Senior Officer - Higher Education Regulation Office for Students Stoke Gifford, England
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About the job
Job summary
Your future as a regulator will shape the experiences of students everywhere
The challenge
If you believe that every student, whatever their background, deserves a fulfilling experience of higher education, you could help shape the regulatory system that makes it a reality. As the independent regulator of higher education in England, the Office for Students (OfS) aims to ensure a high quality experience and the best value – for students, for taxpayers, and for the wider public good. This is an exciting time to join us as we embark on our ambitious new strategy, focusing on quality and standards, and equality of opportunity. We’re on the lookout for aspiring regulators to support the next phase of regulation in these areas.
Job description
The role
Working in the interests of students, we regulate to ensure universities and colleges meet our minimum expectations. We also influence and incentivise even better performance. Starting in either the Compliance and Student Protection directorate or the Participation, Access and Equality directorate, you’ll be given a series of assignments which will help develop your regulatory skills and experience. 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
It’s a highly supportive environment where learning and development is actively encouraged and supported. You'll soon take ownership of your own portfolio of work, with the opportunity to develop a career path in line with your interests.
Person specification
About you
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.
We do need you to be practised in gathering information from a wide variety of sources and analysing it to come to informed judgements. A confident communicator, you’re able to present your findings effectively, both in person and in writing. You’ll have a problem-solving approach combining flexibility and creativity to address novel and complex issues. You’re also skilled in fostering productive working relationships with both colleagues and external organisations.
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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.
In addition, our Total Reward Framework offers a range of benefits to suit your way of life. These include comprehensive learning and development, annual leave starting at 25 days per year (plus public holidays), access to the highly regarded Civil Service pension scheme and a variety of health benefits.
Working arrangements
Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that such flexibility 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. To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part time working, apply to this role.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
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).
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