Team Manager, Product Management

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.