Head of Regulatory Portfolio

Office for Students; London; On-site; GBP 79,000 - 84,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office for Students is seeking a Head of Regulatory Portfolio to lead a team focused on compliance and quality in higher education. This role involves strategic leadership, policy development, and engagement with various stakeholders to ensure the highest standards are met in the sector.

Benefits

Generous Civil Service pension

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Ability to understand and interpret complex regulatory and legal frameworks.
• Capability to develop case strategy and make reliable, legally-robust judgements.
• Comprehensive technical knowledge of the areas regulated by the OfS.

Responsibilities

• Provide effective leadership within the directorate.
• Lead a team in monitoring compliance of registered providers.
• Develop and implement assessment and risk approaches.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical Capability

Regulatory Knowledge

Communication

Job description

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.

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.

Person Specification:

• Essential:
  • Ability to understand and interpret complex regulatory and legal frameworks.
  • Capability to develop case strategy and make reliable, legally-robust judgements.
  • Comprehensive technical knowledge of the areas regulated by the OfS.
  • Intellectual credibility and analytical capability to understand the broader impact of issues.
• Desirable:
  • Experience influencing external stakeholders through complex issues.
  • Experience delivering organisational change.
  • Ability to lead a team of multi-disciplinary experts in a complex environment.
  • Innovative thinking about regulation theory and practice.

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 and socio-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, [e-mail]