Lead Product Manager

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Mosley St, Manchester M2 3HQ, UK

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 2 weeks

Management

Full time

£56,374 - £62,501 per year

Job summary

At the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), we make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by UK Government departments and the NHS in England, working closely with people to understand where public services have fallen short and how they can be improved. Our work helps ensure voices are heard, accountability is upheld and learning leads to better services.

Now is an exciting time to join as we invest in our digital capability and rethink how our services, data and technology support both users and colleagues. This creates real opportunities to influence how things are designed, delivered and improved, and to be part of meaningful change.

Based in Manchester City centre, we are a values‑driven organisation with a diverse and inclusive culture. We offer flexible, hybrid working built on trust and autonomy, with 40% of your time spent in the office to support connection, learning and being part of the wider organisation.

Job description

As a Lead Product Manager in our Digital team, you will play a central role in shaping how product management works across PHSO at a pivotal point in our digital transformation.

You will define and drive product vision and strategy across key service areas, ensuring our products deliver meaningful outcomes for users and the organisation. Working closely with senior stakeholders, you will align priorities, set direction and guide decision-making in complex and evolving contexts.

This role goes beyond managing individual products. You will help establish and mature product management practice across the organisation, introducing clear approaches to discovery, prioritisation and delivery, and supporting teams to move towards more outcome-led ways of working.

You will also lead, coach and mentor Product Managers and multidisciplinary teams, helping to build confidence, capability and consistency in how product decisions are made.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of product delivery at PHSO, influencing how services are designed, delivered and continuously improved.

Person specification

What we are looking for

significant experience in product management roles with accountability for product direction and outcomes
a deep understanding of modern product management principles and practices
ability to influence and align senior stakeholders around outcomes and trade‑offs
strong strategic thinking and ability to translate strategy into actionable product direction
excellent coaching and people‑management skills.

We recognise the value of lived experience. If you have experience of complaining about any public body, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,374, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman contributes £16,331 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Civil Service Pension scheme
32.5 days annual leave (plus bank holidays on top)
hybrid working, 40 percent office based
flexible working
access to a free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme offering 24/7 advice and support from professionals and counsellors
comprehensive learning and development programme
employee discount scheme across hundreds of retailers
bicycle loan scheme
season ticket loan
gym membership subsidy
paid for professional memberships
eye test reimbursement.

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

How to apply (and how to do well)

You will answer four scored questions at application stage. We use these to shortlist, so your answers matter.

choose real examples (from professional settings)
focus on what you did, not what “we” did as a group
explain your thinking: what you looked at, what you decided, and why
keep it clear and specific, avoid generic statements

Please do not use AI to write your answers. We need to assess your skills, and applications may be rejected if answers appear AI-generated.

If your examples are very short, mostly opinion-based, or don’t describe a specific situation and outcome, you are unlikely to score well.

Inclusion & Wellbeing

Equality, diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing are vital to the way we work and our culture. We want our colleagues feel included, valued, and supported at work. It is essential that we are representative and accessible for the people who work here and those who use our service.

Actions we take to embed this include:

an anonymised shortlisting process to make sure it is fair and unbiased
monitoring the demographic trends in our workforce and making measured, sustained efforts to improve our diversity at all levels
providing wellbeing support and opportunities for personal and professional development for all colleagues
creating spaces for connection and engagement through our employee network groups and social clubs
part of the disability confident scheme
providing reasonable adjustments
engaging in regular inclusion learning to enhance the cultural competency of our organisation.

We know the value of having diverse, representative teams across our organisation. Which is why we particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented within the team. These include people who are:

Asian, Black, Mixed Ethnicity or another ethnic background
disabled
LGBTQ.

Contact and important information

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Mark Muirhead, Assistant Director of Digital, Mark.Muirhead@ombudsman.org.uk

Interviews: held onsite
Feedback: we do not offer feedback at application stage
Right to work: we can only consider candidates with the right to work in the UK.
Sponsorship: we are unable to offer sponsorship (we do not have a licence).
Applications: we do not accept CVs—please apply via the application form (‘apply now’).
Agencies: no agencies; applications from individuals only.
Early closure: we may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.
Salary: non negotiable

Important notice: fraudulent job postings

We have been made aware that some websites are falsely advertising job vacancies for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). We only advertise job vacancies through these official channels:

- our website

- LinkedIn

- Civil Service Jobs

- GOV.uk

- Indeed

- Ombudsman association

- BMEjobs.co.uk

- Disabilityjob.co.uk

- Neurodiversityjobs.co.uk

- LGBTjobs.co.uk

Do not share personal details with any other websites claiming to represent PHSO. Contact our recruitment team to report any concerns at recruitment@ombudsman.org.uk

We are changing our name

We are changing our name. Later this year we will become the Public Service Ombudsman. This will make it easier for people to find us and understand what we do. The service we provide will remain the same. Visit our website to find out more.

If you have any questions, please contact us at recruitment@ombudsman.org.uk.

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

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

Salary range

£56,374 - £62,501 per year