Head of Regulatory Analytics - Office for Students

Office for Students; Harry Stoke; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A government body for higher education seeks a leader for their data analytics team. The role involves providing strategic leadership, optimizing data practices, and ensuring high-quality data services for stakeholders. Ideal candidates will have strong leadership experience, analytics skills, and the ability to engage with various stakeholders. The position promotes a flexible work environment and values diversity and inclusion, offering a Civil Service pension with substantial employer contributions.

Benefits

Learning and development tailored to your role

Flexible working options

Civil Service pension with employer contribution of 28.97%

Qualifications

• Strong background in analytics across multiple organizations.
• Ability to challenge the status quo.
• Ongoing commitment to personal development.
• Awareness of the modern data stack.
• Ability to produce clear documentation for non-specialists.
• Strategic oversight on data analytics for senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to the data analytics team.
• Drive outcomes per the OfS business plan.
• Develop long-term priorities in data analytics.
• Manage resources for effective data service delivery.
• Engage with third-party stakeholders for data needs.

Skills

Leadership and people development

Data analytics

SQL

Python

Modern data ops

Agile working practices

Job description

Overview

This role will play a pivotal part in the transformation of the Data function within the OfS and will form a key part of the Senior Leadership team of the Data function. You will provide leadership to the data analytics team, optimising processes to maximise the value of the analytics function to the organisation.

Responsibilities

• Providing strategic leadership to a team of analysts, modelling the OfS behaviours and values to ensure analytical and AI best practises are implemented and there is a standardised operational approach.
• Enabling the data team to respond to changes in the regulatory environment and OfS business priorities, whilst developing long term strategic priorities in the analytics space.
• In conjunction with the rest of the data Senior Management team creating a high performance, continuous improvement culture across Data, ensuring the team has expert knowledge about higher education data and how it can be exploited for regulatory purposes.
• Driving towards the outcomes and objectives in the OfS's business plan.
• Working in partnership with regulation directorate colleagues to understand and identify opportunities for the exploitation of data and AI, and ensure the team designs and delivers a high‑quality data service for providers and the OfS.
• Effectively overseeing and managing resources across a portfolio of stakeholders to ensure OfS resources are used effectively and efficiently, continually improving systems and processes to support the OfS's strategy and data strategy.
• Providing challenge and coaching to the wider organisation to ensure decision making is data‑led, and use of modern technologies and working practices are maximised.
• Leading engagement with a subset of relevant third‑party higher education stakeholders, internally and externally, to ensure data needs are met, including the Designated Data Body.

Qualifications

• A strong background in analytics ideally within multiple organisations, able to really understand the value data can bring to organisations and able to continually challenge the status quo.
• Extremely strong leadership and people development skills.
• An ongoing commitment to personal development and data landscape awareness.
• Awareness of the modern data stack and associated methodologies.
• Excellent knowledge of modern data ops and agile working practices.
• Ability to produce forward plans, written papers and briefs in an understandable format for non‑specialists.
• Ability to provide strategic oversight on data analytics and AI to the Chief Data Officer, the Executive Committee and Regulation directorate.
• Experience of working with SQL and Python.

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 employer contribution of 28.97%, plus access to the Highly Regarded Civil Service pension scheme.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality Requirements

• UK nationals.
• National of the Republic of Ireland.
• National of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK.
• National 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).
• National 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.

Closing Date

Closing date for applications: Noon Monday 12 January 2026. Interviews from 26 January 2026. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Equality of Opportunity

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. At the OfS, we recognise that 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. 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.