Head of Product

Summary

A head of product management provides support to all product managers in the organisation. At this role level, you will:

have expert product management skills

coach others to increase professionalism

work with other communities and organisation management to represent community interests

oversee every member of the community, their role, their assignments, development, pay and performance

manage hiring, development, moves and exits from the community, covering civil servants and contractors

line manage senior and lead product managers

Background

Description	Background
Skills Has demonstrated skills across the product management lifecycle. Has deep practical understanding of the activities of the employer or client and is able to demonstrate the importance of product profitability within the business.	Prior Knowledge and Skills

Work Activity Components

Title	Details
Market analysis and product strategy (Level 6)	Oversees the definition of the product strategy and roadmap. Identifies how new products may create new opportunities. Identifies how to adapt existing products to create new opportunities, for example entry into new markets either directly or by working with external third parties. Oversees the competitive analysis and market research supported where appropriate by customer interaction.
Design and develop products (Level 6)	Supports and creates an environment that fosters the initiation and creation of new products.
Strategy and roadmaps (Level 6)	Aligns the product management objectives with business objectives, and authorises the selection and planning of all product management activities. Updates and evolves the product roadmap as required with the necessary stakeholder support.
Work allocation, support and delegation (PEMT) (Level 5)	Allocates responsibilities, including supervisory and assigns packages of work to groups of staff. Ensures that work packages are aligned with the particular skills and abilities of teams. Supports teams in the delivery of work packages. Delegates work to individuals and teams, taking full account of skills and capabilities.
Guidance, performance and feedback (Level 5)	Optimises the performance of people, measuring and reporting on performance against agreed quality and performance criteria. Collects data on the performance of groups of staff. Gives regular feedback to teams and senior staff as to team performance on work packages.
Formal appraisals (Level 5)	Conducts formal appraisals of the performance of team members. Facilitates a dialogue with team members about expectations, progress, performance and development needs. Participates, as appropriate, in formal processes such as compensation negotiations, grievance procedures, and disciplinary procedures.
Empowerment and role model(PEMT) (Level 5)	Facilitates effective working relationships within and between teams of staff. Motivates groups of staff and teams towards a high level of performance. Engages with, and empowers groups of staff. Acts as a role model for groups of staff, setting a standard, acting professionally at all times and working to a professional code of conduct and ethics.
Development needs (Level 5)	Determines development needs for a professional practice area. Aligns development activities with organisational priorities, learning and development strategies and career pathways.
Communities of practice (Level 5)	Promotes the establishment and ongoing development of one or more community of practice (CoP). Encourages participation and ensures alignment with organisational needs.

Behavioural Skills

Title	Details
Customer Focus	Understanding the needs of the internal or external customer and keeping these in mind when taking actions or making decisions.
Teamwork	Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal.
Decision Making	Making decisions at the appropriate time, taking into account the needs of the situation, priorities, constraints, known risks, and the availability of necessary information and resources.
Initiative	Being proactive, anticipating opportunities for systems, service or product improvement or development and taking appropriate action(s).
Creativity	Taking innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions.
Organisational Awareness	Understanding the hierarchy and culture of own, customer, supplier and partner organisations and being able to identify the decision makers and influencers.
Interacting with People	Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences.
Influence, Persuasion and Personal Impact	Conveying a level of confidence and professionalism when engaging with stakeholders, influencing positively and persuading others to take a specific course of action when not in a position of authority.
Leadership	Clearly articulating goals and objectives, and motivating and leading others towards their achievement.
Providing Direction	Directing others to undertake specified tasks within a defined timescale.
Delegation	Delegating tasks, responsibilities and authorities effectively.
Follow-up and Monitoring	Checking progress against targets, taking action to resolve exceptions/ issues and reporting and escalating where necessary.

Technical Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Own Organisation's IT Products and Services	The IT products and/or services supplied to internal and external customers by own organisation.	Expert in
Third Party IT Products and Services	The IT products and/or services supplied to own organisation by external suppliers.	Expert in
Product Evaluation and Selection	The analytical comparison of IT products against specified criteria (including costs) to determine the solution that best meets the business need.	Expert in

Other Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Presentation Techniques	Methods and techniques for delivering effective and accessible presentations, either face-to-face or online within various contexts and to a variety of audiences.	Proficient in
Appraisal Techniques	Methods and techniques for appraising an individual's performance and potential.	Proficient in
Techniques for Effective Meetings	Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants.	Proficient in
Project Planning and Control Techniques	Methods and techniques associated with planning and monitoring progress of projects.	Proficient in
Resource Allocation	The effective and efficient routine deployment of resources, (but also including reassessment and reallocation in a dynamic multi-project environment), to achieve optimum results.	Proficient in
Performance Monitoring	Identifying, agreeing and monitoring (usually by face-to-face interviews) objectives and deliverables with individuals. Identifying under-performance issues against agreed quality standards and performance criteria. Identifying gaps in capability and causes, disciplinary or ability-related (needing assistance, training or other support).	Proficient in
Disciplinary Issues and Procedures	Managing episodes of unsatisfactory behaviour or performance in accordance with appropriate policies and legislative conformance. Includes changes to circumstances, such as sickness, disability and other personal issues.	Familiar with

Training

Title	Details
Systems Development	Systems development, including development life-cycles and methods, organisation interfaces, typical corporate application architectures, project and programme management, risk management and change control.
Coaching	Concepts, methods and techniques for providing coaching in subject specialisms to individuals or groups (e.g. GROW model).
Service Management	Principles, methods and techniques for managing IT services, including the preparation, understanding and use of Service Level Agreements, Operational Level Agreements and underpinning contracts.
Mentoring	Methods and techniques for providing mentoring support to less experienced individuals.
Latest Cyber Security Threats for Senior Execs	Short, high-level, up-to-date and to-the-point briefing on the latest threats and vulnerabilities in cyber security.
Team Dynamics	Team dynamics are critical for organisational success. Without positive team dynamics, the organisation cannot fully leverage employee potential and tap into their skills and experience. An understanding of team dynamics facilitates employee productivity and satisfaction while allowing teams to meet business objectives. Team dynamics methods, tools and techniques, such as Belbin, help individuals understand their role within a particular team, help develop strengths and manage weaknesses as a team member and improve overall team contribution and effectiveness..

Professional Development Activity (PDA)

Title	Details	PDA Group
Mentoring	Acting as a mentor, advising those for whom there is no direct responsibility, on matters to do with their job role, career and professional development.	Broadening Activities
Gaining Knowledge of Broader IT Issues	Increasing and maintaining currency of knowledge of broader IT issues through reading, attending and participating in seminars or conferences, special studies, temporary assignments etc.	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Strategic Knowledge of Employing Organisation	Developing a comprehensive understanding of the business environment in which the employing organisation operates and its position, policies and direction in relation to health and care, country and global issues.	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Knowledge of Standards and Legislation	Gaining and maintaining knowledge of relevant national and international standards and legislation.	Increasing Knowledge
Participation in Professional Body Affairs	Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level.	Participation in Professional Activities
General Management	Continuing learning and development in general management skills, such as effective communication, leadership styles and skills, team building and team roles, motivation and delegation, planning and resource scheduling, influencing, persuasion and negotiation, so as to be in a position to accept greater responsibility at senior management or director (including non-exec) level.	Developing Professional Skills

Organisational Skill Name and Description

Framework	Skill	Level
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Agile working Agile delivery involves encouraging teams to build incrementally, test and iterate their work based on regular feedback and other useful data.	Expert Agile working You can: coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Financial ownership Financial management involves planning, organising and monitoring financial resources.	Practitioner Financial ownership You can: understand the marketplace realise the benefit of a product and persuade others that it's the right one to use integrate a product with other services ensure that products get used realise benefits by linking work in progress back to the business case build business cases based on user needs
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Government Digital and Data perspective Data visualisation involves producing graphical representations that communicate data, such as charts and graphs.	Expert Government Digital and Data perspective You can: show knowledge of the wider digital economy and advances in technology understand Agile working at an organisational level create the environment for success initiate and support working with other roles and groups in Government Digital and Data
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Life cycle perspective Leadership and guidance involves providing effective leadership and management through team motivation, decision making, risk management, mediation and professional development	Expert Life cycle perspective You can: successfully lead teams through the full product life cycle identify which tools and techniques should be used at each stage develop sustainable support models identify and deal with potential risks across or between all stages of the product life cycle coach others contribute to the assessment of other teams, providing guidance and support as they move through stages of the product life cycle
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Operational management Non-functional testing involves verifying that a system (behind the functions and features) complies with requirements such as performance and usability.	Expert Operational management You can: keep abreast of industry best practice and can cascade ways of working make operations efficient act as the escalation point for major operational issues and champion operational management across the community work closely with leaders of operational delivery teams in Government Digital and Data
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Problem management	Expert Problem management You can: anticipate problems and defend against them at the right time understand how the problem fits into the larger picture articulate the problem and help others to do so build problem-solving capabilities in others
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Product ownership Problem management involves anticipating and identifying problems in systems, processes or services, and ensuring appropriate solutions are implemented.	Expert Product ownership You can: start to define and create approaches coach others implement new ways of working show an awareness of what other sectors are doing understand what is most important and applicable
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Strategic ownership Strategy involves creating a plan to achieve a team or organisation's objectives.	Expert Strategic ownership You can: develop a long-term vision and objectives take a discerning and disciplined approach to focusing on what is important and most relevant develop the capability of others
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	User focus User focus involves understanding the user needs to develop a detailed understanding of the problems that need to be solved.	Expert User focus You can: give direction on which tools or methods to use demonstrate experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure they're met by the business apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end user
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Working within constraints Web performance optimisation involves improving the efficiency and speed with which web pages load in a browser.	Expert Working within constraints You can: influence, challenge and coach anticipate how constraints might change and know where to challenge or remove constraints

Framework

Skill

Level