Grade 9: £56,623 -£65,336 per annum including the Oxford University weighting of £1,730
per annum
Permanent, full time (37.5 hours per week)
The Associate Director of Product Development and Delivery is a senior leadership role within the School’s Digital and Information Services (D&IS) Department, responsible for supporting the strategic development and delivery of the School’s digital and technology portfolio. As a key member of the D&IS Senior Management Team, the postholder will provide hands-on leadership and support to the Product Development and Delivery Team, which manages approximately 300 products and applications, including business-critical platforms such as Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Canvas, Eduframe and Tableau.
Working closely with the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), the role will lead and coordinate the School’s Investment Review Board IT and Digital Development agenda, overseeing a dynamic portfolio of approximately 30 projects with an annual budget of around £1 million and ensuring investment is aligned with the School’s strategic priorities, resources and future business needs. The postholder will work collaboratively with Product Owners and stakeholders across the School to develop and prioritise product roadmaps, assess and scope new development requirements, manage resources and budgets, and identify technology-enabled business opportunities.
The role will also drive greater consistency and maturity in product management practices, including testing, release management and development standards, ensuring product roadmaps support the School’s platform-first approach and wider digital strategy. Success in the role will require strong strategic and operational leadership, excellent stakeholder management and the ability to manage competing priorities within a continually evolving digital environment while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
Key responsibilities:
- Work closely with Product Owners to develop and deliver strategic product roadmaps, consolidate applications onto core platforms and ensure effective support, maintenance, adoption and benefits realisation throughout the product lifecycle.
- Lead, manage and develop the Product Development and Delivery Team, prioritising resources and overseeing project management, business analysis, UX and external delivery partners to ensure effective and high-quality service delivery.
- Manage and deliver the annual Investment Review Board IT and Digital Development portfolio of approximately 30 projects and a £1m budget, ensuring projects are appropriately prioritised, governed and delivered to agreed scope, quality, timescales and budgets.
- Establish and maintain best-practice approaches to product development and project delivery, including Agile methodologies, testing, release management, governance, documentation, risk management and transition into business-as-usual operations.
- Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, business units, the CDIO and external suppliers, effectively managing project demand, budgets, risks, resources and third-party contracts while promoting engagement, ownership and continuous improvement.
Further information on this role can be found in the job description.