Product Manager - Central Government Digital Programme

Client: Central Government
Rate: £530 per day, Inside IR35
Contract: Until 31 March 2027, with potential 6-month rolling extensions thereafter
Location: Remote, with very occasional travel to Telford
Clearance: BPSS

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Product Manager to join a major Central Government digital programme.

Operating at SFIA Level 5, you will manage one or more digital products or services, working with a high degree of autonomy to shape product direction, prioritise delivery and ensure alignment with user needs, policy and wider business outcomes.

Key ResponsibilitiesProduct Ownership & Delivery

• Own and manage the product backlog, defining and prioritising user stories aligned to programme outcomes.
• Ensure delivery meets agreed acceptance criteria and business/user needs.
• Work closely with Delivery Managers to ensure plans, milestones and outputs are achieved.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage with Central Government, delivery partner and wider programme stakeholders to capture requirements and manage expectations.
• Influence decision-making through strong communication and relationship management.

User & Business Focus

• Translate business requirements into clear product deliverables.
• Use data, research and feedback to shape product direction and optimise outcomes.
• Ensure alignment with GDS standards and user-centred design principles.

Agile Product Management

• Operate within Agile environments, adapting and applying Lean practices to maximise delivery effectiveness.
• Work with Scrum teams to remove blockers and maintain delivery momentum.

Governance & Assurance

• Ensure deliverables are tracked, reported and meet acceptance criteria.
• Contribute to governance, reporting and programme-level decision-making.

Required Experience

• Proven Product Manager experience within the UK Public Sector, ideally within a Central Government or GDS-aligned environment.
• Strong Agile delivery background across Scrum and/or Kanban environments.
• Experience working within large Systems Integrator (SI) environments.
• Ability to translate user needs into clear, deliverable outcomes.
• Comfortable working within SOW-driven, outcome-based engagements.

Typical Tooling / Environment

• Jira / Confluence for backlog management and delivery tracking.
• Agile multidisciplinary teams across engineering, design, QA and BA.
• Complex Central Government programme governance and delivery structures.