Senior Product Manager

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has a clear mission - to grow the economy. Our role is to help businesses invest, grow and export to create jobs and opportunities right across the country. We do this in three ways.

Firstly, we help to build a strong, competitive business environment, where consumers are protected and companies rewarded for treating their employees properly.

Secondly, we open international markets and ensure resilient supply chains. This can be through Free Trade Agreements, trade facilitation and multilateral agreements.

Finally, we work in partnership with businesses every day, providing advance, finance and deal-making support to those looking to start up, invest, export and grow.

The Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) directorate develops and operates tools and services to support us in this mission. The team have been nominated four times in a row for ‘Best Public Sector Employer’ at the Women in Tech awards and won the award in 2025!

Job description

As a Senior Product Manager at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) you’ll champion the delivery and continuous improvement of products and define, own, and solve problems that enable value. You’ll work with researchers to understand user needs; stakeholders and service owners to understand business value; and your whole team to prototype and implement solutions that are viable and sustainable. You’ll own and develop a coordinated product strategy with other teams in Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) and across the wider organisation, understanding the goals of our stakeholders, and work with your team to help validate assumptions, sharing insight and learnings to create better outcomes and demonstrate the benefits of user-centred design.

DBT’s Data and AI Services Portfolio, where this role sits, build digital products and services that enable our global network of staff, partners and members of the public to spot opportunities, monitor progress and make decisions with data. We work closely with users, stakeholders and data professionals to deliver user-centred, data-driven solutions using contemporary tools and techniques, directly supporting the Department’s strategic goals and the economic growth of the UK.

You’ll have the support of Lead Product Managers to help shape your product strategy, and to develop your craft. You will be responsible for managing products through the product lifecycle. You’ll work in a multidisciplinary team, as well as coaching more junior product managers. You’ll support writing updates to ministers and senior civil service leadership.

Product Managers at DBT have expert knowledge of product management techniques coupled with developing strategic skills. They provide direction and empowerment to one or more high performing multidisciplinary teams, ensuring return on investment and execution of the vision. Product Managers represent users throughout the delivery process, and advocate for well-governed Agile methodology to the rest of the department.

Main responsibilities

As a Senior Product Manager, you will manage the development of one or more digital services or products. In this role, you will:

• Create and maintain prioritised product roadmaps, ensuring they are grounded in user needs, aligned with strategic goals, and deliver value in a cost-effective way
• Deliver services that meet the Government Service Standard ensuring they are inclusive, accessible, and reflect the high standards users expect from modern digital services
• Use qualitative and quantitative data to inform decisions, communicate insights, and continuously improve products and services for diverse user groups
• Develop and manage strong stakeholder relationships, building trust and alignment across DBT and wider government to create buy-in and shared ownership of product outcomes
• Work closely with your delivery manager to ensure your team is high-performing, well-supported, and able to deliver iteratively and effectively
• Line manage and coach product managers, supporting their professional development and helping them grow in confidence and capability
• Communicate your team’s work with clarity and purpose, including contributing to updates for ministers and senior civil service leadership

Person specification

It is essential that you have:

• Product management: Demonstrated ability to collaboratively set and communicate a clear product vision and strategy, translating it into a prioritised roadmap used at all levels and a delivery plan that supports high‑quality outcomes across multiple teams, and minimises dependencies and risks (Lead Criteria)
• Stakeholder relationship management: Evidence of building and maintaining an understanding of stakeholders, developing and implementing effective communication strategies, identifying and resolving issues, influencing stakeholders and building and managing long‑term strategic relationships
• Strategic ownership: Demonstrated ability to ensure product vision and strategy deliver intended benefits and policy intent, working with stakeholders to agree and adapt the strategic approach, and using evidence, user insight and organisational feedback to challenge, review and iterate strategy
• Managing product outcomes: Evidence of leading teams to define and measure meaningful product outcomes, championing data‑driven decision‑making, supporting effective prioritisation, and using insight to drive continuous improvement in quality and user experience, including identifying opportunities to share and connect product data
• Creating value for money: Evidence of advocating for user needs while balancing user value with organisational cost and benefit, including defining and articulating product value, contributing to business cases, influencing value‑based decisions, and persuading others of the right direction for product development
• Applying user-centred insights: Evidence of using user insight to represent users in internal discussions, advocating for inclusive and appropriate research, working with teams to prioritise based on user needs, and working with others to recommend tools and approaches to gather appropriate user insight
• Agile and Lean practices: Evidence of selecting appropriate delivery methods and processes, adapting what does not work, using a context‑appropriate blended approach, supporting teams to measure and visualise outcomes, and fostering reflective practice to continuously improve ways of working

It is desirable that you have:

• Lifecycle perspective: Experience of managing products and services at different phases of the lifecycle and moving between those phases
• Operational management: Experience designing and owning operational processes for the effective running and maintenance of products or services. You can improve operational efficiency, develop sustainable support models and act as an escalation point for operational issues

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• Managing product outcomes
• Product management
• Creating value for money

Benefits

If you join us, you will get:

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A flexible, hybrid working environment with options like condensed hours
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual leave starting at 25 days rising to 30 days with service
• Three paid volunteering days a year
• An employee benefits programme including cycle to work

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.

How to apply

As part of the application process you will be asked to upload a two-page CV and complete a 750-word personal statement outlining how you meet the essential skills and experience listed above. You can use bullet points and subheadings if you prefer.

Sift will be from week commencing 11th May 2026

Interviews will be from week commencing 25th May 2026

Please note these dates are indicative and may be subject to change.

If there is a high volume of applications, we will sift looking at the Lead Criteria ‘Product management: Demonstrated ability to collaboratively set and communicate a clear product vision and strategy, translating it into a prioritised roadmap used at all levels and a delivery plan that supports high‑quality outcomes across multiple teams, and minimises dependencies and risks’ only. You may then be progressed to full sift or straight to interview.

How we interview

At the interview stage for this role, you will be asked to demonstrate relevant Technical Skills and Behaviours from the Success Profiles framework. These are role specific and in line with the DDaT Capability Framework.

You will be sent a scenario in advance which will be used to talk the panel through your approach as an answer to the first question at interview.

How we offer

Offers will be made in merit order based on location preferences. If you pass the bar at interview but are not the highest scoring you will be held on a 12-month reserve list in case a role becomes available. If you are judged a near miss at interview, you may be offered a post at the grade below the one you applied for.

This role requires SC clearance. DBT’s requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet this requirement will result in your application being rejected and your offer will be withdrawn.

Checks will also be made against:

• departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• security services record
• location details

More about us

This role can only be worked from within the UK, not overseas. If you are based in London, you will receive London weighting. DBT employees are contracted to work in a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in the office. Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DBT, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.

You can find out more about our office locations, how we calculate salaries, our diversity statement and reasonable adjustments, the Recruitment Principles, the Civil Service code and our complaints procedure in the candidate pack attached to this advert.

Find out more about life at DBT, our benefits and meet the team by watching our video or reading our blog!

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.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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : DDaT Recruitment
• Email : Ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email at Resourcing@trade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Civil Service Commission Complaints

Attachments

DDaT Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 506kB)