Director of MIS, Funding & Data

The Methodist Church in Britain; Havant; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Havant and South Downs College is seeking a permanent College Leadership Team member to set the data and MIS strategy, own ILR and related statutory returns, and drive data governance across the institution.

You will lead the MIS and data analytics function, develop dashboards and forecasting, and work with curriculum and finance on data-informed planning while ensuring compliance with Ofsted, audits and ESFA requirements.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience within an MIS or BI function in Further Education.
• Proven experience delivering ILR and other complex statutory data returns.
• Experience of managing funding audit, assurance or inspection data and maintaining robust evidence trails.
• Experience of developing management information, dashboards, forecasting or scenario-planning for senior decision-makers.
• Proven experience of leading specialist teams through change and service improvement.
• Experience of influencing senior leaders, governors, auditors and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Set and deliver the College's data and MIS strategy, aligned with strategic, curriculum and financial priorities.
• Establish data governance, ownership, standards and controls so information is consistent, secure and trusted.
• Take overall accountability for accurate, timely and compliant statutory returns, including the ILR and DfE, ESFA and OfS returns.
• Safeguard and optimise College income through funding controls, reconciliation, exception reporting and resolving data and compliance risks.
• Lead development of management information, dashboards, forecasting and scenario-planning for Executive, governors and operational leaders.
• Partner with curriculum and finance leaders on data-informed curriculum planning, performance management and financial sustainability.
• Lead the data-quality framework and readiness for Ofsted inspection, funding audits, awarding-organisation activity and other external scrutiny.
• Provide strategic ownership of the student-record and MIS platforms, ensuring they are secure, resilient, integrated and under effective change control.
• Provide strategic oversight of examinations and associated operational data services.
• Lead and develop high-performing MIS, data, analytical and examinations teams.
• Contribute to the College Leadership Team, giving concise assurance on performance and risk.

Skills

Data governance

ILR knowledge

Stakeholder engagement

SQL skills

Leadership

Data architecture

Education

Degree or equivalent

Tools

ProSolution

Job description

This is a permanent post on the College Leadership Team at Havant and South Downs College, reporting to the Deputy CEO - Finance. The role sets the data and MIS strategy and owns statutory returns, including the Individualised Learner Record, alongside funding controls and data governance. It covers management information, business intelligence, forecasting and examinations across one of the largest Further Education colleges in the South. Candidates need deep, current knowledge of ILR and DfE and ESFA funding rules, plus experience of a student-record system such as ProSolution.

What the job involves

• Set and deliver the College's data and MIS strategy, aligned with strategic, curriculum and financial priorities
• Establish data governance, ownership, standards and controls so information is consistent, secure and trusted
• Take overall accountability for accurate, timely and compliant statutory returns, including the ILR and DfE, ESFA and OfS returns
• Safeguard and optimise College income through funding controls, reconciliation, exception reporting and resolving data and compliance risks
• Lead development of management information, dashboards, forecasting and scenario-planning for Executive, governors and operational leaders
• Partner with curriculum and finance leaders on data-informed curriculum planning, performance management and financial sustainability
• Lead the data-quality framework and readiness for Ofsted inspection, funding audits, awarding-organisation activity and other external scrutiny
• Provide strategic ownership of the student-record and MIS platforms, ensuring they are secure, resilient, integrated and under effective change control
• Provide strategic oversight of examinations and associated operational data services
• Lead and develop high-performing MIS, data, analytical and examinations teams
• Contribute to the College Leadership Team, giving concise assurance on performance and risk

What’s required

Qualifications

• A degree or equivalent high-level professional qualification, or substantial relevant industry experience

Experience

• Significant leadership experience within an MIS, data or business intelligence function in Further Education or a similarly regulated education environment
• Proven experience of leading accurate and timely ILR and other complex statutory data returns
• Experience of managing funding audit, assurance or inspection data and maintaining robust evidence trails
• Experience of developing management information, dashboards, forecasting or scenario-planning for senior decision-makers
• Proven experience of leading specialist teams through change and service improvement
• Experience of influencing senior leaders, governors, auditors and external stakeholders

Skills & knowledge

• Deep and current knowledge of DfE and ESFA funding rules, ILR requirements and compliance frameworks
• Strong knowledge of Further Education student-record systems and data architecture, including ProSolution or a comparable platform
• Strong analytical and business intelligence capability, including interrogating complex data and identifying risk
• Working knowledge of SQL or T-SQL for data extraction, transformation and validation
• Excellent communication, explaining complex technical and funding matters to non-technical audiences

Other

• Professional integrity

Nice to have

• Strategic oversight of examinations, timetabling, admissions or related education administration
• Knowledge of apprenticeship funding
• Knowledge of the Adult Skills Fund
• Knowledge of subcontractor reporting
• Knowledge of higher education data requirements