Deputy Product Owner

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair, and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counterterrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration, and passports.
The National Communications Data Service (NCDS) provides a range of vital communications data capabilities our operational end users. The role of Deputy Product Owner within NCDS is to support the Product Owner in the development and continual iteration of the NCDS product strategy and roadmap, through taking a strategic look at the products and services NCDS delivers and how they could best meet our user needs. You will also work with our technical delivery partners to ensure that these products meet requirements.
This role is an opportunity to be part of the Home Office’s Homeland Security Group which unites capabilities and expertise to deliver better outcomes from the UK’s response to the most serious domestic threats – Terrorism, Cyber, State Threats and Economic Crime. Working with partners, HSG will foster more transparent and sustainable collaboration between national security, law enforcement and other relevant communities to enhance capabilities, The Deputy Product Owner role within NCDS acts as an interface between NCDS and the product delivery teams within DDaT. The Deputy Product Owner will be representing NCDS users’ needs to the product teams, and ensuring the inputs from Product Managers are represented to NCDS. They will support the Product Owner with the development, maintenance and communication of the product strategy and roadmap. The Deputy Product Owner will then work with the Product Managers within the product teams to ensure that the product backlogs are delivering against the strategy and roadmap. The Deputy Product Owner is a key role within NCDS to guide the development of, and cohesion between, NCDS’ products.
Your main day to day responsibilities will be:
• Supporting the Product Owner in the development and continual iteration of the product strategy, vision and roadmap, through taking a strategic look at the products and services NCDS delivers and how they could best meet our user needs.
• Developing specialist knowledge of complex technical communications data products sufficient to ensure that the challenges and opportunities in their operation and development can be properly understood by the business, enabling effective decision making on current and future investment.
• Working with the Tech Strategy team to refine the product roadmap and vision to bring in the latest innovation where advised.
• Managing the spend across the products, working with, and raising changes to, the Product Owner where required.
• Using knowledge of the products and business requirements to support the prioritisation of activities to meet the strategic direction.
• Working in partnership with the DDaT engineering teams and Senior Product Managers to assure the delivery of products and ensure they are meeting the outcomes set by NCDS.
• Acting as a point of contact between Product team in DDaT and the Business, facilitating discussions and leveraging existing relationships to ensure both teams are linked up.
• Completing business cases as required, including defining business requirements and working with Product Managers/Technical Delivery to define technical requirements
• Representing users and focusing on their needs throughout the delivery process
You may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade.
Working Pattern:
This role is suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 30 hours and / or 4 days per week.
Applications from job share candidates are welcome, but any job offer is conditional upon a viable job-sharing arrangement being available., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Making Effective Decisions
+ Managing a Quality Service
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
+ Seeing the Big Picture, You can select up to two locations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred location(s) and you decline, your application will be withdrawn., A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.
Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.
Candidates judged to be a near miss at interview may be offered a post at the grade below the one advertised without the need to go through a further selection process, providing the role has the same Success Profiles elements and essential skills. There is no guarantee that further such vacancies will arise.
Problems during the application process:
If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website. [insert link to HO Careers].
Security Checks:
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Clearance(SC).
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.
Additional Security Checks
As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.
Standards
All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.
If you are invited to an interview, you will be required to bring documentation for the purposes of establishing your identity.
You will need to meet the nationality requirements for this role and obtain the necessary security clearance to take it up.
For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers
Visa sponsorship
We do not sponsor individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
+ Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
+ Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

+ Strategic thinking skills; being able to align the product’s development with NCDS and wider system goals and strategies.
+ Knowledge of the Communications Data system, with an ability to understand the purpose, operation and relationships between a number of technical products that comprise the overall communications data service.
+ Experience in engaging with technical and engineering teams and in representing complex technical concepts and challenges to the rest of the business.
+ Experience identifying and engaging with users and stakeholders, and of operating with a user centric mindset; Understanding of user needs and translating into product outcomes.
+ Experience working in the delivery of technology-based projects.
+ Budgeting and financial control experience as well as commercial awareness to ensure that NCDS’ products are delivering value for money.
+ Cross functional communicating skills, using a variety of methods (written reports, verbal feedback, presentations etc.), applying the appropriate method to each scenario/audien
Desirable Criteria:
+ Experience working in a fast moving adaptable work place, being able to understand how changes in context impact the work being delivered.
+ Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to understand, empathise, negotiate and influence individuals and groups.

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:
+ A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
+ In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
+ 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
+ Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
+ Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office