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 higher education  experience that enriches their life and career.

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

What we do

The regulation directorate’s primary function 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 implement the OfS’s new approach to regulating quality and standards, including the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework. We also 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.

Job description

What you’ll do

You’ll work across the regulation directorate on several projects, gaining a whole breadth of experience. As a Senior Officer, you may

• Register new higher education providers wanting to enter the sector
• Assess providers’ plans to improve access and participation among underrepresented groups
• Deliver funded programmes such as Uni Connect
• Investigate and assess compliance with our conditions of registration and intervene in the interest of students
• Develop and implement policy reforms to improve quality and standards and equality of opportunity
• Improve our systems that deliver services to providers

 

Person specification

What you’ll need

These are the skills you’ll already have:

• Ideally, you have some knowledge of the regulatory context for the OfS’s work and have an understanding of the regulatory decision-making processes
• You’re committed to protecting students’ interests
• You can write complex strategic and operational details clearly and concisely, using appropriate grammar, style and language
• You can plan and manage your own workload, resolving competing demands and coping with changing priorities in a flexible and proactive way
• You can build positive working relationships, working with people at all levels

 

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,001, Office for Students contributes £11,340 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 understanding of the operation of regulatory processes
• You can reach reliable judgements on the basis of complex evidence
• You have experience in delivering 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.