Office for Students
Bristol, Gloucestershire
About us We are the independent regulator of higher education in England. We aim to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. We're proud of our people, our culture and the benefits we offer. We care about supporting and developing our staff. At the OfS we want to create a welcoming and engaging working environment which is free from discrimination. We're looking for skilled, committed people who care about students and their experience of higher education. Join us and you'll be part of an energetic, forward-looking organisation with high ambitions and big opportunities for our people. About the role We are seeking a Provider Relations Manager to lead and drive forward our communications and engagement with providers we regulate. You will lead the OfS's programme of provider engagement - managing our hugely important visits programme as well as delivering high-profile events and webinars aimed directly at senior leaders in universities and colleges - and oversee our annual stakeholder survey, which will form how we communicate with our diverse range of regulated providers. You will help develop processes to gather intelligence on the sector, programme strategic engagement activity direct to providers, and ensure that the insights gathered from providers are acted on and shared effectively across the organisation. Sitting within the Strategy, Delivery and Communications (SDC) Directorate, the communications team drives the OfS's external and internal communications, including public affairs, media relations, digital publishing, stakeholder engagement, events and public information. Communications is essential for the organisation to drive progress towards our strategic goals. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with strong project management and communications skills who wants to work at the heart of higher education regulation. What you'll do As Provider Relations Manager, you will: Lead the OfS's provider visits programme, ensuring visits run smoothly and to a high standard, including managing briefings, matching visitors and shaping future phases of the programme. Develop and oversee the chair and chief executive visit programme, acting as liaison with board and committee members. Manage how feedback from provider visits is used internally, shared back with providers and used to improve ways of working. Lead the operational delivery of the OfS's annual stakeholder survey, analyse findings and develop strategic improvements to provider engagement. Lead programming for OfS accountable officer and chair events, including quarterly webinars, new accountable officer and chair induction events and mailings, which involved developing content, agendas, speeches and briefing notes. Develop and implement a provider engagement strategy, identifying key audiences and creating proactive engagement opportunities such as policy roundtables and regional meetings. Write briefing papers and discussion points for the chair and members of the OfS's Provider Panel. Advise on and implement provider engagement activity for strategic communications plans and launches. Activity manage the Stakeholder Engagement Officer, Events and Communications Co-ordinator, and Administrative Resource Unit colleagues who support visit delivery. What you'll need These are the skills and experience you'll already have: Demonstrable project management skills, including the ability to plan, manage and deliver complex projects to time, coordinating resources and tracking progress. A track record of successfully working across teams and organisational levels, collaborating with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders to achieve shared goals. Outstanding written communication skills, including the ability to present complex policy and technical information in a clear, accessible way tailored to specific audiences - from briefings and speeches to event content. Excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to work proactively and autonomously without close supervision. The ability to make sound judgements and give strategic advice. Experience of working in or with the higher education sector. Benefits Our Total Reward Framework offers a range of benefits to suit your way of life. These include: Comprehensive learning and development - we're invested in your future. Annual leave starting at 25 days per year, plus public holidays. Access to the highly regarded Civil Service defined benefit pension scheme. A variety of health-related benefits. 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 and sexual orientation. Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that it 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. This would usually mean working from the office for two days in a typical week. To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working - for example job share and part-time working - apply to this role. 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 and we will be happy to help. Closing date for applications: Noon, Monday 8 June For information: the OfS does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence.
About us We are the independent regulator of higher education in England. We aim to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. We're proud of our people, our culture and the benefits we offer. We care about supporting and developing our staff. At the OfS we want to create a welcoming and engaging working environment which is free from discrimination. We're looking for skilled, committed people who care about students and their experience of higher education. Join us and you'll be part of an energetic, forward-looking organisation with high ambitions and big opportunities for our people. About the role We are seeking a Provider Relations Manager to lead and drive forward our communications and engagement with providers we regulate. You will lead the OfS's programme of provider engagement - managing our hugely important visits programme as well as delivering high-profile events and webinars aimed directly at senior leaders in universities and colleges - and oversee our annual stakeholder survey, which will form how we communicate with our diverse range of regulated providers. You will help develop processes to gather intelligence on the sector, programme strategic engagement activity direct to providers, and ensure that the insights gathered from providers are acted on and shared effectively across the organisation. Sitting within the Strategy, Delivery and Communications (SDC) Directorate, the communications team drives the OfS's external and internal communications, including public affairs, media relations, digital publishing, stakeholder engagement, events and public information. Communications is essential for the organisation to drive progress towards our strategic goals. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with strong project management and communications skills who wants to work at the heart of higher education regulation. What you'll do As Provider Relations Manager, you will: Lead the OfS's provider visits programme, ensuring visits run smoothly and to a high standard, including managing briefings, matching visitors and shaping future phases of the programme. Develop and oversee the chair and chief executive visit programme, acting as liaison with board and committee members. Manage how feedback from provider visits is used internally, shared back with providers and used to improve ways of working. Lead the operational delivery of the OfS's annual stakeholder survey, analyse findings and develop strategic improvements to provider engagement. Lead programming for OfS accountable officer and chair events, including quarterly webinars, new accountable officer and chair induction events and mailings, which involved developing content, agendas, speeches and briefing notes. Develop and implement a provider engagement strategy, identifying key audiences and creating proactive engagement opportunities such as policy roundtables and regional meetings. Write briefing papers and discussion points for the chair and members of the OfS's Provider Panel. Advise on and implement provider engagement activity for strategic communications plans and launches. Activity manage the Stakeholder Engagement Officer, Events and Communications Co-ordinator, and Administrative Resource Unit colleagues who support visit delivery. What you'll need These are the skills and experience you'll already have: Demonstrable project management skills, including the ability to plan, manage and deliver complex projects to time, coordinating resources and tracking progress. A track record of successfully working across teams and organisational levels, collaborating with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders to achieve shared goals. Outstanding written communication skills, including the ability to present complex policy and technical information in a clear, accessible way tailored to specific audiences - from briefings and speeches to event content. Excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to work proactively and autonomously without close supervision. The ability to make sound judgements and give strategic advice. Experience of working in or with the higher education sector. Benefits Our Total Reward Framework offers a range of benefits to suit your way of life. These include: Comprehensive learning and development - we're invested in your future. Annual leave starting at 25 days per year, plus public holidays. Access to the highly regarded Civil Service defined benefit pension scheme. A variety of health-related benefits. 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 and sexual orientation. Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that it 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. This would usually mean working from the office for two days in a typical week. To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working - for example job share and part-time working - apply to this role. 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 and we will be happy to help. Closing date for applications: Noon, Monday 8 June For information: the OfS does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence.
Office for Students
Together, the Office for Students, Scottish Funding Council, Department for Education Northern Ireland, and Medr are looking to appoint two independent advisers, one to the In-year student data collection Programme Board and one to the Sponsoring Group. They will bring expertise, skill and experience of project and programme management in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. They will provide an independent view on the programme's ability to deliver, and challenge and scrutinise the approaches being taken, to ensure that the benefits of the programme are realised. The role of the Programme Board is to: Take responsibility for the successful delivery of the programme and the realisation of its benefits, aligned with the Mandate. Monitor key aspects, assess stakeholder impact, help mitigate risks and issues, make decisions and escalate as needed. Provide support, constructive challenge and oversight to help the programme succeed. The role of the Sponsoring Group is to: Provide strategic direction, commitment and advocacy. Protect the programme from changes in direction, resolve significant risks and issues. Ensure the ongoing validity of the benefits, considering effort to achieve and impact on providers. Provide support, constructive challenge and oversight to help the programme succeed. For further information please see In-year data collection: Programme governance HESA . About the In-year Data Collection Programme The in-year student data collection programme is a transformation plan for the collection and delivery of more timely in-year student data. The programme is a complex one involving Jisc, regulators and funders of higher education in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, higher education providers, and software suppliers. This transformation aims to drive improvements in the collection, timeliness and utility of student data while aligning with other changes and initiatives. Its ultimate goal is to enable data users to make decisions based on up-to-date data, improving the outcomes of those decisions. Your expertise Programme Board Adviser You will bring extensive hands-on experience of data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. You will have experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups or non-executive roles, ideally in the context of a change management programme you have overseen or contributed to. In this capacity, you will be able to provide an appropriate level of scrutiny and challenge to the Programme Board, drawing on your experience of successes and failures in previous projects. Sponsoring Board Adviser You will bring extensive experience of risk and assurance processes, and internal control processes. You will have experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups or non-executive roles, ideally in the context of a change management programme you have overseen or contributed to. In this capacity, you will be able to provide an appropriate level of scrutiny and challenge to the executive. You might have a qualification and experience in financial auditing or accounting. Please see the person specification below for a full list of criteria. Terms of appointments The appointments are to initially cover a two year period, with scope to extend to the length of the programme. Meeting arrangements Programme Board Adviser The Programme Board meets monthly via Teams for approximately two hours. Time will also be needed before each meeting for reading and preparation. An attendance fee of £300 is paid for meetings (including preparation time). Sponsoring Board Adviser The Sponsoring Group meets quarterly via Teams for approximately two hours. Time will also be needed before each meeting for reading and preparation. An attendance fee of £300 is paid for meetings (including preparation time). Person specification - Sponsoring Board Advisor Please note that we would not normally appoint candidates employed by OfS, Medr, DfE NI, or SFC registered or funded higher education providers, or by any organisations already represented on Programme or Sponsoring Board. We are looking for an individual who: Has high integrity and independence of thought. Is objective, impartial, and resilient under pressure. Is collaborative and rigorous in their ability to challenge. Is committed to public value, transparency, and continuous improvement. Skills and experience Essential Experience of setting, managing and monitoring risk and assurance processes in complex organisations Experience of identifying and monitoring internal control processes, including through the use of internal audit activities Extensive experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups and / or non-executive roles Demonstrated ability to provide independent challenge and strategic insight at board level. Desirable Experience advising or working with regulatory bodies, funding councils, or higher education institutions. Experience in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. Ability to critique technology solutions, and recognise IT and cyber security opportunities and challenges. Selection criteria contain the requirement that committee members must perform their role impartially, dispassionately and without bias. Availability Able to prepare for, attend and participate in quarterly meetings on Microsoft Teams. Able to take an active part in the work of the group, both in meetings and by electronic means and able to attend other relevant in-person events on an ad hoc basis. Person specification - Programme Board Advisor Please note that we would not normally appoint candidates employed by OfS, Medr, DfE NI, or SFC registered or funded higher education providers, or by any organisations already represented on Programme or Sponsoring Board. We are looking for an individual who: Has deep technical knowledge of data transformations in higher education or other sectors. Has high integrity and independence of thought. Is objective, impartial, and resilient under pressure. Is collaborative, with the ability to challenge constructively. Is committed to public value, transparency, and continuous improvement. Skills and experience Essential Experience of setting, managing and monitoring risk and assurance processes in complex organisations Demonstrated ability to provide independent challenge and strategic insight at board level. Hands on experience in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. Ability to critique technology solutions, and recognise IT and cyber security opportunities and challenges. Familiarity with programme lifecycle methodologies (e.g., MSP, PRINCE2, Agile). Desirable Experience advising or working with regulatory bodies, funding councils, or higher education institutions. Understanding of data infrastructure, quality assurance, and provider engagement in the higher education sector. Knowledge of software supplier ecosystems and their role in data delivery. Selection criteria contain the requirement that committee members must perform their role impartially, dispassionately and without bias. Availability Able to prepare for, attend and participate in monthly meetings on Microsoft Teams. Able to take an active part in the work of the board, both in meetings and by electronic means and able to attend other relevant in-person events on an ad hoc basis. Recruitment process The recruiting entities embrace and promote equality, diversity and inclusion and we want the committee membership to reflect this. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Applications are managed through our online applicant tracking system. The equal opportunities monitoring form enables us to monitor the diversity of applicant pools. It is important that your application statement addresses all the criteria listed in the person specification, and outlines your current role and relevant experience, as we will assess your suitability for the role against the criteria. Those selecting candidates may also take account of the balance of the background and skills of the wider membership of the committee in their decision making. The deadline for applications is 12 Noon, Monday 25 May. We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare you are disabled on your monitoring form and you are considered appointable in terms of the essential criteria, then we will offer you an interview. We intend that interviews will take place online during the week commencing 1 June 2026. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please detail what these are if you are invited to interview. As a final stage of the process, before confirming any appointments, we may ask the selected candidate to complete a due diligence process which may include basic searches of social media. For further information please contact . click apply for full job details
Together, the Office for Students, Scottish Funding Council, Department for Education Northern Ireland, and Medr are looking to appoint two independent advisers, one to the In-year student data collection Programme Board and one to the Sponsoring Group. They will bring expertise, skill and experience of project and programme management in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. They will provide an independent view on the programme's ability to deliver, and challenge and scrutinise the approaches being taken, to ensure that the benefits of the programme are realised. The role of the Programme Board is to: Take responsibility for the successful delivery of the programme and the realisation of its benefits, aligned with the Mandate. Monitor key aspects, assess stakeholder impact, help mitigate risks and issues, make decisions and escalate as needed. Provide support, constructive challenge and oversight to help the programme succeed. The role of the Sponsoring Group is to: Provide strategic direction, commitment and advocacy. Protect the programme from changes in direction, resolve significant risks and issues. Ensure the ongoing validity of the benefits, considering effort to achieve and impact on providers. Provide support, constructive challenge and oversight to help the programme succeed. For further information please see In-year data collection: Programme governance HESA . About the In-year Data Collection Programme The in-year student data collection programme is a transformation plan for the collection and delivery of more timely in-year student data. The programme is a complex one involving Jisc, regulators and funders of higher education in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, higher education providers, and software suppliers. This transformation aims to drive improvements in the collection, timeliness and utility of student data while aligning with other changes and initiatives. Its ultimate goal is to enable data users to make decisions based on up-to-date data, improving the outcomes of those decisions. Your expertise Programme Board Adviser You will bring extensive hands-on experience of data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. You will have experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups or non-executive roles, ideally in the context of a change management programme you have overseen or contributed to. In this capacity, you will be able to provide an appropriate level of scrutiny and challenge to the Programme Board, drawing on your experience of successes and failures in previous projects. Sponsoring Board Adviser You will bring extensive experience of risk and assurance processes, and internal control processes. You will have experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups or non-executive roles, ideally in the context of a change management programme you have overseen or contributed to. In this capacity, you will be able to provide an appropriate level of scrutiny and challenge to the executive. You might have a qualification and experience in financial auditing or accounting. Please see the person specification below for a full list of criteria. Terms of appointments The appointments are to initially cover a two year period, with scope to extend to the length of the programme. Meeting arrangements Programme Board Adviser The Programme Board meets monthly via Teams for approximately two hours. Time will also be needed before each meeting for reading and preparation. An attendance fee of £300 is paid for meetings (including preparation time). Sponsoring Board Adviser The Sponsoring Group meets quarterly via Teams for approximately two hours. Time will also be needed before each meeting for reading and preparation. An attendance fee of £300 is paid for meetings (including preparation time). Person specification - Sponsoring Board Advisor Please note that we would not normally appoint candidates employed by OfS, Medr, DfE NI, or SFC registered or funded higher education providers, or by any organisations already represented on Programme or Sponsoring Board. We are looking for an individual who: Has high integrity and independence of thought. Is objective, impartial, and resilient under pressure. Is collaborative and rigorous in their ability to challenge. Is committed to public value, transparency, and continuous improvement. Skills and experience Essential Experience of setting, managing and monitoring risk and assurance processes in complex organisations Experience of identifying and monitoring internal control processes, including through the use of internal audit activities Extensive experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups and / or non-executive roles Demonstrated ability to provide independent challenge and strategic insight at board level. Desirable Experience advising or working with regulatory bodies, funding councils, or higher education institutions. Experience in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. Ability to critique technology solutions, and recognise IT and cyber security opportunities and challenges. Selection criteria contain the requirement that committee members must perform their role impartially, dispassionately and without bias. Availability Able to prepare for, attend and participate in quarterly meetings on Microsoft Teams. Able to take an active part in the work of the group, both in meetings and by electronic means and able to attend other relevant in-person events on an ad hoc basis. Person specification - Programme Board Advisor Please note that we would not normally appoint candidates employed by OfS, Medr, DfE NI, or SFC registered or funded higher education providers, or by any organisations already represented on Programme or Sponsoring Board. We are looking for an individual who: Has deep technical knowledge of data transformations in higher education or other sectors. Has high integrity and independence of thought. Is objective, impartial, and resilient under pressure. Is collaborative, with the ability to challenge constructively. Is committed to public value, transparency, and continuous improvement. Skills and experience Essential Experience of setting, managing and monitoring risk and assurance processes in complex organisations Demonstrated ability to provide independent challenge and strategic insight at board level. Hands on experience in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. Ability to critique technology solutions, and recognise IT and cyber security opportunities and challenges. Familiarity with programme lifecycle methodologies (e.g., MSP, PRINCE2, Agile). Desirable Experience advising or working with regulatory bodies, funding councils, or higher education institutions. Understanding of data infrastructure, quality assurance, and provider engagement in the higher education sector. Knowledge of software supplier ecosystems and their role in data delivery. Selection criteria contain the requirement that committee members must perform their role impartially, dispassionately and without bias. Availability Able to prepare for, attend and participate in monthly meetings on Microsoft Teams. Able to take an active part in the work of the board, both in meetings and by electronic means and able to attend other relevant in-person events on an ad hoc basis. Recruitment process The recruiting entities embrace and promote equality, diversity and inclusion and we want the committee membership to reflect this. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Applications are managed through our online applicant tracking system. The equal opportunities monitoring form enables us to monitor the diversity of applicant pools. It is important that your application statement addresses all the criteria listed in the person specification, and outlines your current role and relevant experience, as we will assess your suitability for the role against the criteria. Those selecting candidates may also take account of the balance of the background and skills of the wider membership of the committee in their decision making. The deadline for applications is 12 Noon, Monday 25 May. We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare you are disabled on your monitoring form and you are considered appointable in terms of the essential criteria, then we will offer you an interview. We intend that interviews will take place online during the week commencing 1 June 2026. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please detail what these are if you are invited to interview. As a final stage of the process, before confirming any appointments, we may ask the selected candidate to complete a due diligence process which may include basic searches of social media. For further information please contact . click apply for full job details
