Job Summary

The Senior Product Delivery Manager operates at the core of SSP's product development capability, combining hands-on project leadership with meaningful contribution to larger-scale programmes. This is a dual-mode role: independently leading mid-size product initiatives end-to-end, whilst also providing structured support to the Lead Product Delivery manager on complex, multi-workstream programmes. This role carries line management responsibility for a small number of direct reports — making it the first rung of people leadership within the Product Delivery function. The Senior PDM is expected to develop their team with the same intentionality they bring to delivery, treating AI adoption, skills development, and individual growth as active management priorities.

Job Description

Main Area of Responsibility

Dual-mode delivery leader responsible for independently running mid-size product initiatives and providing senior support to the Lead PDM on large-scale programmes. Carries line management responsibility for direct reports, embedding AI adoption and individual development as core management expectations alongside delivery.

Accountability

• Independent Leadership of Mid-Size Product Initiatives
  • Own and lead mid-size, product-centric projects from requirements through to production deployment — managing scope, timelines, team performance, and stakeholder communication throughout.
  • Define project governance, delivery milestones, and risk management approaches appropriate to the scale and complexity of each initiative; report progress and commercial performance to the Lead PDM.
  • Lead sprint planning, backlog refinement, and retrospectives for delivery squads within your projects; apply AI tooling to planning, estimation, and progress reporting to improve accuracy and reduce overhead.
• Support to the Lead PDM on Large-Scale Programmes
  • Act as a senior delivery resource within large-scale programmes — owning defined workstreams, managing squad performance, and maintaining accountability for your areas of delivery.
  • Manage cross-workstream dependencies, flagging risks and blockers to the Lead PDM proactively and with sufficient lead time to act; represent the programme in stakeholder reviews when delegated.
  • Use AI-assisted tools to monitor workstream health, surface delivery risks early, and generate programme reporting inputs efficiently.
• Line Management & Team Development
  • Provide line management for direct reports — conducting regular one-to-ones, formal performance reviews, and maintaining an ongoing view of each individual's performance, wellbeing, and development.
  • Build individual development plans that reflect personal goals and SSP's capability needs, with AI upskilling treated as a core component; recognise and reward AI adoption as a visible performance dimension.
  • Support recruitment and onboarding of new team members when required, working with the Lead PDM and HR to bring the right skills and fit into the team.
• Sprint Leadership, Go-to-Market & Cost Awareness
  • Lead sprint ceremonies for squads within your project scope, applying and reinforcing best practice standards; identify execution gaps and coach to address them; use AI-assisted estimation and capacity planning tools.
  • Manage release readiness — ensuring CAB submissions, client UAT coordination, and production deployments are planned and executed safely; act as escalation point during UAT and deployment activity.
  • Maintain a working understanding of project cost profiles across build, hosting, and support; actively identify efficiency opportunities, track AI-driven savings, and flag variances to the Lead PDM promptly.