Product Manager

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

At HMRC, we are already one of the most digital advanced tax authorities in the world and have one of the largest IT infrastructures and data sources in the UK. With 50 million customers to serve, over 60 thousand colleagues to support, and £600 billion to collect to fund UK Plc, our IT operation is huge! For those who are up to the challenge, we offer unique and unparalleled opportunities to work with some of the newest technologies and make a real, lasting difference.

HMRC is made up of Customer Groups which are working independently towards one common goal. Our role sits within HMRC’s Chief Digital & Information Office (CDIO) Group that deliver in-house solutions for a broad range of technical and operational issues. Our digital delivery centres are hi-tech, state-of-the-art facilities that allow our teams to maximise their capabilities.

The Secure Digital Exchange & Communications (SDEC) is a strategic digital service designed to enable secure, efficient, and standardised exchange of data across internal systems and external partners. It supports the organisation’s digital transformation by providing a scalable platform for data ingestion, validation, storage, and dissemination, ensuring compliance with security and governance standards. SDEC aims to streamline data flows, reduce manual processing, and improve accessibility to high-quality data, enabling better decision-making, enhanced customer services, and more agile delivery of future capabilities.

Job description

A Product Manager is responsible for ensuring that a product is of high quality and delivers value. They manage their products through various phases of the product lifecycle, from discovery, development and build, to live running. They balance the goals of the organisation with the needs of end users, and the skills of the product team to scope and build the right products, and prioritise how to iterate them over time. Additionally, they may be involved in recruiting and managing personnel within the product team, ensuring they hire the right individuals that are supported, and developed.

Further Information:

This role maps to the cross-government framework for the Government Digital and Data (GDaD). For more information visit Product manager - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

Person specification

Responsibilities:

• Set the product vision, strategy and scope: Define how the product will work to support the organisation or service’s goals, and set the scope for what the product will initially do as an MVP, to how it will continually improve or the organisation and end user needs change for a large product or service.
• Stakeholder management: Engage with stakeholders to understand their goals from the service and product, secure their buy-in for the product vision and roadmap, and maintain good working relationships, including managing negotiations over the scope and timelines for product development.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary product teams :Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, which could include user researchers, service designers, business analysis, and software engineers, to shape and build the product.
• User Insight Integration: Work with performance analysts and user researchers to gather customer insights on products for iteration and improvement.
• Develop and maintain the roadmap prioritise the order in which high level features and functionality is built and released, based on what is most valuable to build first, and communicate this through roadmapping. Get buy in for the roadmap from key stakeholders and maintain the roadmap, prioritising and adding enhancements to the product over time to continually improve the product.
• Develop and maintain the backlog: Identify the team tasks (“user stories”) to build the functionality on the roadmap, and create a backlog of user stories. Implement the relevant processes such as sprint planning or kanban, so the team is regularly working through the backlog to build and release features, and maintain the backlog to a high quality standard.
• Build and maintain products to a high quality standard: Collaborate with colleagues such as designers, user researchers, BAs or engineers to create products that are highly reliable, usable, and accessible for users with accessibility needs, in line with the government service standards.
• Track and improve product performance: Product managers should be able to define how the product will support the organisation’s goal, how that success will be measured (by defining the objectives and key results), and measure progress against these. The should be able to identify improvements and iterations based on feedback to make products more successful.
• Option Evaluation: Collaborate with area leads to assess development options for products or services, including high-level financial implications.
• Community Engagement: Actively participate in the product management community of practice through initiatives, sessions, talks, or activities that help other product managers.
• Support and develop other product managers: This can be through line management, coaching or mentoring more junior product managers or supporting peers.

Candidates who are offered the role will be judged as performing successfully if:

• they are regularly and sustainably delivering product features to the timelines initially negotiated
• if there is stakeholder satisfaction and alignment around the product vision and roadmaps
• if the product is meeting quality standards
• and finally, if they are positively contributing to both their teams and the wider profession community.

Successful candidates in this role are often able to progress to roles such as other product management roles, Lead product manager, or service owner roles if they wish to continue their career path at HMRC.

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of leading a product team or project team to deliver its stated outcomes.
• Ability to define and adapt product scopes based on new insights.
• Experience of understanding problems within a service, product or process, and finding a positive solution to resolve the issue.
• Experience of being able to prioritise work based on what is valuable to do first, and getting buy in from stakeholders for any associated project plans/ rollout plans/ roadmaps.
• Experience in backlog management and prioritisation.
• Ability to collaborate with other professions and skillsets, particularly in digital product contexts.
• Skills in accessibility compliance and the ability to ensure products meet necessary standards.
• Research and analytical skills to assess user feedback and integrate insights into product development.
• Demonstration of strong stakeholder management and communication skills, including experience of building and maintaining positive stakeholder relationships.

Desirable Criteria:

• Knowledge of user research, or service or interaction design, or software engineering practices, and how to apply them to design better products.
• Prior experience of working on digital services.
• Prior experience of agile working.
• Experience of managing junior staff members.
• Certification in agile or product management may be advantageous.

Office closures

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it’s important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.

These sites include:

• Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Leeds Locations

Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague in Bradford and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRC’s Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a ‘Further Location Preferences (optional)’ field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,541, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,959 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRChear from our insiders or visitThinking of joining the Civil Service

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 and Experience.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV including your job history and key achievements from your career which reflects the requirements of the role outlined above. Provide specific instances from your career detailing successes where you can. Provide employer names and dates of employment.
• A 750-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience from your career reflect the essential criteria of the role. Provide examples from your career to demonstrate how you align to the requirement.
• A 250 word statement on the Lead Behaviour Seeing the Big Picture.

Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

In the event of a high number of applications, we may carry out an initial sift on your CV.

At full sift the behaviour statement, your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, you will be assessed against the behaviours outlined below as well as a short Experience based presentations along side experience based questions. Further details on the presentation will be provided prior to interview.

You will be asked 1 question per behaviour and 2 experience questions. Experience questions will relate to the key responsibilities and essential criteria outlined in the advert.

• Seeing the bigger picture
• Making effective decisions

When answering you will be required to provide a specific instance from your career which demonstrates the technical skill, experience or behaviour in question. You would be advised prepare specific examples from you career in advance.

You will be advised to apply the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique when delivering examples. You would be encouraged to prepare demonstratable examples of your experience ahead of the interview to ensure meaningfulness and completeness.

The interview will take place via video link, will be 1 hour in duration and be held by a 3-person panel.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Exceptionally, candidates who are not successful at this grade may be considered for appointment to similar roles at a lower grade where the eligibility criteria are met. If this applies, we will contact you directly.

Sponsorship

We have assessed this role against both Home Office and HMRC criteria and we are unable to offer sponsorship for a Skilled Worker Visa. This means the vacancy is not open to applicants who require visa sponsorship.

The HMRC app can help you with your application

The HMRC app can provide you with your past 5 years' employment history, making the process of filling in your application quicker and easier.

If successful in your application, you will need your National Insurance number for the onboarding process.

Download the HMRC app now and save your National Insurance number to your digital phone wallet.

How to download the HMRC app and sign up for an account

Download the free HMRC app from the App Store or Google Play store.

If you have an HMRC online account already, sign straight in using your ID and password. If not, you can prove your identity by answering some questions or providing your photo ID.

You’ll then be able to access the app quickly and easily by signing in using a 6-digit PIN, your fingerprint, or facial recognition.

You can find guidance for technical issues on GOV.UK: Technical support with HMRC online services.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 6 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Hybrid working at HMRC

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Technical Support

If you are experiencing problems that cannot be resolved by our ‘help’ section, then technical support is available. You will receive a reply in 2 working days.

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers

This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.

Terms and Conditions

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants - GOV.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

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.

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 : Sarah Gallacher
• Email : sarah.gallacher@hmrc.gov.uk
• Telephone : 07979540100

Recruitment team

• Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil