Product Lead - Fixed Term Appointment (5208)

Job summary

This is a Fixed Term Appointment opportunity for 23 months with the possibility of permanency depending on business requirements.

Social Security Scotland is seeking an ambitious and motivated individual to join our Fraud and Error Team as a Product Lead.

Working within a small, collaborative team, you will lead the delivery and continuous improvement of products and services that support the delivery of key Fraud and Error initiatives in line with a 5 year plan, specifically the delivery of the new Monetary Value of Fraud and Error system.

You will work closely with colleagues across Operations, Policy and Digital teams, as well as external stakeholders, to ensure products deliver value, meet user needs and support organisational priorities.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building strong stakeholder relationships and driving successful product outcomes. While there are no line management responsibilities, you will provide leadership across product delivery, influencing decisions and helping shape the future of fraud and error services.

This is an excellent opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a critical service area while developing your experience across a diverse portfolio of strategic and operational work, supporting Social Security Scotland's commitment to delivering services with dignity, fairness and respect.

Product Leads manage multiple products or a single product that is especially complex, high risk or sensitive.

At this role level, you will:

• Have expert product management skills
• Potentially be involved in elements of programme management activity
• Be involved in hiring associates, product managers and contractors

Job description

• Lead product delivery across the full product lifecycle, identifying the most effective delivery approaches, evaluating outcomes, and ensuring work remains aligned to agreed priorities, scope and business objectives.
  
• Develop and maintain product strategies and business cases based on user needs, ensuring benefits are realised and measurable outcomes are linked back to organisational priorities.
  
• Apply a strong understanding of design, technology and data principles to deliver user-centred solutions, including identifying and implementing appropriate assisted digital approaches.
  
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and Government Digital and Data colleagues to design, develop, integrate, launch and continuously improve products and services.
  
• Establish, redesign and embed operational processes to support the delivery, maintenance and continuous improvement of products and services throughout their lifecycle.
  
• Navigate competing stakeholder priorities and complex delivery considerations, identifying risks and constraints early, assessing their potential impact, and making robust recommendations to support informed decision-making and successful delivery outcomes.
  
• Use product management expertise to make informed decisions on priorities, delivery approaches and lifecycle progression, recognising when to accelerate, adapt, pause or stop activity.
  
• Champion user-centred design by setting clear objectives for user-centred design activities, ensuring product decisions are informed by user needs and a robust evidence base, and driving services that meet the needs of all users.
  
• Analyse and communicate complex problems, placing them in a wider organisational context, developing solutions and building problem-solving capability within teams.
  
• Build effective relationships with senior stakeholders, securing engagement and buy-in, providing clear recommendations and adapting approaches to different organisational and delivery constraints.
  
• Support Agile delivery practices, helping teams visualise outcomes, prioritise work, manage dependencies and deliver value through minimum viable products and iterative improvement.

Person specification

Success Profiles
We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about the framework here.

For this post, the following Success Profile elements will be assessed:

Experience:

1. Proven experience in Agile and Lean delivery practices, selecting and adapting the most effective approaches, evaluating outcomes, and delivering successfully within complex or constrained environments.
   
2. Product and service delivery experience, including integrating products with other services, managing delivery across the project lifecycle, and engaging and collaborating with stakeholders at all stages.

Behaviours:

• Changing and Improving - Level 3
• Communicating and Influencing - Level 3

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here.

Benefits

Annual Leave - You will receive 25 days annual leave on joining us. This will increase to 30 days after two full years of service. You will also have 11.5 public and privilege days of leave every year. We also offer Flexi-time. Any extra hours you've worked can be taken as leave when suitable.

A Civil Service Pension - This job comes with a Civil Service pension. New joiners to the Civil Service will join a career average pension scheme as standard. Read more here - www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk.

Healthy work life balance - We can offer the possibility of full-time, part-time, term-time, and job shares. We also encourage flexible working.

Discounts - You can enjoy a vast range of retail, travel and lifestyle discounts through our benefit scheme.

Personal support for you - Our Employee Assistance Programme gives you confidential, independent information and guidance 24/7.

Volunteering special leave - Up to six days paid special leave a year for volunteering. We support our staff to help causes important to them.

Great locations - Our bright and modern offices in the heart of Dundee and Glasgow have been designed with staff in mind. Both locations are ideal for public transport.

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

Expected Timeline (subject to change)
Sift - week commencing 12th October
Interview – week commencing 26th October
Location – via Microsoft Teams

To apply please submit an application form by clicking on the ‘Apply at Advertisers Site’ button.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements b