Current jobs related to Product Manager - London, Greater London - Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Details
Reference number

430419

Salary

£46,000

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Future pay awards will be performance related, linked to the annual appraisal process and may also include a non-consolidated Performance Related Payment (PRP), dependant on the level of performance. All future awards are subject to guidance issued annually by HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Other

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

10

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

London, Milton Keynes or East Kilbride - You will be required to work from this location in line with FCDO policies on Hybrid Working (minimum 60% in the office).

About the job
Job summary

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office pursues our national interests and projects the UK's role in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK's security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners. We employ more than 17,000 staff in 179 countries and territories, across our diplomatic and development offices worldwide, which consists of 282 officially designated Posts. Our UK-based staff work in King Charles Street, London, Abercrombie House in East Kilbride and in Milton Keynes.

Job description

You will be joining FCDO at a time of transformation with the opportunity to shape digital tools to support front line delivery. As we transition our internal systems, land new digital products and expand the scope of some of our existing digital platforms, we are building an expanded product function to design and integrate our products, spot efficiencies in existing processes and continuously improve our digital services to provide the best user experience.

As a Product Manager, you will lead and be responsible for a group of digital products. Working with multi-disciplinary teams across the Directorate, you will apply knowledge of our customers and business goals to frame problems and set priorities for the development of new products. You will build strong relationships with FCDO programme and policy staff across our overseas networks and central teams to support internal communications, use feedback to evaluate our products and to help the FCDO achieve its goals in a more efficient and effective way.

Importantly, you will also care about the people our services deliver experiences for and define what success looks like for them.

You will work in an innovative Digital, Data and Technology team, exposed to methods and frameworks that will allow you to build a knowledge base to accelerate your career. 10% of your time will be for learning and development; you will have access to resources through the FCDO's International Academy and the Government Digital Service, which cover on-the-job learning, coaching/mentoring and formal training.

Roles and Responsibilities

All the roles will be responsible for building out new platforms for FCDO and understanding how we get best value out of them across the organisation. The roles will focus on the following platforms:

• Digital Products and Services: We create and continuously improve the digital products that underpin the FCDO's global mission – from responding to crises and supporting British nationals overseas to driving international development and hosting major diplomatic events. Our portfolio includes tools such as products for managing official visits and high‑level engagements, knowledge and content platforms, and data and insight solutions.
• Live service products including end user devices and applications, networks and infrastructure. This includes hardware such as laptops, desktops and mobiles and applications such as ServiceNow and M365 including co-pilot and in house developed applications for use across the FCDO.
• Consular Products: This includes a diverse portfolio of public facing digital services for example applying for an Emergency Travel Document, or contacting the FCDO for Consular Assistance, as well as the products used by our overseas network to directly support their Consular work such as our core case management platform, and appointment booking system.

The successful candidate will:

• Have ownership of Products – creating and communicating a strategy, managing our digital products through discovery, design and completion.
• Oversee product development work – acting as Scrum Master to coordinating work across Agile multidisciplinary teams, using, for example DevOps and/or Kanban tools.
• Apply user-focused design – using user research and business analysis to determine customer needs and prioritise software development work.
• Problem solve – devising strategic rather than short-term tactical digital solutions, identifying efficiencies in our products and understanding how each contributes to the programme delivery space.
• Evaluate digital products – defining measures of success against Delivery Platform strategy and business requirements.

Please note that some roles may have line management responsibilities.

You will be required to travel between the UK offices every month, to collaborate with colleagues. Overseas travel is likely to be infrequent, and duration of the trip will depend on location.

Person specification

You must be a British Citizen at the time of application and, if invited to interview, you will need to bring proof of identity (British Passport/Driving Licence etc.) with you.

This role requires you to attainDeveloped Vetting (DV) security clearance.

For more information about this process, click here. Attaining DV will require you to have been resident in the UK for five of the last ten years. At least one year of this must have been a consecutive twelve-month period. Serving overseas with HM Forces, in some other official capacity as a representative of His Majesty's Government or having lived overseas as a result of your parents' or partner's Government employment counts as UK residency for the purposes of security clearances.

It is essential in your application that you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following Minimum Criteria, the Behaviours and the Technical question as far as you are able to do so. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.

Minimum Criteria

Demonstratable track record of delivery the following Technical skills from the Product Manager profession section of the UK Government's Digital and Data and Profession Capability Framework.

1. Product Management, practitioner level- you can:

• work with your team to investigate and validate what adds value now and what could add value in future
• create a prioritised roadmap and use it to discuss your product strategy with stakeholders
• address uncertainty while managing scope, ensuring critical deadlines are met and value delivered
• recommend a range of product management methods
• work in the open and share your work

2. Agile and lean practices, practitioner level- you can:

• compare and select the most appropriate delivery methods and processes
• recognise, reflect and adapt when something does not work, encouraging experimentation
• use a blended approach depending on the context
• help teams to measure, evaluate and visualise outcomes
• encourage reflective practice to improve ways of working

3. Applying user-centred insights, practitioner level- you can:

• use user insights to represent users in internal discussions
• advocate for research to be completed with all types of users of the product or service
• use user needs to agree the work that needs to be done and determine priorities with the team
• work with others to understand and recommend tools to get the appropriate user insight

4. Life cycle management, working level- you can:

• manage the delivery of products and services that add value through different phases of the life cycle, with some support
• identify if the product or service should move to the next phase and, if it should, how to do this
• ensure the product or service is developed in line with the appropriate service standards for a phase
• use new information to adapt approaches to life cycle management

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Product Management (Practitioner Level)
• Agile and lean practices (Practitioner Level)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,000, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes £13,326 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• A Civil Service Pension.
• 25 days Annual Leave per annum.
• 9 days Public and Privilege holidays per annum.
• Learning and Development tailored to your role.

See the attached candidate pack.

Things you need to know
Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

This vacancy uses the Success Profiles Framework and the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework to assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical Skills.

Please see the 'Hints and Tips' that are provided for your information about how to prepare Behaviour examples at the Application and/or Interview stage.

Application Stage

You will be required to complete the following as part of the online application:

• A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). CVs will be assessed against the Minimum Criteria outlined in the Person Specification section above.
• A Personal Statement of 500 words explaining how you consider your skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with specific reference to the Minimum Criteria. These responses will be explored further during the interview process for shortlisted candidates.

The Behaviours you will be assessed on at the application stage are as follows:

• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture

IMPORTANT: If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and require Reasonable Adjustments in order to complete your application, please ensure Government Recruitment Service (GRS) are aware of this on the date of application and certainly by the closing date.

In the event of a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift by a lead Behaviour. For this campaign we will be prioritising Changing & Improving. Only candidates who meet the minimum standard in this Behaviour will have the rest of their application fully assessed.

Interview Stage

At the start of your interview, you will also be asked a non-assessed warm-up question about your motivation for applying for the role.

Candidates will be required to give a Presentation at the Interview, and the topic will be sent to you in advance. The Presentation will test the following Technical skill:

• Product Management

You will be assessed on the following Behaviours and Technical Skills at Interview:

• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Product Management (Practitioner Level)
• Agile and lean practices (Practitioner Level)

Please note that the FCDO carries out name-blind (anonymised) recruitment to help build a more diverse and inclusive workforce. The personal information on your Application form and/or CV will be concealed during the sifting phase, and only the names of those who are being invited for Interviews will be made known to the Panel.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the 'Assistance required' section in the 'Additional requirements' page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to FCDO from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems reading the Candidate Pack, such as through screen reader software, please contact our Team via and we will share a Word version of this.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Applications must be factually accurate and should be your own work. If there is any evidence of plagiarism, including presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own, your application will be withdrawn. The candidate's guide to artificial intelligence in recruitment provides guidance on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in the application process.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting .

See our vetting charter .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

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 equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

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 Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants
Job contact :

• Name : FCDO Recruitment Team
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information

The FCDO's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should, in the first instance, contact If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the FCDO, you can contact the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners.

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