About the job

Job summary

Ofqual is the independent qualifications regulator for England. We currently regulate 200+ awarding organisations, and approx. 11,600 certified qualifications. These include GCSEs, AS and A levels, and a broad range of vocational and technical qualifications. Regulating on behalf of students of all ages and apprentices is central to how we fulfil our statutory objectives.

For more information about the work we do please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofqual

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion throughout the organisation. We are proud of the action we are taking to support EDI and Wellbeing and welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds to support our ethos of creating a diverse culture that is reflective of both our employees and the learners we support.

Due to our continued commitment and focus in relation to EDI, our inclusion and fair treatment score based on the Civil Service 2022 annual people survey ranks us 4th out of 104 participating departments.

Ofqual is a rewarding, dynamic place to work. We offer employees the opportunity to develop within their role and progress through the organisation via a number of Learning and Development opportunities and activities.

We are in the top ten Civil Service departments for staff engagement which focuses on motivation and commitment to organisational goals and values. Based on the 2022 annual people survey Ofqual are ranked 9th out of 104 participating departments.

Job description

Each year, millions of people take qualifications that help them to progress in their lives – to the next stage of their studies, into employment or in their enjoyment of a leisure pursuit. Ofqual has a key role in ensuring that public confidence in qualifications is secured for the future, and that qualifications have the confidence of all stakeholders. 

We are looking to recruit a high calibre Research Assistant to our Standards team. Research is at the heart of our approach to intelligent, evidence-based regulation. The work we do strengthens our regulatory decision-making, supporting our position as a credible authority by adopting innovative, critical approaches to research and business intelligence. Our research has a direct impact on education, informing approaches to the assessment and maintenance of standards in vocational and national qualifications.

We investigate a range of issues relating to how qualifications, exams and other assessments are designed, delivered and graded. Some recent examples of our research and statistical production can be found here:

Teacher assessed grades in 2021 - student and teacher experiences - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Reformed functional skills mathematics: evaluation of difficulty - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Student-level equalities analyses for GCSE, A level and VTQs, 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

For the role of Research Assistant, we are looking for an individual with strong data manipulation and quantitative analysis skills, along with experience of supporting or conducting research that apply a range of methodologies. You will be happy to work independently or as part of a team, and will be comfortable prioritising multiple strands of work and meeting challenging timescales. You’ll be supporting crucial work to evaluate and improve educational assessments and qualifications.

Duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Performing research, with support, in the field of assessment and qualifications.
• Providing statistical and analytical support to the standards team and across the Directorate, as required.
• Performing literature searches and producing reviews of the literature to support the delivery of research projects.
• Contributing to the publication of reports, articles and data.

Person specification

Please refer to the job description for a full list of essential criteria to support your application.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,250, Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) contributes £8,707 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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Please note that we regret that we do not offer sponsorship opportunities at this time.

When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the shortlisting panel), your career history and qualifications.

You will then be asked to provide a personal statement evidencing how you meet the essential criteria shown on the job description.

Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your personal statement, how you meet these requirements as this will form a key part of your evidence when the panel is scoring your application, against the requirements of the role.

Ofqual has adopted anonymised recruitment. This means that your name, date of birth and other personal details will not be seen by the sift panel. You’ll be asked to remove all personal details from your CV when you apply.

During the interview process, this vacancy may include a short presentation and/or assessment. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates upon invitation to interview.

Please submit your application by 1st July 2024 at 23:55pm.

Interview dates – 15th and 17th July 2024 (subject to change).

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or at a lower grade than they applied for, we may extend an offer without the need to go through a further selection process, providing the role has comparable behaviours and essential criteria.

Ofqual works flexibly, with a hybrid office/home based working model. Employees will spend at least two to three days a week working from our office in Coventry. As Coventry will be your base location expenses for travel to the office will not be paid.

Final panel interviews will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided at invite to interview stage.

One of our resourcing colleagues will be on hand to answer any queries you may have throughout the process.

Please be aware that expenses incurred by candidates during the recruitment process will not be reimbursed.

A reserve list may be held for up to 6 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you require assistance or need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should tell us what changes or help you might need further in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. You should contact us at recruitment@ofqual.gov.uk to discuss your needs.

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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.