About the job

Job summary

Play a leading role in creating energy solutions that benefit vulnerable customers and the environment.  

Ofgem is a non-ministerial government department and National Regulatory Authority. Our principal objective is to protect the interests of existing and future electricity and gas consumers. We achieve this by promoting value for money and security of supply and facilitating the development of innovative technology. We are an independent organisation but work with government, the energy industry and other stakeholders within a legal framework determined by the UK government.  

In this key role, you’ll join the Digital Delivery team within Delivery & Schemes, which focuses on efficiency, assurance and ensuring value for money for consumers. Using agile methodology, you’ll help to manage the suite of products we use to administer the government’s support schemes. Owning the product and long-term vision, and managing and prioritising backlogs, you’ll be a key liaison between the business and our IT teams. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to take the step up from a Junior Product Manager role and somewhere you will be developed and supported throughout your career. 

Change request management and cost-benefit analysis will be a key focus of your work, as will contributing to requirements gathering and UAT planning, managing, and tracking. Other responsibilities will include providing ad hoc internal user assistance, helping to optimise the value of development work, and providing the assurance that products deliver functional, legislative and security needs.  

You’ll have experience of working as a Product Manager/ Owner in an Agile development environment, and good knowledge of development life cycles. Process mapping skills are essential, as is the ability to interpret business requirements to ensure systems are fit for purpose. We’ll also look for experience in planning, executing, and managing user acceptance testing activities.  

As a superb communicator, you’ll be capable of managing the expectations of stakeholders with conflicting needs and demands. You should have good organisational skills, the ability to prioritise, plan and schedule complex tasks, and highly effective problem-solving skills. 

We are serious about the professional development and support we offer staff. You can also expect an excellent benefits package, a great working environment and a shared sense of purpose.  

We welcome candidates from all backgrounds, and especially welcome individuals from underrepresented groups. While this is a full-time role, flexible working patterns and job shares are welcome.   

Job description

Ofgem’s Delivery and Schemes division administers various government renewable energy and energy efficiency support schemes, including the Renewable Heat Incentive, Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariff, and Energy Company Obligation. E-Serve has a focus on efficiency, assurance, and ensuring value for money for UK consumers. With staff based across both Ofgem’s London and Glasgow offices, this is a dynamic environment with an interesting programme of work scheduled for the coming years. The post will be located in the Delivery Hub within E-Serve.  The Delivery Hub directorate is responsible for Strategic Change initiatives, Product Management, Programme & Project Management, Continuous Improvement, and Business Analysis. 

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Product Manager to become part of a wider team which manages the suite of products used to administer the government’s support schemes. Using agile methodology in a fast-moving environment, the ability to deliver at pace is essential. You will be empowered to make decisions and will need to work with colleagues from a range of backgrounds and expertise to ensure the products meet specified needs. You will control and prioritise the product backlog, review user stories to ensure they accurately capture business needs, act as a liaison between developers and end users, and lead user acceptance testing (UAT) activities where necessary. 

The team fosters a friendly, dynamic, and collaborative environment. We use a flexible resourcing model, working across products to respond to highest priority items. As a Product Manager the post holder is expected to be fully immersed in the work of the team. There will be scope for further development, and opportunities to get involved in activities across multiple products. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Own the product strategy and long term vision. 
• Manage and prioritise the product backlogs. 
• Key liaison between the business and IT teams. 
• Change request management and cost/benefit analysis to ensure value for money. 
• Contribution to requirements gathering, including review and sign-off. 
• UAT planning, managing and tracking. 
• Ad hoc internal user assitance and troubleshooting. 
• Optimise the value of development work undertaken and ensure all colleagues have sufficient understanding of product backlog items. 

Key Outputs and Deliverables 

• High quality products which are fit for purpose. 
• Provision of assurance that products deliver functional, legislative and security needs. 
• Tracked and recorded usr needs and functionality requirements. 
• Prioritised product backlogs. 
• Clear testing plans and fully documented testing scenarios. 
• Progress reports for senior management. 

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Experience of working in an Agile development environment, and knowledge software development life cycles (Lead criteria). 

• Process mapping skills and the ability to interpret business requirements to ensure systems are fit for purpose. 

• Experience of managing the expectations of stakeholders with conflicting needs and demands and engaging with senior stakeholders. 

• Proven organisational skills, the ability to proactively prioritise, plan and schedule complex tasks and demonstrate effective problem-solving skills. 

• Experience in planning, executing and managing User Acceptance Testing activities. 

Desirable Criteria

• Formal Agile or Product Manager qualifications, or Product Manager experience. 

• Knowledge of energy industry and renewable energy or energy efficiency support schemes. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,950, OFGEM contributes £8,356 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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

 When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), and upload a copy of your CV anonymising all details where necessary. 

You will then be asked to answer 3 Technical Questions evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within these answers how you meet each of the essential and desirable skills and capabilities.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expect all candidates to abide by these principles. Ofgem take any incidences of cheating very seriously. Please ensure all examples provided are of your own experience. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant applications will be withdrawn from the process.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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. 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.