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Job Summary
Head of Regulatory Portfolio
Salary £79,498 - £83,299 plus generous Civil Service pension (defined benefit scheme)and London Weighting £3,566 where appropriate
Location: Bristol (or London with regular travel to Bristol)
Contract: Permanent
Responsible to: Head of Regulatory Function
At the Office for Students (OfS), we’re proud to be the independent regulator of higher education in England. Our mission? To ensure every student – whatever their background – has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their life and career.
Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for regulation and policy development?
The Office for Students (OfS) is looking for a dynamic and experienced individual to join our team as the Head of Regulatory Portfolio. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a team dedicated to ensuring the compliance and quality of higher education providers.
Job Description
About the Role:
As the Head of Regulatory Portfolio, you will be at the forefront of delivering the core regulatory work of the OfS. You will lead a team responsible for monitoring compliance, developing assessment and risk approaches, and implementing policies related to conditions of registration. Your role will be pivotal in shaping the regulatory landscape and ensuring that higher education providers meet the highest standards.
Key Responsibilities:
* Leadership: Provide effective leadership within the directorate, modelling OfS behaviours and values, and fostering collaborative working across teams.
* Compliance Monitoring: Lead a team in monitoring the compliance of registered providers and managing case work related to ongoing conditions of registration.
* Policy Development: Develop and implement assessment, risk assessment, and monitoring approaches for various conditions of registration, including access and participation, quality and standards, consumer protection, financial viability, provider governance, and free speech.
* Strategic Advice: Advise and support the director, ensuring that the OfS’s statutory functions are effectively discharged.
* Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement in the service provided by the team, ensuring high-quality service delivery and system performance from the provider’s perspective.
* Communication: Engage with government, sector, and student bodies to communicate the OfS’s approach to regulation and ensure understanding of regulatory requirements.
We are recruiting to the following portfolios within our regulatory framework:
* Enforcement. Leading and delivering the OfS’s expanding enforcement work – across all conditions of registration.
* Monitoring & Compliance. Leading the existing Core Regulatory Team (CRT) model and approach, monitoring activity, and leading across the OfS on regulatory burden.
* Quality and Standards. Leading our work relating to conditions B1, B2, B4, B5, B7 and B8; and for the infrastructure needed to support that work, including for any designated quality body.
* Student Outcomes. Leading condition B3 and the TEF; and for our policy relationship with the designated data body, and our data requirements delivered through that relationship.
* Higher Education Market. Leading the OfS’s work relating to the operation of the higher education market: registration; degree awarding powers (DAPs) and university title; financial sustainability of higher education providers and the analysis that underpins this; market exit.
* Provider Governance. Leading the management and governance conditions; fraud; Prevent; the C conditions; funding assurance; exempt charities.
* Freedom of Speech. Leading the OfS’s new free speech functions: conditions of registration; student unions; complaints scheme. It will also have responsibility for any new condition of registration relating to harassment and sexual misconduct.
* Pathways and Funding. Leading the OfS’s work on skills, pathways and funding.
* Equality of Opportunity. Leading our work on access and participation plans, equality, mental health, student information and engagement.
Key Responsibilities:
* Leadership: Provide effective leadership within the directorate, modelling OfS behaviours and values, and fostering collaborative working across teams.
* Compliance Monitoring: Lead a team in monitoring the compliance of registered providers and managing case work related to ongoing conditions of registration.
* Policy Development: Develop and implement assessment, risk assessment, and monitoring approaches for various conditions of registration, including access and participation, quality and standards, consumer protection, financial viability, provider governance, and free speech.
* Strategic Advice: Advise and support the director, ensuring that the OfS’s statutory functions are effectively discharged.
* Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement in the service provided by the team, ensuring high-quality service delivery and system performance from the provider’s perspective.
* Communication: Engage with government, sector, and student bodies to communicate the OfS’s approach to regulation and ensure understanding of regulatory requirements.
We are recruiting to the following portfolios within our regulatory framework:
* Enforcement. Leading and delivering the OfS’s expanding enforcement work – across all conditions of registration.
* Monitoring & Compliance. Leading the existing Core Regulatory Team (CRT) model and approach, monitoring activity, and leading across the OfS on regulatory burden.
* Quality and Standards. Leading our work relating to conditions B1, B2, B4, B5, B7 and B8; and for the infrastructure needed to support that work, including for any designated quality body.
* Student Outcomes. Leading condition B3 and the TEF; and for our policy relationship with the designated data body, and our data requirements delivered through that relationship.
* Higher Education Market. Leading the OfS’s work relating to the operation of the higher education market: registration; degree awarding powers (DAPs) and university title; financial sustainability of higher education providers and the analysis that underpins this; market exit.
* Provider Governance. Leading the management and governance conditions; fraud; Prevent; the C conditions; funding assurance; exempt charities.
* Freedom of Speech. Leading the OfS’s new free speech functions: conditions of registration; student unions; complaints scheme. It will also have responsibility for any new condition of registration relating to harassment and sexual misconduct.
* Pathways and Funding. Leading the OfS’s work on skills, pathways and funding.
* Equality of Opportunity. Leading our work on access and participation plans, equality, mental health, student information and engagement.
Person specification
Person Specification:
* Essential:
* Desirable:
Alongside your salary of £79,498, Office for Students contributes £23,030 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
* 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 employer contribution of 28.97%
Selection process details
Why Join Us?
At the OfS, we are committed to fostering a flexible and supportive work environment. We offer opportunities for professional development and the chance to work on diverse portfolios, ensuring that your role evolves to meet both individual and organisational needs. Join us in making a significant impact on the higher education sector and contribute to the continuous improvement of regulatory practices.
We’re a diverse, welcoming and values-driven organisation. Our team is passionate about what we do, and we work in a supportive, open environment where every voice matters.
In our most recent staff survey, 91% of colleagues said their manager is considerate of their life outside work. Whether it’s flexible working, job shares or part-time arrangements, we’re happy to explore what works best for you.
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 andsocio-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.
If this sounds like your kind of role, we’d love to hear from you.
If you are ready to take on this exciting challenge and lead a team to success, apply now to become a Head of Regulatory Portfolio!
When applying for the role, you will be asked for a CV and covering letter. Your covering letter should be no more than 1500 words and give evidence how your skills and experience align to the personal specification.
There is no closing date for application. In the event of a high-volume response, we may close the role without notice. You are therefore recommended to make an early application.
Learn more about our work in Regulation here
If you like further information about working with the OfS ahead of submitting a formal application please contact the recruitment team, recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk
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.
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 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.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact :
* Name : Recruitment Team
* Email : RecruitmentTeam@officeforstudents.org.uk
* Telephone : 0117 931 7444
Recruitment team
* Email : RecruitmentTeam@officeforstudents.org.uk
Further information
Careers - Office for Students #J-18808-Ljbffr