Chief of Staff to the CEO and Chair
Office for Students
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 6th October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
Chief of Staff to the CEO and Chair
12 month fixed term (maternity cover)
Bristol or London
£75,712 - £82,951
Plus additional London weighting allowance of £3,566 if applicable and a generous Civil Service defined benefit pension
About us:
The OfS is the statutory regulator for higher education in England. Its aim is to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. It does so by regulating the higher education providers on its register to make sure they are delivering high quality courses and positive outcomes for their students; where they are not, it takes action.
The higher education sector in England is complex and diverse and the OfS’s approach to regulation recognises this. Our current strategy signals a shift from an organisation in a start-up phase to an established regulator that understands its regulatory tools and how best to use them to shape incentives across the sector it regulates.
Job description
About the role:
This post is a senior member of OfS staff, providing leadership and coordination across the organisation on behalf of the chief executive. The postholder must be highly credible within the OfS and with external stakeholders.
We are looking for an exceptional chief of staff to drive the chief executive’s agenda within and beyond the organisation. In order to do this, the chief of staff will need to build and maintain strong and lasting relationships with OfS staff, officials in the Department for Education and across the higher education sector. As part of driving the chief executive’s agenda, this role is responsible for coordinating and driving the activity and culture of the OfS’s executive team.
The chief of staff will also need to be able to support the chief executive’s work by providing high quality, well-reasoned advice and briefings and following-up quickly and appropriately across the full range of issues, at pace. The chief of staff will also provide direct support to the OfS chair, offering advice and briefing and overseeing their administrative support. The chief of staff will also deliver outstanding leadership and management of the wider team.
Above all, the postholder must establish a high trust relationship with the chief executive – able to represent them at all levels and make sure their priorities are delivered.
Key responsibilities include:
- Proactively driving the chief executive’s agenda across the OfS and beyond
- Manage and maintain strong relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders
- Provide policy, regulatory and other advice to the chief executive and chair across the full range of the OfS’s activity
- Optimise the time and efforts of the chief executive and the chair
- Project leadership and management
- Lead and manage the chief executive and chair’s office so that it provides outstanding administrative and strategic support
Person specification
Who we are looking for
- You have experience and a demonstrable track record as a highly effective operational leader in a fast-moving and complex working environment.
- You are a doer, thriving on high throughput and strategic execution, able to reliably deliver high quality work on time and at pace.
- You are creative, highly resourceful, a problem-solver and a fast learner.
- You can anticipate the thinking of the chief executive and apply this insight in the way you deliver your work.
- You tackle problems outside your experience and deploy analytical rigour and evidence to solve issues and craft advice, including in areas where there is ambiguity, complexity and rapid change.
- You are an effective communicator both in writing and verbally, able to present and articulate ideas fluently and confidently to influence and persuade, including in relation to sensitive political and individual issues.
- You build strong and lasting relationships with senior stakeholders and staff and you command the confidence of the chief executive and chair.
- You command high levels of credibility within and beyond the Office for Students.
- You are a coordinator with strong project management skills, able to bring order to the world around you.
- You are motivated to work in a dynamic, high stakes environment with a demanding workload.
- You are totally dedicated to realising the OfS’s strategic goals, as though they are your own.
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%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
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. We strive to embed equality of opportunity into 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, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.
Flexibility is important to the OfS, as 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. This role requires a significant amount of in-person working, according to the chief executive’s schedule.
Closing date for application: 23:55 on Sunday 6 October 2024
Note: we are open to queries regarding secondment or loan for this fixed term position. For more information, please contact: recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
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Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Recruitment Team
- Email : RecruitmentTeam@officeforstudents.org.uk
- Telephone : 0117 931 7444
Recruitment team
- Email : RecruitmentTeam@officeforstudents.org.uk
Further information
