SCS1 Deputy Director Synergy Shared Services Hub Product Management

Job summary

Could you be the next Leader within Synergy?

The SCS1 Product Management Lead will set the strategic direction, design and delivery of user‑centred, scalable and interoperable products across the Synergy Shared Services Hub. The role is critical to ensuring the Hub delivers high‑quality, efficient and digitally enabled services that meet the needs of departments across the cluster. You will provide senior leadership for product strategy and delivery, build and lead a high‑performing multidisciplinary team, and work closely with delivery, technology, policy and operational colleagues to achieve successful outcomes.​

Virtual Engagement Session ​​

Date: 25 February 2026 Time: 15:00-16:00pm​

This virtual session is an opportunity for you to find out more about the role and what it's like leading the Synergy Programme. You'll get the opportunity to hear directly from the vacancy holder, Dominic Arthur and HR Director, Andrew Brookes, who will provide an overview of the role and hold a Q&A session. ​

Link to Live Engagement Session on 25th February 2026 15:00 - 16:00pm

Job description

Leadership​

• Provide visible, inclusive and collaborative leadership, building a skilled and motivated product team within the Hub.​
• Create a high‑performance culture that supports innovation, continuous improvement and effective delivery in a fast‑paced, cross‑departmental environment.​
• Act as a role model for modern product leadership and user‑centred ways of working.​

Product strategy and vision​

• Define and own the product vision, strategy and roadmap for the Synergy Shared Services Hub, ensuring alignment with cross‑government priorities and user needs.​
• Put in place clear product governance, prioritisation and decision‑making frameworks.​
• Lead product strategy and delivery at scale within a complex, multi‑department environment.​
• Ensure a smooth transition of the Synergy Programme into the Hub and support its ongoing development.​

IT‑enabled service design and live service management​

• Lead the design and delivery of new IT‑enabled services within a shared services environment.​
• Ensure products are accessible, secure and compliant with relevant standards.​
• Oversee the operation of live services, demonstrating the ability to manage change in a SaaS‑enabled service environment.​
• Drive continuous improvement by using data, insight and user feedback to iterate and enhance services.​

Stakeholder engagement and collaboration​

• Build strong, trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across departments and functions.​
• Manage expectations, influence outcomes and resolve issues in complex stakeholder environments.​
• Act as a senior representative for the Hub in cross‑government forums and transformation initiatives.​
• Work collaboratively with functional leads (including HR, Finance, Commercial, Payroll and Service Enablement) and technology partners to deliver value for money and positive outcomes for users.​

Commercial and supplier management​

• Maximise value from supplier relationships through effective collaboration, challenge and performance management.​
• Ensure delivery partners support the strategic objectives of the Hub and deliver high‑quality outcomes.​

Skills and experience​

• Proven experience leading product strategy and delivery at scale.​
• Strong leadership, communication and negotiation skills.​
• Experience working across organisational boundaries and influencing senior stakeholders.​
• A track record of delivering user‑centred, digitally enabled services in complex environments.​

Person specification

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their knowledge, experience and skills against the following essential criteria:​

• Proven experience of delivering end‑to‑end services enabled by digital transformation within a complex public or private sector organisation.​
• Demonstrable experience of delivering Oracle Fusion and Business Processing Service (BPS) solutions at scale, including operating within live, business‑critical environments.​
• Strong senior leadership capability, with the ability to operate as a core member of the Hub’s senior leadership team and actively shape the culture and strategic direction of the new Directorate.​
• Experience of leading digital design and/or product teams, with a clear focus on delivery, prioritisation and achieving cost efficiencies.​
• A deep understanding of digital transformation, including how technology, service design and organisational change combine to improve outcomes in complex environments.​
• A proven ability to influence, collaborate and build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across organisational and departmental boundaries.​

Desirable Criteria​

• Experience of delivering large‑scale ERP and/or SaaS programmes, ideally within the public sector or comparable complex organisations.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

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.

1. Application Process​

​To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process outlined below no later than 23:55pm on Monday 9 March​

• A CV (no more than 2 sides of A4/approx. 1000 words) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years;​​
• A personal statement (maximum 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities, and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification. ​​

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.​

​As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’. All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer.​

2. Shortlist​

A panel, including the hiring manager, will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the person specification section of this pack. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.​

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which a decision is expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.​

3. Assessment​

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a Staff Engagement Exercise in advance of the interview. This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision.
Rather, it is designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. ​

4. Interview​

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the person specification. You may be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation. Full details will be provided prior to the interview.​

Your interview will be face-to-face. The interview panel will be chaired by Dominic Arthur who will be supported by additional panel members. The final panel interview will be a blended interview, covering Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation exploring the candidate’s capability for the role.​

5. Offer and Feedback​

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible. We will offer the opportunity to discuss feedback for all candidates who reached interview. ​

A reserve list will be held for up to 12 months, which we may use to fill future similar vacancies for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.​

Reasonable Adjustments

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, especially those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk as soon as possible, before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what additional support or adjustments you might need during the recruitment process.

For further information regarding reasonable adjustments, please see following link: Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers

Artificial Intelligence

For further information regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within applications, please see following link:

Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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.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 : DWP SCS Resourcing Team
• Email : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact: senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk . If you are not satisfied with the response, you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Candidate Pack - DD Synergy Shared Service Hub Product Management - Feb 2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 604kB)