Salary: £82,082 - £86,006 plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension 

Permanent

Full time (job share will be considered)

Location: Bristol   

Message from the OfS Chair, Edward Peck

We are looking for someone who knows that exemplary governance is one of the central foundations of an effective organisation. You would be joining the OfS at a key moment in its development with a new Chair and refreshed Board, new Chief Executives, new strategy and a renewed sense of its purpose and priorities.

The regulation of higher education seeks to balance the interests of a range of stakeholders with a complex set of policy ambitions and challenges. The student sits at the heart at what we do, but we have also to be cognisant of the perspectives of providers, government and wider society.

We achieve this by possessing a Board comprised of outstanding non-executive and executive members whose extensive experience is drawn from a wide range of sectors; please do visit our website to view their profiles. These members lead and contribute to a diverse set of formal committees – Risk and Audit, People, and Quality Assurance. They also lead a set of advisory panels that enable articulation of the student interest and provider voices, as well as the exploration of issues relating to financial sustainability and public affairs.

This web of governance arrangements reflects the breadth and complexity of the issues with which the OfS deals. It necessitates careful and creative choreography to ensure that business proceeds smoothly through the governance process while enabling us to be aware of the many major questions and important nuances raised by our proposed approaches to regulation.

The successful candidate will be the centre of this web, actively advising the Chair and Chief Executives on governance in the specific context of the OfS while drawing on accepted and emerging best practice. They will work closely with the chairs of our committees and panels as well as the OfS Sponsorship Team within the Department for Education.

Overall, this role requires someone who can offer sound advice and solid administration, combined with an ability to collaborate with seasoned non-executive and executive Board members to draw together the strands of a complex governance setting into considered and authoritative decision-making. Our approach to governance should be setting the standard, not least as we regulate the governance of over 400 registered providers of higher education in England.  

We look forward to receiving your application.

Professor Edward Peck, Chair       

About us  

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It exists to ensure that English higher education offers the best experience and the best value: for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good.

Our vision is that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Please do have a look at our new strategy on our website.

The governance team covers the operation of the Board and its committees, as well as the Executive Committee. It also manages the OfS’s risk management function, oversees internal audit, and coordinates organisational performance assessment. Its aim is to gather and present the right information, to support the right discussions, to enable the right decisions at the right time by the right people.

The OfS is currently undertaking a review of its organisational design. The exact shape of the role may evolve, but strong governance and risk management will remain at its core.

About the role  

The Head of Governance will lead the governance function at the heart of the OfS’s work. They will play a strategic role in ensuring the organisation operates with integrity, transparency, and effectiveness. As a trusted adviser to the Chair, Chief Executives, Executive Team, and the Board, they will provide strategic insight and professional expertise, bringing confidence, authority and conviction to their contribution. The successful candidate will see themselves as a current or future influential figure in the world of governance.

The role will include:

• Acting as senior governance adviser to the Chair, Executive Committee, and the Board on all aspects of governance with the OfS, including the review and operationalisation of policies such as the scheme of delegation and conflicts of interest which are especially pertinent to a regulatory body.

• Possessing the credibility and confidence to challenge proposed or established ways of conducting business where necessary.

• Ensuring the Board, Committees, Panels and Executive Committee receive excellent service to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities.

• Overseeing the passage of business through these fora in ways that enable the most value to be derived from the expertise and experience they contain.  

• Ensuring risk is considered across the organisation, supporting effective decision making at all levels on risk identification, management and mitigation.

• Ensuring the internal audit function provides robust assurance and actionable insight.

• Supporting the organisation to understand its performance and to focus on continuous improvement.

• Managing a team of governance and risk professionals, supporting their continuous improvement.

Application process  

For your application, you will need to upload a copy of your CV (no more than 2 pages) which should set out your relevant qualifications and experience, with information about how these relate to the requirements of this role.  

You will also be required to provide a personal statement (no more than 1,000 words) setting out how your skills and experience meet the essential and any desirable criteria for the role.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application; however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate, and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn. 

Reasonable adjustments 

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you through the application stage, please contact us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help. 

Working for us   

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, or sexual orientation.     

We prefer to work flexibly because we know that it helps us all to make our best contribution. We have created a set of principles to shape our approach to flexible and hybrid working, which our teams then use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. In a typical week, we expect colleagues to spend several days working from the office, balancing business needs, team collaboration, and individual responsibilities. 

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

Find out more about working for us in the ‘Why work here’ section of our website: Why work here? - Office for Students 

Benefits  

Our Total Reward Framework offers a range of benefits to suit your way of life:   

• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays   
• Comprehensive learning and development – we’re invested in your future  
• Generous Civil Service pension scheme  
• Health benefits   

In addition, we take a proactive approach to professional development within the team, and will work with the successful candidate to seek opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and experience in the role.   

Closing date for applications: 12 Noon, Monday 9 November

Interview after 23 November

For information: the OfS does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence.