Associate product manager

Band 6 · Product manager · 409 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Associate product manager

Most often performed at Civil Service grade HEO or SEO.

An associate product manager is responsible for features, components or part of a product, contributing to the delivery of value.
This can be an entry-level role for civil servants who are looking to move into a digital role or those on emerging talent schemes.
At this role level, you will:
work with product managers to advocate for user needs throughout the organisation, prioritising delivery of greatest value
manage a smaller product with support, or a subset of features of a larger product
learn product management approaches and methods

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Own the backlog for a feature or part of a product, working with a product manager.
Turn evidence from user research with patients, clinicians, and care staff into prioritized user stories.
Work with clinical safety officers to record and review hazards for the features you own.
Track product measures, such as uptake, completion rates, and support calls, and report what they show.
Represent the product at show and tells and with operational stakeholders.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Agile and Lean practicesUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: demonstrate experience in applying Agile principles in practice provide a clear, open and transparent framework in which teams can deliver show an awareness of Agile tools and are starting to use them intelligently visualise and make visible the work of the team
Applying user-centred insightsUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: identify and engage users and stakeholders to identify user needs and trends decide when you need more user insights and when you have enough to make a decision work with others to define the problem and research goals use quantitative and qualitative user insights to improve product or service outcomes
Creating value for moneyUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: clearly describe the value of your work determine or estimate the benefits your work is expected to deliver identify opportunities for reuse, saving time and money
Life cycle managementUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: explain what each phase of the product or service life cycle is for explain how the needs of the product or service vary across phases of the life cycle, and how a team responds to them
Managing product outcomesUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: explain the importance of identifying and measuring product outcomes explain the need for baseline data identify and explain the priority outcomes for your product or feature
Product leadershipUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: describe how product management works with other roles in a multi-disciplinary team explain how user and business needs should be balanced in product development attend product management community activities
Product managementUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: create and prioritise actionable goals for your teams, balancing user needs and business perspectives make or recommend an evidence-based decision using insight and data use a range of product management methods, for example, prioritisation and roadmapping work with others in multidisciplinary teams to plan and deliver high-quality product increments
Stakeholder relationship managementUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: identify important stakeholders and communicate with them clearly and regularly tailor communication to stakeholders' needs and work with them to build relationships while meeting user needs build and reach consensus with stakeholders work to improve stakeholder relationships using evidence to explain decisions
Strategic ownershipUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: explain how you make decisions that are aligned to the strategy of your organisation explain the importance of having a strategy
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Working (2)	You can: explain the clinical and care workflows your work supports use common health care terms correctly with clinical and care colleagues recognize when a change could affect patient care and raise it
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: explain how health IT systems can harm patients, for example through wrong, missing, or delayed information report a possible clinical safety issue through the right route
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: follow the organization's rules for handling personal and health information recognize and report a data breach or near miss
Medical device software regulationThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: explain that some health software is regulated as a medical device know who to ask when a product might be a medical device

Typical qualifications and experience

Experience in a digital, clinical, or operational role, or equivalent experience.

Band 6 outline

Knowledge: Specialist knowledge across a range of procedures, built through further training or experience.
Autonomy: Works independently; interprets policy for own area; seeks advice on complex issues.
Scope: A product, service, or workstream.
Leadership: May lead a small team or mentor colleagues.
Accountability: Outcomes of own workstream and quality of advice given.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	4	Gives complex, sensitive, or contentious information needing persuasion, negotiation, or training skills, or highly complex information.	32
Knowledge, training, and experience	6	Specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (postgraduate diploma level or equivalent).	156
Analytical and judgmental skills	4	Judgments on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	42
Planning and organizational skills	3	Plans several complex activities, adjusting plans as needed.	27
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	1	Takes personal care of equipment and resources used in own work.	5
Responsibility for people	2	Supervises or coordinates staff day to day, trains others regularly, or gives basic HR advice.	12
Responsibility for information resources	4	Adapts or designs information systems to others' specifications, or runs information systems for a department as the main duty.	24
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 6: 396 to 465)			409