Team Manager, Product Management
Pearson · United Kingdom
Job Title: T Levels Product Owner
Job Family: Product
Job Tier: M35
Division: Vocational Qualifications – UK Product Management; EL&S
Reporting to: Lead – Vocational Qualification, UK Product Management
Location: United Kingdom
Primary Location: B-GB-London, GB – Hellaby, GB - Oxford, GB - Manchester -Hybrid
Full-time: 37.5 hours per week
Role Purpose
The T Level Product Owner is accountable for the strategic leadership, development, delivery and lifecycle management of Pearson’s T level qualifications. Working across a complex matrix of assessment, operations, technology, commercial and customer teams, the postholder will define the T Level product strategy, oversee qualification development and change, manage government and regulatory relationships, and lead on the successful delivery against agreed contractual commitments.
Key Responsibilities
- Own and deliver the overall T Level strategy, vision and roadmap.
- Provide end-to-end accountability for T Level performance, growth and operational readiness.
- Lead governance, reporting and executive stakeholder communications.
- Ensure alignment across product, assessment, delivery, operations and technology workstreams.
- Oversee commercial, contractual and regulatory obligations relating to T Levels.
- Prioritise strategic investments, change initiatives and continuous improvement activity.
- Manage key risks, dependencies and escalation routes across the T Level portfolio.
- Represent T Levels within Pearson governance forums and with external stakeholders including DfE, awarding organisations and providers.
- Drive transition from contract-led delivery to a scalable, product-led operating model.
- Define and own the strategic vision, roadmap and product lifecycle strategy for the T levels portfolio.
- Translate government policy and market intelligence into product strategies and investment plans.
- Lead T Level portfolio planning, prioritisation and decision-making to ensure products remain relevant, compliant and commercially sustainable.
- Ensure alignment between qualification strategy, organisational objectives and contractual obligations.
Key Accountabilities
Product Strategy and Portfolio Leadership
- Ensure delivery of all contractual commitments, milestones, reporting requirements and service obligations.
- Work closely with DfE and contracting authorities to maintain confidence in delivery.
- Support contract mobilisation, extension and transition activities.
Product Performance and Commercial Accountability
- Own product performance measures including customer satisfaction, quality indicators, contract KPIs and financial performance.
- Develop business cases and investment proposals for T Level portfolio development.
- Monitor performance trends and implement improvement plans where required.
- Ensure T Level products deliver value for customers while maintaining commercial sustainability.
Continuous Improvement and Innovation
- Champion evidence-based improvement across qualification development and delivery.
- Use customer insight, performance data and market intelligence to inform decision making.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability, digital delivery and customer experience.
Leadership Expectations
- Sets strategic direction and creates clarity of purpose.
- Builds trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and government partners and internal teams.
- Lead governance forums as appropriate.
- Balance strategic priorities with operational considerations and delivery constraints.
- Drive collaboration across functions to deliver consistent customer and learner experiences.
- Demonstrates accountability for outcomes and contractual performance.
- Uses data and evidence to drive decision-making.
- Develops high-performing teams and promotes continuous improvement.
- Operates with integrity, transparency and strong regulatory awareness.
Skills and Competencies
- Adaptability (Effective): Responds productively to change, adjusts priorities, and sustains momentum in dynamic situations.
- Artificial Intelligence (Effective): Applies AI tools to streamline work and inform decisions.
- Learning to Learn (Effective): Uses strategies to acquire new skills quickly and deeply.
- Stakeholder Engagement (Effective): Collaborates across teams to ensure alignment and buy-in.
- Business Acumen (Experienced): Understands commercial drivers and makes sound business decisions.
- Customer Discovery (Experienced): Gathers insights to shape product direction.
- Data Analysis (Effective): Translates data into actionable insights for product improvement.
- Design Thinking (Effective): Applies creative problem-solving to product development.
- Product Strategy (Effective): Uses customer and market intelligence to inform long-term direction.
- Strategic Thinking (Effective): Anticipates trends and shapes competitive advantage.
Proficiency Level Descriptors:
- Effective: Consistently applies this skill to complex tasks, works independently, and adapts approaches to achieve results.
- Experienced: Demonstrates deep expertise, mentors others, and leads initiatives using this skill.
Qualifications and Experience
- Qualified to degree level (or equivalent).
- Substantial knowledge of the UK education market and environment including schools, colleges, private training providers, HEIs and employer environment
- Experience of working in different regulated and/or government-policy driven environments and substantial knowledge of the regulatory environment concerning vocational qualifications
- Substantial experience in funded vocational qualification product management
- Experience of developing winning and customer-focused strategies
- Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and delivering complex products.
- Experience managing government, regulatory, or contractual relationships is highly desirable.
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