Product Manager
This is a {Advertised Permanent / Temporary}, {Advertised Full Time / Part Time} vacancy that will close in {x} days at {xx:xx} BST.
The Vacancy
The Vacancy
Predominantly known for the role Cafcass has in supporting 140,000 + children and their families every year and ensuring their voices are heard in family proceedings, what may be less well known is our targeted use of technology as a key factor in ensuring we are at the forefront of our sector.
A digital organisation rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2024, we continually invest to drive performance and efficiency; we have a wholly cloud-based technology stack that is essential in supporting and enabling a diverse, flexible and highly mobile workforce.
Cafcass is recruiting a Product Manager on a permanent basis. The location is flexible with some travel required for team or supplier meetings
Are you a product leader who thrives in delivering innovative, transformational, enterprise solutions?
As Product Manager you will take ownership of product initiatives from concept through to launch and post-release refinement and lifecycle management. This role requires strong cross-functional collaboration, a keen understanding of strategic and operational business needs and the ability to negotiate and prioritise trade-offs for immediate stakeholder benefits with long-term platform security, stability and scalability.
Central to this national role are our award-nominated and internally very highly regarded Cafcass case management applications and related products. These applications are fundamental to our work with children and families and are at the forefront of developments and improvements in our social work practice. They capture all associated data and documents and provide a unique suite of analytics in support of not just Cafcass practice but the wider family justice system too.
Let us tell you a bit more about the role…
As Product Manager, you’ll play a pivotal leadership role in shaping the strategic direction of our case management applications and software development function. You’ll be responsible for defining the product vision, aligning roadmaps with organisational goals and overseeing the full product lifecycle. Collaborating with internal stakeholders and external development and hosting partners, you’ll ensure our bespoke solutions meet the evolving needs of the organisation and deliver real value.
You’ll lead a talented team including a Senior Product Owner and Lead Developer to deliver high-quality, user-focused outcomes and as a subject matter expert you’ll provide advice and report regularly to senior leadership.
… and what we’re looking for.
If you’re passionate about building secure, user-focused enterprise solutions and want to work with an outcomes-driven team comprising internal and external stakeholders and partners, this is your opportunity to make a real difference.
You will have
- Excellent leadership skills
- Experience in a Product Owner or Product Manager or similar role within the IT or technology space, with demonstrable experience of driving successful product launches to time and budget
- Strong collaboration skills with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels and work closely alongside business colleagues
- Hands-on experience of product roadmap creation, stakeholder negotiations with cross-functional teams, and data-driven decision-making processes
- Proven track record in driving product development processes using agile methodologies
- Strong understanding of user-centred design principles and experience of working closely with design and UX teams, with a proven ability to create exceptional user experiences
- Experience of business analysis, with the ability to identify pragmatic solutions to conflicting requirements or business challenges
- Excellent project management skills
Next steps / timelines
If and when you are ready to apply, our application process is straightforward and quick to complete. You don’t need to complete your application in a single visit, you can start it and come back and amend your responses / update your CV, just make sure you come back before the closing date to submit.
Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change.
| Closing date: | 25 January 2026 |
| Remote first round interviews (over MS Teams): | 5 - 6 February 2026 |
| Informal conversation with colleagues: | 11 February 2026 |
| Formal onsite (Leeds) panel interview: | 19 February 2026 |
Let’s make a difference. Together.
If you join us as Product Manager you’ll be part of our IT team and will see further references to ‘Together’ as this is the name of our relationship-based framework that underpins how we work around here. Whether you’re one of our social workers or work in a corporate team such as IT, everyone in Cafcass has a critical role to play.
You can find out more about us before you apply here: Cafcass Careers. We also recommend you read the job description.
Should you require anything further you can either contact:
Priya Kadara Priya.Kadara@cafcass.gov.uk
or
Michelle Berridge Michelle.Berridge@cafcass.gov.uk in our HR Resourcing team.
Alternatively for more information about the role and responsibilities you can contact Cath Maloney Catherine.Maloney@cafcass.gov.uk, Head of IT Operations, providing your contact information and best times / methods to get hold of you
Whilst we will always try and respond as soon as we can, we wouldn’t want you to miss the closing date before we are able to. If this is the case, we recommend you apply and as part of your application you can ask any questions you may have.
Finally, in anticipation of your application being successful, you might want to read about the offer and pre-employment checks process. As part of your application you can highlight any concerns or questions about the pre-employment checks and we encourage all applicants to do so, safe in the knowledge such information will not be shared with individuals involved in the selection process.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Be Their Voice
We are Cafcass – the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service – and we represent children in family court cases in England.
Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 130,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.
Watch our video to find out we don’t just listen to children’s voices but we can be their voice.
If our purpose resonates with you, and you share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time - then if you join us, you will work alongside like-minded people in a diverse, inclusive and supportive organisation.
You will be trusted to work flexibly and independently using outstanding technology (e.g. touchscreen laptops, iPhone, all with first class support, including IT Trainers) with access to substantial resources (e.g. Cafcass Library has over 27,000 resources on social work, child protection and related topics). You will also have opportunities to develop, whatever team you join, wherever you are in the country and at whatever stage you are at in your career.
Whether you join us in one of our social work roles that work directly with children and families or our corporate and business services teams who provide technology, support and expertise, you will have the chance to make a difference for children and families. You can also find out more at www.cafcass.gov.uk/careers.
Wellbeing
The wellbeing of our colleagues is something we are truly passionate about, as demonstrated by everyone having four dedicated, additional days per year when they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing.
Colleagues can also have a health and wellbeing cash plan, for which Cafcass pays the basic premium (you can upgrade to include family members), which allows them to claim back some costs of routine health expenses, including dental check-ups, eye tests, physiotherapy sessions and more.
Overall, we foster a holistic approach to supporting our colleagues, benefitting physical, mental and financial health. This is led by a dedicated in-house team, the benefits of which include meaning support is targeted and specific to what colleagues need. Our team can also offer support and guidance when it comes to specific health conditions, such as neuro-diverse conditions, cancer and the menopause.
Our wellbeing offer is further strengthened by an external Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) which provides a free confidential support service 24 hours a day. This means access to clinical and professional expertise which gives you a chance to talk about all kinds of work and personal issues.
If this wasn’t enough, we are especially proud that over 125 colleagues have completed training and receive ongoing support to act as Health and Wellbeing Champions. Furthermore, we have nearly 100 people that have trained to be Mental Health Allies.
Diversity
We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and having a diverse workforce helps us to fulfil this responsibility authentically.
It also helps us to grow, evolve and innovate, so we particularly welcome applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.
We are proud to be a disability confident leader, we invite you to join our team, we are committed to actively attract and recruit individuals with disabilities including “non-visible” disabilities and mental health conditions. Our inclusive and accessible recruitment process means we aim to accommodate reasonable adjustments as needed. This commitment highlights our dedication to employing, training, retaining, and developing the careers of our colleagues with disabilities.
Our Diversity Networks provide a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience – supported by allies across the organisation. The networks help ensure we provide an inclusive working environment and a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds.
For more information watch our video here.
Our current networks include:
Kaleidoscope Network
Colleagues from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Mental Health Network
Colleagues who experience, or have an interest in, Mental Health issues.
Pride
Network
Colleagues who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans – LGBT+.
Neurodiversity Network
Colleagues who are neurodivergent, or support someone who is.
Together
‘Together with Children and Families’ (which we just call ‘Together’) is the name of our relationship-based practice framework. It applies to the work of every individual in Cafcass, from Social Workers to Leaders and includes our Corporate and Business Support teams.
It is at the heart of what we do and is made up of our values, how these values work in practice, the tools to use to incorporate these values in our work and the impact this will have on the children and families we serve.
This framework encourages us to be pro-active and to look for the strengths in ourselves and others. It also enables us to build positive relationships with our colleagues, our partners and most importantly, with the children and families with whom we work.
We look forward to telling helping you learn more about Together should you join us.
Benefits
We know if you join us you want to be rewarded in a variety of ways, including time away from work to spend time with those important to you, manage your financial present and future, whilst also be trusted to manage your work/life balance.
Therefore, in addition to our unique, holistic approach to supporting your health and wellbeing we also provide:
Generous holidays
28 days holiday (including three for Christmas) rising to 33 days with five years continuous service, which could include your current employment. You can also sell any you do not need.
This list is just a selection of main benefits and we have a range of policies and processes that allow us to support our colleagues - and their families – and we look forward to providing you with further information about these in due course.
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