About the job

Job summary

Who we are

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England – we regulate higher education on behalf of all students.  Our mission is to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.

These roles are based in the Regulation directorate. We’re looking for skilled, committed people to deliver our work both to ensure higher education providers meet our minimum regulatory expectations, and to influence and incentivise even better performance, in order to achieve our objectives.

As we embark on our ambitious new strategy, focusing on quality and standards, and equality of opportunity, this is an exciting time to join the OfS. We are looking for aspiring regulators who want to use their skills to support the next phase of regulation in these areas.

Job description

What you’ll do

The primary function of the Regulation directorate is to develop and implement the OfS’s regulatory framework. We design and deliver high quality services for market entry, degree awarding powers and university title, and are responsible for the ongoing monitoring of registered providers. We also implement the OfS’s new approach to regulating quality and standards, including the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF). In addition, we work to promote fair access to, and participation in, English higher education for students, no matter what their background. We regulate access and participation plans, and deliver funded programmes such as Uni Connect.

Once appointed, you’ll be expected to lead your own work areas and support and manage the work of your team, to deliver results. The work is highly varied and you could be involved in:

• registering new higher education providers wanting to enter the sector
• assessing providers’ plans to improve access and participation among underrepresented groups
• delivering funded programmes such as Uni Connect
• investigating and assessing compliance with our conditions of registration and intervening in the interest of students
• developing and implementing policy reforms to improve quality and standards and equality of opportunity
• improving the systems within the OfS that deliver services to providers

We’ll take your preferences, skills and experience into account when determining which areas of work you are initially allocated to, but over time you’ll gain experience across directorate work areas.

Person specification

What you’ll need 

While previous regulatory experience would be welcome, it is not essential as comprehensive training is available. Our teams have joined the OfS with previous experience working in regulators and higher education providers, as well as in the civil service, broader education roles, and other public sector organisations. Above all, we’re looking for people who share our commitment to working rigorously to protect students’ interests.

Crucially, to perform this role, you must be able to provide leadership and effective management oversight for a group of staff. An ability to co-ordinate and take ownership over a portfolio of work or organisational function across a team is also critical.

We also think these areas are really important in being able to do this role well, and we will ask you to demonstrate these in your application:

• You can maintain a comprehensive knowledge of the regulatory context for the OfS’s work, including the OfS’s current goals around quality & standards and equality of opportunity
• You can demonstrate an understanding of regulatory decision-making processes which enable credible, evidence-based decisions to be reached.
• You can write complex strategic and operational details in a clear and concise manner, using appropriate grammar, style and language
• You can demonstrate an ability to lead and manage a team to achieve results, and an ability to co-ordinate a diverse portfolio of work held by a team to drive progress
• You can plan and manage your own workload, resolving competing demands and coping with changing priorities in a flexible and proactive way
• You can demonstrate a confident and co-operative style and deal credibly with people at all levels, including with external stakeholders, to build positive working relationships

Career Opportunities

Our flexible resourcing model enables us to be responsive and agile in how we resource our work, allocating people to priorities. You will have the flexibility to move between areas of responsibility, as you develop your regulatory knowledge, experience and expertise.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,846, Office for Students contributes £13,998 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

Next steps

Once your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete two pre-interview tasks and a numerical reasoning test. At interview we will be looking for you to demonstrate:

• Your expertise in the design and operation of regulatory processes
• You can reach reliable judgements on the basis of complex evidence
• You have experience in inspiring and leading a team to drive progress and achieve positive results
• You have experience in co-ordinating a diverse portfolio of work or organisational function across a team
• You have experience in leading and managing projects
• You can communicate complex regulatory information effectively, orally and in writing
• Your experience in implementing and improving systems and processes
• You’re resilient and able to work effectively as part of a team

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.