Platform Owner - Data Centre Networks

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HMRC is continuing its transition to a products and platforms operating model, with increased focus on platform ownership, measurable outcomes, service reliability and effective delivery across complex technology estates.

We are seeking a Platform Product Owner within HMRC Network Services, part of the Chief Engineering and Platform Office (CEPO). In this role, you will own and deliver outcomes for a defined set of data centre network platforms and associated services that underpin critical HMRC services and large-scale infrastructure change.

You will be responsible for the direction, lifecycle management and delivery of outcomes for network platform capabilities, balancing operational stability, resilience, security and cost with the need to support change across a complex and evolving estate. Central to this role is treating the platform as a product area, using clear priorities, strong stakeholder engagement, performance insight and continuous improvement to deliver value.

This role requires strong leadership across a complex supplier and stakeholder landscape. You will ensure network platform services remain reliable and fit for purpose while enabling delivery across large-scale programmes and interdependent services., As a Platform Product Owner – Data Centre Networks, you will own and deliver the roadmap for a defined set of network platform capabilities, aligned to broader platform strategy and organisational priorities.

You will be accountable for ensuring these platforms remain secure, resilient, scalable and operationally effective, while supporting the successful delivery of infrastructure change across HMRC’s estate.

Operating within a complex environment of internal teams, strategic suppliers and wider business demand, you will:

Own and manage the roadmap and backlog for your network platform area, balancing value, risk, service performance and organisational demand

Make prioritisation decisions, considering operational resilience, dependencies and delivery constraints

Coordinate activity across multiple teams and suppliers to ensure joined-up delivery across interdependent services and programmes

Use service performance data, operational insight and stakeholder feedback to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement

Act as the primary point of ownership for your platform area, ensuring alignment between supplier delivery, stakeholder needs and platform priorities

You will act as an advocate for your platform area, working across organisational boundaries to support alignment, adoption and successful delivery of outcomes, Platform Engagement, Vision and Adoption

• Contribute to the vision and direction for data centre network platform services
• Promote clear ownership, engagement and adoption across stakeholders and delivery teams
• Use insight and feedback to inform priorities and improve platform outcomes
• Support continuous improvement in service quality, performance and cost optimisation

Platform Delivery and Ownership

• Own the end-to-end lifecycle of data centre network platforms, including roadmap, backlog and service performance
• Drive delivery across a complex portfolio of work aligned to organisational change
• Identify and manage risks, issues and dependencies across platform and delivery activity
• Balance operational stability with ongoing transformation

Technology and Platform Capability

• Demonstrate strong understanding of data centre technologies and enterprise networking concepts
• Ensure platform services operate with high levels of availability, resilience and security
• Work with engineering, architecture and service teams to ensure alignment with standards and good practice
• Support lifecycle management and continuous improvement in line with service management principles

Stakeholder Management and Influence

• Act as the primary interface between HMRC Network Services, stakeholders and strategic suppliers
• Build effective relationships with senior stakeholders across technical and business teams
• Oversee and challenge supplier delivery to ensure performance and value for money
• Influence decision-making across a complex, matrix environment, We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate., HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants - GOV.UK. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks., * UK nationals

• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service, Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk. Please note that we do not accept complaints or appeals regarding scoring of outcomes of campaigns, unless candidates can provide clear evidence that the campaign did not follow the Recruitment Principles. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.

• Experience owning and managing complex infrastructure or network platforms within a large-scale organisation
• Experience of delivering outcomes across complex programmes or portfolios
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Experience working in a multi-supplier environment and holding suppliers to account
• Strong understanding of data centre technologies and enterprise networking concepts
• Experience managing risks, dependencies and delivery alignment across complex environments
• Experience working within service lifecycle or ITIL-aligned environments
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments, providing clarity and direction
• Strong leadership capability across matrix-managed teams

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience supporting large-scale infrastructure transformation initiatives
• Awareness of evolving data centre or hybrid infrastructure trends
• Experience working across legacy and modern platform environments
• Experience applying product-focused approaches such as outcome-based prioritisation, roadmap management or metrics-driven delivery

Office closures

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

If your location preference is for the following site, it’s important to note that this is not a long-term site for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time., Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

Pulled from the full job description

• Company pension
• Work from home, Alongside your salary of £58,541, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,959 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).