About the job

Job summary

We’re looking for an exceptional Lead Product Manager to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Lead Product Manager, you will have a great opportunity to build your already extensive product management skillset through;

• working closely with the Head of Product Portfolio to provide leadership and direction to all Met Office external products
• working across product portfolios to maintain a high level product roadmap and overarching product plans
• working with teams across the Met Office to develop coordinated approaches to product development, rationalisation and retirement, shaping project and programme plans in line with strategy, objectives and funding

This job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and the location advertised will be your contractual place of work.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week, but we would also consider applicants wishing to work a minimum of 4 days per week/30 hours per week and we will also try our best to consider those intending to work a job share.  Our people are at the heart of what we do and we'll do our best to agree a working pattern that works for everyone.

Who we are:

We provide critical weather services and world-leading climate science to deliver extraordinary impact and benefit across the globe. Our work helps people make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. 

Together: 

• We’re a force for good - focusing on our environmental and social impact 
• We’re experts by nature - always learning and developing to do things better 
• We live and breathe it - putting our purpose at the heart of decision-making 
• We’re better together - understanding partnerships and inclusivity make us greater 
• We keep evolving - pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers 

Find out more about our values - https://bit.ly/3fokaRD

Job description

Job Purpose:

As our Lead Product Manager, your key responsibilities are:

• work closely with the Head of Product Portfolio to provide leadership and direction to all Met Office external products
• work across product portfolios to maintain a high level product roadmap for data propositions and overarching product area plan, determining and agreeing where products are in their lifecycle. Strategic ownership and Lifecycle perspective
• work with teams across the Met Office to develop coordinated approaches to products, drive delivery of product development, rationalisation and retirement, shaping project and programme plans in line with strategy, objectives and funding. Senior User on key programme and project boards. Product ownership, Lifecycle perspective, Strategic ownership, Agile working
• assess new external Demand in line with strategies, plans and viability, and take a  portfolio view of external demand to inform product developments and lifecycle decisions. Strategic ownership
• lead maintenance of information about products within their area of responsibility and across the product portfolio, within the Services Catalogue. Lifecycle perspective
• develop and implement pricing and costing approaches for products, working with colleagues in Markets and across Directorates. Strategic ownership, Financial ownership
• Information Asset Guardian (IAG) for Public Task Environmental Data.
• Line manage a team of associate product managers and product managers and undertake resource management in line with priorities, including recruiting and procuring additional resource as required.
• Provide strategic leadership and management to the One Markets team and role model behaviours so that our employees feel empowered to innovate, deliver and thrive within a positive environment.

Person specification

Essential Qualifications, Skills & Abilities:

1. Demonstrate ability to live and breathe product management at an expert level, alongside Agile working, product centred development, project and programme management, with demonstrable ability to navigate this landscape to get product development commissioned and delivered
2. Expert by nature in developing clear grounded business cases for product developments, built on a sound understanding of user needs and organisational objectives, with an ability to progress these through organisational approval and into delivery
3. Demonstrable experience of how you keep evolving an understanding of markets and customers, keeping abreast of the digital economy and advances in technology and changing customer demands, and use this to develop coherent and actionable product plans and strategy
4. A team leader, who works better together with colleagues, able to motivate, develop and drive people in your line management and across teams of peers
5. A force for good ambassador for product management in the Met Office and wider Govt partners, with the ability to work effectively with colleagues across teams, within and across Directorates, to deliver action and change whilst building consensus and commitment and diffusing challenge and conflict

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £49,149, Met Office contributes £13,270 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you. Apply below using your CV and a Cover Letter/Supporting Statement which evidences how you meet each of the essential criteria - we recommend candidates use the CARL (Context, Action, Result and Learning) method for presenting evidence of skills.

Closing date 13/03/2024 at 23:59 with interviews commencing from 28/03/2024. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

If successful, please note we are unable to offer expenses for travel to your normal place of work. This post is contractually aligned to Exeter HQ, please ask at interview if you would like extra clarity on how often this requirement is likely to be.

How we can help:

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please contact us via careers@metoffice.gov.uk . You can request adjustments either within your application or by contacting us. Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity. You can select in your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role.

We understand that great minds don’t always think alike and as an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics. We recruit on merit, fairness, and open competition in line with the Civil Service Code.

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK - please refer to GOV.UK for information. We require Security clearance, for which you need to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years to be eligible. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.

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 security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). 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.