Mark Challinor

Services

I work with public-sector teams who need a product manager now, or need product thinking on a specific problem. Most of my work is contract roles inside a team. I also take shorter, fixed-scope pieces.

Contract product manager

A product manager embedded in your team, leading the product from week one.

When to call me
A post is vacant, a permanent hire is months away, or a new team is forming and needs someone to set direction.
What I do
  • Own the backlog and roadmap, and keep both tied to user needs and outcomes
  • Work with policy, operations and senior stakeholders so decisions get made
  • Write and defend the case for spend
  • Hand over cleanly to a permanent product manager when the time comes
Works best for
Beta and live services, and teams moving from one phase to the next.

Discovery and alpha

Turn a problem statement into evidence and a tested direction.

When to call me
You have a policy intent, a pain point or a failing process, and need to know what to build before committing budget.
What I do
  • Frame the problem and the questions discovery must answer
  • Plan and take part in user research with the team
  • Test the riskiest assumptions first, including technical ones
  • A clear recommendation: proceed, change direction or stop
Works best for
New services, and existing services that need rethinking.

Technical product management

Product leadership for platforms, integrations, APIs and data services.

When to call me
The service is mostly infrastructure, or the product decisions keep turning into technical ones.
What I do
  • Translate between engineers and the business without losing the detail
  • Weigh product choices against their operational and infrastructure cost
  • Prioritise reliability, security and technical debt alongside features
  • Stay calm and useful when things break
Works best for
Platform teams, shared services and services with heavy integration.

Service assessment readiness

Get ready for a Service Standard assessment with time to act on what you find.

When to call me
An alpha, beta or live assessment is on the horizon.
What I do
  • Review the service against each point of the Service Standard
  • Identify gaps in evidence, not just gaps in the service
  • Run a practice assessment with the team
  • Coach the team on telling the story of their service
Works best for
Teams preparing for a first assessment, or for a reassessment.

Ways to engage me

  • Contract roles on a day rate, directly or through your usual agency or framework.
  • Fixed-scope pieces such as an assessment readiness review, agreed up front with a clear output.

I work across central government, regulators, local government, health bodies and professional bodies. I'm used to the procurement, assurance and governance that come with public-sector work.

Discuss your need