Head of Product and Project Delivery

Head of Product and Project Delivery

• Salary: National: £72,930 - £78,050. If the successful candidate is a current Civil Servant joining on level transfer, HM Treasury will honour their current substantive salary if higher.
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Working Pattern: Full Time, Part Time, Job Share (Flexible working hours can be accommodated)
• Location: Darlington (Feethams House)

Want to lead the future of government financial reporting? We’re looking for an experienced product and project delivery leader to shape the future of OSCAR, HM Treasury’s financial reporting platform. You’ll set the strategic direction for the service, lead major digital enhancements and bring together teams and partners to deliver improvements that make a real difference across government. If you’re a collaborative leader who enjoys turning complex requirements into effective digital solutions and delivering change at scale, we’d love to hear from you.

About the Team

The Financial Analytics Control and Technology (FACT) team is a friendly and collaborative team that sits within HM Treasury’s Public Spending Group and prides itself in developing professional expertise and working collaboratively with its wide range of partners. It provides financial reporting analytics, data management, training, business analysis and service improvement services to wider government. To enable these services the team manages and supports the Online System for Central Accounting and Reporting (OSCAR). OSCAR is an IBM Cognos based, cross-government system which contains a detailed, multi-year analysis of departmental spending and from which the Whole of Governments Accounts (WGA), Supply Estimates and other key outputs are produced.

OSCAR’s main objectives are to:

• Be the single source for reliable, real time financial information for government.
• Increase our analytics and insight capability to support decision making.
• Enable the modernisation and standardisation of financial accounting and reporting.
• Reduce the time taken to produce statutory publications.
• Be capable of future development and expansion (e.g., to new datasets). FACT comprises around 14 members of staff and provides exposure to colleagues across the breadth of the government finance function. The team fully supports learning, development and growth.

About the Job

The role provides strategic leadership for the development of OSCAR, ensuring it continues to meet the evolving needs of HM Treasury and users across government. Working together with the Head of Data & Architecture, the postholder will shape how the platform develops over time, bringing together business priorities, user insight and technology to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of government financial reporting. The successful candidate will become a senior leader in the FACT team, creating the conditions for successful change by building a clear sense of direction, strong partnerships and an effective delivery capability. They will enable teams to turn multifaceted requirements into sustainable improvements, ensuring OSCAR remains a trusted and adaptable service that supports better financial management and decision making across government.

Key accountabilities include:

• Set and maintain the product vision, strategy and roadmap for OSCAR. Translate HM Treasury priorities and user needs into clear outcomes, a prioritised portfolio of improvements and measurable benefits.
• Own product prioritisation and lifecycle decisions. Balance strategic value, customer needs, operational risk, technical feasibility, affordability and value for money across continuous improvements and larger enhancements.
• Lead the end-to-end delivery of major OSCAR enhancement projects. Establish appropriate project governance. Manage scope, plans, resources, budgets, risks, dependencies, assurance, implementation and benefits realisation.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and delivery partners. Bring together product, project, business analysis, service design, data, technology, change, commercial and operational expertise. Hold suppliers to account for cost, quality and timely delivery.
• Champion user-centred and evidence-led delivery. Work across government. Use research, service data, customer feedback and performance measures to shape product decisions, project requirements and continuous improvement.
• Set the strategic direction for product communications and customer engagement. Use newsletters, customer experience surveys and user forums to build cross-government alignment and influence product priorities. Drive measurable improvements in user experience and service outcomes.
• Provide senior leadership, governance and assurance. Lead and develop the Product & Project Delivery branch. Advise senior decision-makers and maintain appropriate standards and controls. Ensure that both the product roadmap and enhancement projects deliver their intended outcomes.

About You

We are looking for someone who can communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leaders, and confidently negotiate agreed outcomes where priorities compete. You will be able to explain complex technical information clearly to non-technical audiences and use your leadership skills to inspire and motivate teams to deliver high-quality outcomes.

You will be comfortable driving change through technology, championing its benefits and tackling emerging problems decisively, while being prepared to constructively challenge senior management where needed. You will also be able to set clear roles and priorities, establish effective performance standards and secure the resources needed to deliver high-quality outcomes at pace.

Qualifications

You should hold PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner and AgilePM Foundation and Practitioner qualifications. If you do not currently hold these qualifications, you should be willing to achieve them within 12 months of joining if successful.

Some of the Benefits our people love!

• 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus 8 public holidays and the King’s birthday (unless you have a legacy arrangement as an existing Civil Servant). Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing employees to take up to an additional 2 days off each month
• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours)
• Generous parental and adoption leave packages
• Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions of 28%
• Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme and season ticket advances
• A range of active staff networks, based around interests (e.g. analysts, music society, sports and social club) and diversity

For more information about the role and how to apply, please follow the apply link.