Lead Product Owner

Ofgem; England; Hybrid; GBP 62,000; Full time

Job summary

An independent energy regulator in the UK is seeking a Lead Product Manager to innovate digital services for the regulation and expansion of Heat Networks. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in product management within Agile environments, managing stakeholder relationships, and leading cross-functional teams. This role offers a competitive salary along with a comprehensive benefits package, including contributions to a pension scheme and opportunities for hybrid working.

Benefits

Civil Service pension contributions

30 days annual leave after 2 years

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of Product Ownership in an Agile environment.
• Demonstrable experience of designing and delivering product strategy.
• Proven experience of managing diverse stakeholders' expectations.

Responsibilities

• Own the product strategy, roadmap, and long-term vision.
• Manage and prioritize the Requirements catalogue.
• Key liaison between the business and IT teams.

Skills

Product Ownership

Agile development

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Problem-solving

Education

Formal Agile or Product Manager qualification

Job description

Britain’s energy systems are changing fast, and the way homes and businesses are heated is central to that transformation. Ofgem is looking for a Lead Product Manager to shape the design and delivery digital services that will support regulation and future expansion of Heat Networks across the country, to drive the provision of low‑carbon, efficient heating.

Ofgem is Great Britain’s independent energy regulator. We’re at the forefront of change across the energy sector, driving toward Net Zero whilst protecting energy consumers, especially vulnerable people.

We’re offering a permanent opportunity for an experienced product management professional to join our digital team in the Heat Networks Directorate. Leading the creation of innovative digital solutions that will underpin how this growing sector operates, you will be at the forefront of creating products to help us regulate the sector, making high-level decisions and utilising your expertise to help produce best‑in‑class tools and platforms.

You’ll have the chance to apply your expertise on a national stage, turning complex challenges into practical, user‑centred solutions that will help create a more sustainable future for consumers and communities alike. We’ll give you autonomy, enable you to influence direction, and support you in leading a product portfolio that really matters.

We’re looking for a confident, collaborative product leader who thrives in agile settings and can balance technical detail with strategic vision. You’ll possess design and delivery experience across product strategy and roadmaps with the ability to organise at a high level, plan and prioritise effectively whilst managing competing priorities, complex stakeholder relationships, and delivering high quality solutions. Our ideal candidate will have product management / ownership experience gained in a GDS standards driven environment, but more importantly, you will be able to demonstrate how you have used your excellent knowledge of the software development lifecycle and an Agile or Product management qualification to deliver products with real quality and value.

In return, you’ll discover an environment that is geared towards supporting you to do your best work and deliver exceptional results with exceptional benefits, working arrangements to suit your location and lifestyle, and plenty of challenges to accompany great rewards.

We have a critical purpose to create the digital foundations of a fair, affordable and low‑carbon energy system. Join us and help design the tools that will power Britain’s clean heat transition.

Read on and find out more.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Own the product strategy, product roadmap and long term vision.
• Manage and prioritise the Requirements catalogue and product development backlog.
• Key liaison between the business and IT teams.
• Change request management and cost / benefit analysis to ensure value for money.
• Contribution to requirements gathering, including review and sign‑off.
• UAT planning, managing and tracking.
• Ad hoc internal user assistance and troubleshooting.
• Optimise the value of development work undertaken and ensure all colleagues have sufficient understanding of product backlog items.
• Establish and maintain strong stakeholder relationships both internally and externally, communicating the vision and roadmap regularly.
• Support the design, maintenance and embedding of Ways of Working.
• Undertake PDL responsibilities and line management of Product / Solution Owners, acting as an escalation point and providing technical guidance.
• Share knowledge and good practice.
• Line management within the digital team.

Key Outputs and Deliverables

• High quality products which are fit for purpose.
• Provision of assurance that products deliver functional, legislative and security needs.
• Tracked and recorded user needs and functionality requirements.
• Prioritised product backlogs.
• Clear testing plans and fully documented testing scenarios.
• Progress reports for senior management.
• Takes ownership for own and team members’ professional development by :
• Providing ongoing coaching and identification of development opportunities in regular performance conversations.
• Supporting team member’s performance evaluation through honest, fair, high quality 360‑degree feedback to PDLs.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Extensive experience of Product Ownership working within an Agile development environment to GDS standards (or equivalent), and knowledge of software development life cycles. (Lead criteria)
• Demonstrable experience of the design and delivery of a product strategy and roadmap, ideally in a regulatory environment. Includes proven organisational skills with the ability to proactively prioritise, plan and schedule complex tasks and demonstrate effective problem‑solving skills.
• Proven experience of working with external delivery partners and managing complex internal and external relationships.
• Experience of managing diverse stakeholders’ expectations with conflicting needs and demands and engaging and collaborating with senior stakeholders.
• Experience in planning, executing and managing User Acceptance Testing.
• Experience in leading multi‑disciplinary teams with a proven aptitude for leadership, e.g. through formal or informal people management.
• Formal Agile or Product Manager qualification, or equivalent relevant experience.

Desirable Criteria

• Regulatory / energy industry experience.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process :

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,446, OFGEM contributes £17,800 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes 30 days annual leave after 2 years; Excellent training and development opportunities; The opportunity to join the generous Civil Service pension which also includes a valuable range of benefits; hybrid working (currently 1 day a week in the office but this is kept under review), flexible working hours and family friendly policies. Plus lots of other benefits including clean and bright offices based centrally, engaged networks and teams and an opportunity to contribute to our ambitious and important targets of establishing a Net Zero energy system by 2050. This exciting blend of professional challenge and personal reward identifies career opportunities at Ofgem as something to get excited about.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘personal statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the criteria listed in the role profile.

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

Click 'apply now' to be redirected to the Civil Service Jobs website to apply for the role. The deadline for application submissions is 23 : 55 on Monday 1st December 2025.

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