using a range of agile and lean practices and deliver value to users, this could be the role for you.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) is embarking on an ambitious transformation journey to modernise and reform its services. We are looking for an experienced Product and Delivery practitioner, who brings clarity, pragmatism and a calm confidence to the room.

NRS are looking to hire a Senior Product Manager in their IT Services Team. Senior Product Managers manage multiple products or a single product that is especially complex, high risk or sensitive. 

At this role level, you will:

• line manage associate product managers and product managers, as required
• have expert product management skills
• potentially be involved in elements of programme management activity 
• be involved in hiring associates, product managers and contractors
   

Responsibilities

• Identify and compare the best processes or delivery methods to use, including measuring and evaluating outcomes
• Help the team to decide the best approach - help teams to manage and visualise outcomes, prioritise work and adhere to agreed minimum viable product (MVP), priorities and scope 
• Design operational processes for the running and maintenance of products or services throughout their product life cycle 
• Act as the escalation point for operational issues and can fix complex operational issues 
• Be flexible, consider new ways of working and adapt to change 
• Effectively get buy-in from the organisation - work with scant information and explain it in abstract terms 
• Explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user 
• Champion user research to focus on all users 
• Prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so 
• Offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use
• Work with and challenge senior stakeholders
• Prioritise and mitigate constraints, and turn them into an advantage - adapt the approach depending on the constraints

Success Profile

Technical / Professional Skills:

1. Stakeholder relationship management - Practitioner
2. Agile and Lean practices - Practitioner
3. Strategic ownership - Practitioner
4. Life cycle management - Practitioner
5. Creating value for money - Practitioner
6. Managing product outcomes - Practitioner
7. Applying user-centred insights - Practitioner
8. Product leadership - Practitioner
9. Product management - Expert      

Find out more - Skills A to Z - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

This role is aligned to the Senior Product Manager role within the Digital, Data and Technology Profession. Please review the above link to understand the skill expectations.

Experience:

1. You should have expertise in coaching and leading teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a product or project
2. You should have expertise in articulating the problem statement while also helping others to do so
3. You should demonstrate experience in user centred design to meet needs across a variety of channels, bringing insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure they're met by the business
4. You should be experienced in adapting the approach depending on the constraints

Behaviours:
 

• Communicating and influencing (Level 3) 
• Seeing the big picture (Level 3) 
• Making effective decision (Level 3)
   

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here.

How to apply

Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1000 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. You will not be tested on the technical skills at sift stage.

To help prepare the strongest application possible we encourage all applicants to read the following tips and guidance.  

Stage one - Application sift 
Candidates will have their applications assessed against all success profile criteria listed above, minus the Technical skills, unless there is a large number of applications, in which case, the following process will apply:

An initial sift will be conducted using the CV and supporting statement on Lead Experience 1 & 2 as listed above.

Candidates who pass the initial sift will have their applications fully assessed against the other Experience criteria and Behaviours.

Stage two - Interview and DDaT technical assessment: 
Candidates who pass the initial sift will be invited to present and complete an assessment and interview where we will test all criteria listed above.

Assessments are scheduled for w/c 21st July, however this may be subject to change.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) is Scotland’s record keeper. Our purpose is to collect, preserve and produce information about Scotland's people and history and make it available to inform current and future generations. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

NRS is a Non-Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government & and our staff are part UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working Pattern

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week.  We offer a range of flexible and hybrid working options depending on the needs of the role. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for,  please contact us.

Equality Statement

We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.  

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Further information

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

For further information on this vacancy, please contact Robin Cornwall at Robin.Cornwall@nrscotland.gov.uk 

DDaT Pay Supplement

This post attracts a £5000 Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) pay supplement. Pay supplements are temporary payments designed to address recruitment and retention issues caused by market pressures and are reviewed regularly. There is a review currently underway and changes will be communicated when the review is concluded. This post is part of the Scottish Government DDaT profession. As a member of the profession you will join the professional development system, currently BCS Role Mode plus.