Overview
The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.
We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits and join us to become part of something special.
In this role, you’ll collaborate with the Head of Product and other members of the Product and Delivery communities, as well as wider university stakeholders, to own, develop, and deliver impactful Product Roadmaps. You’ll define user journeys and develop appropriate roadmaps to meet stakeholder needs. You will develop a comprehensive and deep understanding of the needs of your users and maintain a strategic view of the market of products and services that could be used to improve user experiences and outcomes.
Our ideal candidate has extensive experience in large-scale product-led design and development with a deep understanding of design standards, service design, and user experience. You should have a proven track record of product delivery and the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders across the University and beyond.
Main duties and responsibilities
- Develop and communicate a clear product vision, maintaining strategic roadmaps for a specific product area, aligned to the University’s strategic objectives
- Through a process of opportunity mapping ensure a curated backlog of outcomes exists ready for prioritisation by appropriate governance groups
- Provide information, advice and support for stakeholders to allow them to make prioritisation decisions between and across products
- Champion user experience, accessibility, and inclusivity, translating user needs and defined business requirements into product features and initiatives
- Form and facilitate cross-functional product discovery and design teams, ensuring representation by all relevant stakeholders, to achieve a balance of business, change management and technical interests, anchoring the teams to the expected outcomes related to university strategy
- Collaborate closely with architecture and technical teams to understand technical possibilities and constraints, through the design, build, test and release of products, ensuring product quality and technical excellence throughout
- Help to create and support a delivery environment that can work and deliver at pace, with the emphasis on early release of value and continuous improvement
- Build and nurture strong relationships between the Product team and University stakeholders to ensure products meet operational and strategic needs, communicating product decisions and progress to all teams at all levels
- Retain ownership through the product life cycle, prioritising backlog items to maximise value delivery based on data-evidenced decisions
- Research market trends and competitive landscapes, analyse product metrics and identify opportunities for innovation whilst balancing short-term delivery with long-term product value to the university
- Contribute to the ongoing development of the product management profession within the university through communities of practice; provide coaching, mentoring and line management support as required
- Engage in relevant sector product management communities to further enhance knowledge and team capability
- Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post
Person specification
Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn’t match perfectly with this role’s criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.
Criteria
Essential or Desirable
- Significant experience with full agile lifecycle product development and processes
- Experience of developing a strategic product vision
- Experience working with cross-functional IT teams in a product-led model
- Demonstrable evidence of delivering value quickly and iteratively in a continuous improvement environment
- Strong record of building working relationships with diverse customers, and of working with influence, to deliver valued products and services
- Strategic and curiosity-led mindset to inform customer needs and challenge traditional views
- Strong communication skills and experience working with various stakeholders at different organisational levels
- An ability to positively challenge colleagues and stakeholders, to protect overall product value
- A can-do, problem-solving attitude and experience
Further information
Grade: 8
Salary: £48,822 – £58,225 per annum with the potential to progress to £65,509 through sustained exceptional contribution
Work arrangement: Full-time
Line manager: Head of Product
Direct reports: n/a
Our website: Sheffield IT Services information and related topics available on the university site
For informal enquiries about this job contact Simon Clark, simon.j.clark@sheffield.ac.uk
We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage within two weeks of the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact it-services-recruitment@sheffield.ac.uk
We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.
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