Lead Product Manager
Job summary
CIO Group
Salary: £58,589 - £65,100 per annum.
Band: UKRI Band F.
Contract Type: Open ended.
Hours: Full-time. (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)
Location: Swindon - Hybrid working available.
Closing Date: Thursday 5th March 2026
About the role
You will lead the product management discipline for UKRI, promoting its value to UKRI stakeholders and ensuring that we build the right things in the right way to create value for the business and our users. Balancing user needs, organisational strategy and technical delivery, you will support a discipline of both CIO Group and business product managers to create and manage clear roadmaps for both new and live UKRI digital services.
As the lead product manager you will report to the UKRI Head of Product and Design within the Digital and Funding Platforms group. You will support and oversee a portfolio of services across UKRI Digital and Funding platforms, working closely with the Head of Funding Platforms and their teams to identify, implement and improve strategies and tactics for their products. You will promote best practice and work closely with both Funding policy and business change teams to understand organisational constraints, business value and how to balance conflicting priorities.
Job description
Your responsibilities:
- Lead and drive the strategic roadmap for UKRI Funding Platforms.
- Provide product leadership in Funding Platform projects and services across the UKRI digital community, working closely with the Head of Product and Design.
- Work closely with user design teams to investigate problems and design solutions.
- Organise and lead design sprints and inception activities to understand value versus feasibility.
- Run the UKRI product management community of practice.
- Oversee a range of service delivery activities relevant to the Funding Platforms portfolio.
- Mentor product managers at all levels including business service owners and contractors.
Person specification
The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).
Essential
- Expert practitioner in product management with relevant qualifications. (S)
- Experience of delivering digital services to the GDS standard. (S&I)
- Evidence of the ability to manage, influence, challenge and coach team members. (S&I)
- Proven substantial experience of working with user centred design teams to solve business problems. (S&I)
- Evidence of delivering outcomes with defined benefits representing value for money. (I)
- Excellent communication and presentation skills. (I)
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £58,589, UK Research and Innovation contributes £16,973 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!
A list of benefits below:
- An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
- 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
- Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
- Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
- Flexible working options.
Plus, many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!
For further information on our benefits please see:
Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.Selection process details
Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org
Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitment@ukri.org.
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
Working for the Civil Service
Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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.Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).Apply and further information
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 : UKRI Recruitment Team
- Email : Recruitment@ukri.org
Recruitment team
- Email : Recruitment@ukri.org
Salary range
- £58,589 - £65,100 per year