About the job

Job summary

Principal Analysts

2 x fixed term contract roles

Bristol

Salary: £63,386 - £69,444

Plus generous civil service defined benefit pension 

 

About us

 

The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England.  We aim to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.

 

Our Data, Foresight and Analysis directorate (DFA) is currently seeking 2 principal analysts to join our supportive, enthusiastic, and high performing teams, where you will be part of a community of around 60 analysts. The directorate provides a range of data collection, analysis and research activities that have an essential role underpinning the regulatory functions of the Office for Students (OfS).

 

We want to be driven by evidence, so data and analysis will inform our effective, efficient and intelligent regulation in the student interest. We also care about supporting and developing our staff, working together to achieve more than each of us can do alone.    

 

To find out more about some of the work that analysts in DFA do to support the aims of the OfS, visit

Job description

About the roles

 

The aim of the principal analyst roles are to provide leadership and management for analytical operations within the Data, Foresight and Analysis directorate, which provides a range of data collection, analysis and research activities that underpin the regulatory functions of the OfS.

 

You will be part of the directorate’s senior management team, and a significant part of the role will involve developing a culture of continuous improvement, accuracy and attention to detail.

Managing a data team responsible for developing, implementing, quality assuring and analysing the data used to support the OfS’s regulatory work,  you will be leading projects and activities that impact directly on students and higher education providers. This will include projects that are large scale, high profile or high-risk, working flexibly across new and existing activities to deliver the needs of the organisation as they evolve.

You will be responsible for overseeing the design and running of sophisticated analysis or processes that span all aspects of data analysis, including analytical programming. In doing so, you will be working closely with stakeholders and data users across a whole project lifecycle.  

The current activity areas being recruited to are:

 

Data Infrastructure (15 month fixed term contract)

 

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that the required data and appropriate infrastructure is available to support analytical operations within DFA, working with colleagues in the IT department to achieve this. The postholder will ensure that the OfS’s current and future data requirements are anticipated and met, to underpin effective operation of its regulatory approaches. This will involve working closely with regulatory policy teams, external stakeholders and providers of data.  

 

 

Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) (18 months fixed term contract)

 

The postholder will be responsible for developing and implementing data solutions to address the emerging requirements of the OfS’s regulatory approach to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), including those related to the registration of providers; the collection of data to support the funding, reporting and monitoring of provision delivered through the LLE; and the definition of appropriate measures for regulating student outcomes. 

Person specification

About you

 

Applicants for these roles will have experience in a similar role already - you will be hands on and used to leading a data team, working collaboratively with internal and external colleagues.

The key person attributes to fulfil this role are: 

• Ability to motivate and lead a high performing technical team, including the ability to engage with diverse perspectives to collaborate effectively and create an inclusive working environment.
• Experience in all aspects of data analysis, including analytical programming.
• Ability to communicate complex analysis or processes to internal and external technical and non-technical audiences, and to articulate reasoning in a clear and persuasive manner.
• Ability to maintain an in-depth understanding of the data available, and experience of developing ways to use data to support strategic objectives.
• Engagement with legislative, economic, social, political, environmental, technological or regulatory developments, and the ability to make effective decisions that ensure activities remain relevant to their wider context.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £63,386, 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

Working for us

 

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. To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part time working, apply to this role.

 

Working arrangements

 

Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that it can enable people to work more effectively. A set of organisation-wide principles shape our approach to flexible and hybrid working, which our teams then use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. This would usually mean working from the office for two or three days in a typical week.

 

Closing date for applications: Sunday 17 March

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.