Lead Product Manager (Closing date 23rd March 2025)

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT). We're here to make digital government simpler, clearer and faster for everyone. Our work is user-focused, dynamic and forward-looking, making our organisation an exciting and innovative place to work.

The GOV.UK One Login Programme represents a once in a generation opportunity to simplify and widen access to all digital government services. Sitting at the heart of government, we are building one simple and secure way for users to log in and prove who they are, that will work across all government services.

As part of the GOV.UK One Login programme, you'll be joining a passionate and collaborative group of product managers, engineers, designers, and researchers dedicated to delivering exceptional digital experiences for everyone. We're a diverse team embracing agile methodologies to deliver effective solutions to challenging problems, at a national scale.

GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone spends some time working from home and some time in their nearest office. You will be line managed by an experienced product leader, and have access to a range of professional training opportunities, as well as peer learning and support through our active GDS Product Management Community.

With over 4 million accounts created and over 50 Government services using GOV.UK One Login, there's never been a more exciting time to join us. We're continuously shipping features, improving our journeys and supporting our platform and products, whilst onboarding more services and users.

Described as the most strategic programme in government, join us to make a real difference in the lives of millions and be at the forefront of digital transformation. If you're a passionate product person who thrives in a fast-paced, impactful environment, we want to hear from you!

You can find out more about what we're doing here on the GDS Blog and the GOV.UK One Login roadmap .

Job description

This is your chance to contribute to a project of national significance in one of two roles, as a Lead Product Manager in either our Fraud or Mobile teams.

Counter-Fraud

This is your opportunity to reduce the impact of identity-enabled crime to government and individuals, as you manage a suite of fraud products. A background in financial services, retail, gambling and counter fraud technology would be useful, but not essential.

GOV.UK Wallet, in Mobile

The GOV.UK Wallet will allow users to store their government-issued documents in an app on their mobile phones as verified credentials. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the Wallet team, to develop a ground breaking product with national reach. A background in the digital identity sector and in developing, launching and iterating web and mobile app user experiences, at scale would be useful, but not essential.

We are looking for two Lead Product Managers who want to play a pivotal role in leading the shaping of digital products that serve millions. Your leadership, expertise and commitment will directly impact the future of government services.

Lead Product Managers are responsible for leading a high performing product team in the One Login directorate, you will need to:

• own and be responsible for developing and articulating a clear vision, strategy, proposition and roadmap, building relationships with other government departments and working collaboratively at every stage of delivery
• provide senior direction and leadership for multidisciplinary teams in developing and continuously improving our products
• lead teams in assessing new information about user needs, and making decisions about which to meet and why
• coordinate product development with teams across the programme, taking a lead when required and developing shared goals to build alignment.
• effectively prioritise - balancing support for the live products, with delivering new features and continuous improvement.
• be able to take unrefined ideas and develop them into clear product requirements, balancing operation and iterative product development with innovation
• maintain knowledge of the changing digital identity landscape and the opportunities to improve the delivery of public services.
• coach and mentor other members of the product community, identifying learning and development opportunities for individuals and teams
• support Heads of Product with development and implementation of the wider Digital Identity Product strategy

Learn more about what Lead Product Managers do in government.

Person specification

We're looking for someone who has a track record of leading successful product delivery teams in an agile environment. You'll be guided by the fundamental principles of putting user needs first, focusing on delivery of outcomes over process, and being open and collaborative. You'll be someone who wants to make a difference, by delivering simpler, clearer and faster public services that meet user needs.

For both roles, we're interested in people who have:

• strong product management experience in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to pivot and run with new ideas, working in a multidisciplinary agile team
• experience setting and iterating the product strategy, championing the vision and mission to win stakeholder support
• a track record of continuous, data-led improvement and iteration of a maturing, live product - ideally in digital identity
• strong communication and presentation skills that enable you to gain commitment and manage vendors, stakeholders and senior leaders (often from across multiple departments). Able to engage people in a variety of ways, to identify a common set of priorities, and explain what you are doing in clear and compelling ways
• experience of recruiting, coaching and line management of product managers, identifying learning and development opportunities for individuals and teams
• experience navigating an environment where complex risks are at play, taking steps to manage and mitigate as required.

If you meet most of these criteria but think that you might not meet every last one then don't let that stop you from submitting an application.

Benefits

The benefits of working at GDS

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for The King's birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to children's holiday play schemes across different locations in central London
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You'll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.