Product Manager

We're looking for an experienced Product Manager to join a newly established team and play a key role in shaping the digital products and services that support people across the West Midlands. This is an exciting opportunity to take ownership of a portfolio of digital products, with work driven by the Bus Franchising Programme, alongside a longer-term roadmap of products and services that will transform how customers interact with transport and other public services. From websites and apps that help people plan journeys and purchase tickets, to internal tools and data-driven services, you'll ensure products are designed around real customer needs and deliver meaningful outcomes. At the heart of the role is being the voice of the customer. You'll understand what customers need, translate insight into product priorities and work collaboratively across Technology & Insight and the wider organisation to ensure their voice is reflected in the products we develop. You'll own product vision, strategy and roadmaps, ensuring there are clear measures in place to understand whether products are delivering the intended value and improving the customer experience. You'll have the freedom to bring fresh ideas, try new approaches and make your mark on how product management is done across the organisation. You'll need to be comfortable working independently, taking ownership and making decisions, while also adapting your approach to a wide variety of products, stakeholders and changing priorities. Please note, this is a 2-year fixed-term contract opportunity. What you will be doing

• Define and communicate clear product vision and strategy across a varied portfolio of digital products and services
• Identify customer needs, operational challenges and opportunities
• Work with stakeholders to align product direction with organisational priorities, policies and service goals
• Provide day-to-day leadership and direction to multidisciplinary teams
• Act as a trusted advisor, helping stakeholders understand product approaches, trade-offs and priorities
• Lead products through the full lifecycle, from discovery and design to delivery and ongoing improvement
• Prioritise and manage product backlogs
• Balance short-term delivery needs with longer-term strategic goals
• Support investment decisions, business cases, and prioritisation activities What's essential
• Proven experience leading the end-to-end development and lifecycle of high-quality digital products or services
• Experience in defining and implementing product strategy and roadmaps
• Demonstrable experience leading and guiding cross-functional product teams within an agile environment
• Experience in translating complex data insights into actionable product decisions and improvements
• Experience in producing clear, concise, and impactful product documentation (e.g. strategies, roadmaps, user stories)
• Experience with data capture, analysis, and management of complex datasets across a variety of applications
• Deep understanding and practical application of user-centric design principles, technology capabilities, and data-drive decision making
• Expertise in a range of product management principles and approaches
• Ability to critically appraise products and identify strategic areas for improvement
• Comprehensive understanding of the different phases of product delivery and the ability to lead or contribute to them effectively Location. The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane with at least 2 days a week spent in the office. Salary and benefits. We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days.
• EV car benefit scheme
• Healthcare plans.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing, and mortgage advice.
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest-free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big-name retailers, and more. You can now also obtain a Costco membership through the WMCA.
• Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top-rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts.
• Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses. For more information about our benefits, please visit the benefits page on our career site. For more information about our essential criteria for the role, please refer to the JD when applying. Please note, we are not accepting applications from candidates who have been interviewed for this role within the past 6 months.