Lead Product Manager – HR & Finance applications – G7

Job summary

Welsh Government

The Welsh Government delivers digital services to people and business across Wales. Led by our Chief Digital Officer, the Welsh Government is increasingly delivering more services online and has a vision (outlined in the Digital Strategy for Wales) of improving the lives of everyone through collaboration, innovation and better public services.

To achieve this vision, the Welsh Government needs specialist digital, data and technology skills across all departments in the organisation to improve the services and policies we develop for Welsh citizens.

For more information about the benefits of making a difference with us, please see the Employee Benefits Pack.

Team/Division Overview

The successful candidate will report to the Head of IT Services, Operations and Engineering. You will be responsible for the ongoing management, support and delivery of core corporate applications including HR and Finance.

Job Role:

This post is mapped to Lead Product Manager in the DDaT Profession Capability Framework. Follow the link to understand the role and the required skills.

The Lead Product Manager for HR and Finance systems will lead the functional application teams responsible for delivering secure, compliant, and high-performing systems that support critical business processes. This role combines strategic product ownership with operational leadership, ensuring systems meet business needs, adhere to governance standards, and deliver value through continuous improvement.

We are looking for people who are:

• Strong leaders with experience of managing functional teams
• Have Knowledge of ITIL principles and governance frameworks
• Experienced communicators with the ability to engage with both internal and external stakeholders

Job description

At this role level, you will:

• help others make value-based decisions, influencing the direction of development
• influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders to resolve issues and enable progress

Your main day to day responsibilities will include:

• Lead on defining and maintaining the product vision and roadmap for HR and Finance systems aligned with organisational objectives.
• Ensure application development lifecycle principles are applied and followed.
• Advise and influence stakeholders at management level regarding delivery, costs, availability, and functionality of systems.
• Set the overall direction for the functional team, ensuring adherence to ITIL standards and best practice guidelines.
• Ensure systems are secure, compliant, and licensed in line with corporate policy and contractual agreements.
• Lead on stakeholder management, ensuring effective communication with key customers and managing expectations around application functionality and service availability.
• Develop effective partnerships with business stakeholders to ensure systems meet operational needs.
• Act as key contact for 3rd party suppliers, ensuring arrangements deliver the highest value through proactive engagement and management of deliverables under the contracts as appropriate, taking overall responsibility for service delivery and contract management.
• Ensure system incidents and development requests are managed, prioritised, and delivered in line with agreed SLAs.
• Ensure team members operate within specified governance and control structures.
• Day-to-day management and leadership of application functional teams.
• Manage and monitor performance of direct reports in line with agreed objectives.
• Lead recruitment activity and workforce planning for the team.

Person specification

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership - Be visible to staff and stakeholders and regularly undertake activities to engage and build trust with people involved in area of work.

Experience

We'll assess you against these experiences during the selection process:

• Experience of working with and managing 3rd party support partners to meet the needs of your customers.
• Excellent knowledge of both HR and Finance business processes and how they support business activities.
• Excellent operational knowledge of HR or Finance Systems e.g. Oracle, SAP or equivalent.

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Product Management – Create a prioritised roadmap for your products and use it to discuss strategy at all levels.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Product Management

Benefits

• opportunities

  As a member of the Digital, Data and Technology profession in Welsh Government you will have access to a range of learning and development opportunities.

  You will have the opportunity to work on various projects and engage with colleagues at all levels from within the profession and business areas across the organisation.

  Welsh Government is supportive of your learning and development and has a range of training and opportunities available including a suite of online training, coaching and mentoring and short-term experience placements which you will be able to take advantage of depending on your learning and development needs and discussions with your line manager.

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

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

• This advertisement confirms the overall criteria being assessed throughout this recruitment exercise. For further details on the criteria and evidence required at the application stage, you will need to press apply and review the application form.
• When presenting your evidence, you may find it useful to consider the expectations of the grade as set out in the Grade Description as well as the main responsibilities that are essential for the role
• A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months.
• In the event of a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the lead assessment criterion: Experience 2 - Excellent knowledge of both HR and Finance business processes and how they support business activities. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

• In the case of more than one candidate scoring the same, the panel has agreed the following criteria will determine merit order:

  1. Experience - Excellent knowledge of both HR and Finance business processes and how they support business activities
  2. Experience - Excellent operational knowledge of HR or Finance Systems e.g. Oracle, SAP or equivalent.
  3. Behaviour - Leadership - Be visible to staff and stakeholders and regularly undertake activities to engage and build trust with people involved in area of work
  4. DDaT Skill – Product Management – Create a prioritised roadmap for your products and use it to discuss strategy at all levels

• Candidates who successfully demonstrate that they meet the minimum Experience Criteria will be invited to interview. Interviews will be scheduled for week commencing w/c 9th March. You will receive a technical scenario for you to prepare a response to ready for your interview. The technical scenario and instructions will be emailed to you 5 days before your interview.

• This is a hybrid role where the post holder will be expected to attend their local Welsh Government office in line with organisation expectations and to meet business needs.

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.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.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 : ictservicecontrol@gov.wales
• Email : ictservicecontrol@gov.wales

Recruitment team

• Email : ResourcingHub@gov.wales