AMS PSR

On behalf of DWP, we are looking for a Lead Product Manager for a 6 Month (Inside IR35) Hybrid Contract based up to 3 days per week in Manchester, Leeds or Blackpool.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department, it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. As such, we operate on a scale that is almost unmatched anywhere in Europe and most people in Britain come into contact with us at some point in their lives.

Description:

To lead the Test and Learn capability within Corporate Transformation, rapidly mobilising and delivering pilots and proof of concepts that inform and shape the future operating model for DWP corporate services. The role will drive a controlled test environment where user-centered new ideas, value streams and processes are trialed, refined, and their viability proven in practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the Develop and Learn team and function to deliver agreed benefits and outcomes. Embed robust governance, processes, and tools to support a “controlled test environment” for corporate services.
• Input to a clear, unified vision for the future of DWP corporate services, building on current strategy (e.g. ongoing initiatives, Shared Services Strategy).
• Communicate the transformation vision and translate it into delivery objectives for the team, working with team and relevant stakeholders to ensure dependencies are actively managed
• Design and oversee experiments and pilots to validate new operating models and value streams, working across HR, finance, estates, digital, and other corporate functions, ensuring a user experience focus.
• Incubate future operating model options and new value stream approaches, outlining how these would improve the experience of internal and external customers whilst advancing DWP and CS PAS priorities Set out how these would work in practice and identifying elements for early release.
• Accelerate operational readiness by acting as a hybrid space supporting both current operations and future state transformation in parallel.
• De-risk transformation through iteration and feedback, leveraging test environments and existing solutions where possible, including for example, Service Now and Synergy ERP.
• Engage senior stakeholders to ensure alignment, buy-in, and adoption of learning. Partner with them to plan benefits realisation as part of all change activities.
• Inform change messaging and feed into DWP Story part 2 by working with Strategy & Coordination and Model Office leads, as well as CT Comms Team to ensure consistency and single point of contact.
• Provide evidence-based insights and recommendations to inform scaling and investment decisions.
• Produce reliable data to support benefits tracking for each transformation initiative. Where reliable internal data is unavailable, source and apply robust sector benchmarks from closely related organisations to ensure comparability and credibility.
• Bring proven methodologies, case studies and best practice from other organisations, ensuring DWP benefits from external benchmarking and lessons learned, including across government.
• Provide independent challenge and objective perspective to internal thinking, helping to unblock issues and avoid groupthink.
• Agile resourcing and rapid mobilisation to meet project needs, with early identification and flagging of specialist skills gaps, such as technical BAs, test lead and developers.

Technical Skills

• . Oracle ERP and ServiceNow HRSD and SPM knowledge

Knowledge and Experience

• Strong leadership and programme management experience in complex, cross-functional environments.
• Proven track record of rapidly standing up and leading multidisciplinary teams, blending internal expertise with procured specialist support. Teams that have delivering corporate transformation in large, complex organisations; especially in multiple sectors.
• Expertise in corporate and functions transformation and value stream mapping, across areas including (but not limited to) HR, Finance, Estates, Digital, etc. addressing key operational challenges and opportunities for improvement, including the user experience.
• Ability to manage risk and compliance within public sector governance frameworks.
• Breadth of perspective and innovative approaches gained from working across different industries and transformation programmes.
• Ability to transfer knowledge and embed best practice within internal teams.

Deliverables:

• Fully operational Test and Learn team within agreed timeframe.
• Documented governance and approach for the Model Office.
• Regular reporting on outcomes, recommendations, and lessons learned.
• Knowledge transfer plan for internal capability building.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, DWP guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

DWP guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".