About the job

Job summary

Help drive an organisation that’s shaping policy and regulation across higher education

The challenge

Make a real difference to the lives of students by bringing your strategic and operational leadership skills to the Office for Students (OfS). As the independent regulator of higher education in England, we ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. We regulate higher education providers to make sure they are delivering high quality courses and positive outcomes for students and taxpayers. Where they are not, we take action.

Job description

The role

You’ll play a critical role in driving the chief executive’s agenda both within and beyond the OfS, helping to shape the way we regulate over 400 providers of higher education. Crucially, you will lead the OfS’s day-to-day relationship with the Department for Education, dealing with a range of issues from OfS funding to policy reform. Building strong and lasting relationships with colleagues and leaders across the higher education sector, you will also influence the activity and culture of the OfS’s executive team.

The chief executive will look to you for high quality, well reasoned advice and briefings, across the full range of the OfS’s activity, and rely on you to follow up, at pace, across a range of issues. You will provide leadership to the team and also be responsible for providing direct support and advice to the OfS Chair.

Person specification

About you

Working in tandem with the chief executive, this is a demanding, senior role. Capable of commanding the confidence of the chief executive, OfS colleagues and leaders across the higher education system, you will need a high level of personal credibility, analytical rigour and strategic execution. With a strong track-record of operational leadership, you’ll thrive in a complex, ambiguous and fast-moving environment. A quick learner and problem solver, you’ll also be decisive, resourceful and creative.

You will need:

• the ability to build strong and lasting relationships with senior stakeholders
• the capacity to manage diverse, complex projects to tight deadlines
• strong awareness of current and emerging political and educational policy issues
• exceptional powers of communication and persuasion
• the ability to manage and motivate others
• strong organisational and project management skills, coupled with the flexibility to prioritise and pivot quickly

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,712, Office for Students contributes £20,442 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do.

We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• 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) (opens in a new window)
• 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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.