Stakeholder Engagement Adviser – Office for Students

Fixed term for one year

Bristol

£39,732 – £41,829

Plus civil service defined benefit pension scheme

Closing date – 23:55 Sunday 13 August 2023

About the role

We are looking for someone with strong organisational and interpersonal skills, and a proven ability to plan, coordinate and deliver on assignments to join our public affairs team.

Maintaining effective stakeholder relationships is critical to our work as a regulator. The purpose of the public affairs team is to help the OfS engage more effectively with its stakeholders through providing strategic advice, delivering engagement activities, and improving internal systems and processes to support effective engagement. You will individually have the opportunity to lead on areas of work identified as a priority for the organisation’s leadership, including our refreshed programme of provider engagement.

Sitting within the Directorate for Strategy, Delivery and Communications, public affairs is a priority for the organisation’s leadership as we seek to drive progress towards our strategic objectives through communications and engagement. We are looking to recruit someone with some experience of stakeholder engagement who is committed to the OfS’s mission to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.

Once appointed, you’ll be expected to lead on assignments, taking responsibility for managing those areas and your own workload, to deliver results. You’ll work closely with colleagues from across communications, including the press team, events, internal communications and strategic communications officers, as well as with colleagues at all levels in other teams across the OfS.    

Responsibilities in the role will include:

• managing the delivery of the OfS’s provider engagement work, with specific responsibility for coordinating an ongoing programme of visits by senior OfS staff to higher education providers regulated by the OfS;
• working closely with the events coordinator to plan and deliver online and in-person events focused on provider engagement;
• working alongside head of public affairs to build and maintain relationships with external stakeholder organisations, preparing for and attending monthly meetings with key stakeholders and following up on action points;
• preparing external and internal communications relating to our work on provider engagement – including writing blogs and presenting at staff briefings;
• preparing and updating stakeholder briefings for OfS chief executive, chair and senior staff;
• working with head of public affairs to embed the OfS’s approach to provider and stakeholder engagement with the rest of the organisation;
• staying abreast of developments in parliament, monitoring relevant parliamentary inquiries, debates and committee hearings, and sharing summaries with colleagues across the OfS as appropriate;
• supporting head of public affairs with the preparation of written evidence or oral evidence briefings for OfS Chief Executive, Chair and other senior colleagues for select committee inquiries or evidence sessions;
• supporting the set-up of new of systems and processes to manage information relating to parliamentary engagement (e.g. logging interactions at meetings or through correspondence) and sharing intelligence;
• contributing to continuous improvement with suggestions for ways of working in the communications team, wider directorate and across the OfS;
• deputising for Head of Public Affairs as required
• seeking opportunities to develop knowledge and expertise and work towards learning and development objectives agreed with head of public affairs.

About you

We are looking for someone with:

• experience of working in a communications or stakeholder engagement role,  preferably in regulation, higher education or a similar context;
• strong interpersonal skills and an ability to quickly establish positive working relationships and rapport with internal and external stakeholders;
• excellent planning and organisational skills, taking responsibility for managing projects and your own workload, to deliver results;
• an ability to design and develop systems and processes, and support new ways of working across wider teams;
• an ability to demonstrate a confident and co-operative influencing style and deal credibly with people at all levels;
• good written and verbal communications skills to enable writing of blogs and briefings, summarising parliamentary debates, and to talk about the OfS’s work to external and internal stakeholders.
• a commitment to the OfS’s mission and values.

About the OfS

The Office for Students is here to make sure every student, no matter what background they’re from, gets the opportunities in higher education they need and deserve.

We are responsible for ensuring universities and colleges in England are doing all they can to support learners from all backgrounds, especially the most disadvantaged, to access and succeed in higher education, and for making sure that the academic experience of students improves their knowledge and skills, allowing graduates to succeed in their chosen careers.

Salary and benefits

This role is at OfS Band 8, which starts at £39,732, and generally new starters’ salary is set at this. OfS staff join a Civil Service pension scheme.

In addition, the successful candidate will be part of a dynamic and friendly team, benefit from our all-staff hybrid working approach, and learn and develop with support and feedback from highly experienced and talented colleagues.

• 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 average employer contribution of 27%

Job contact :

• Name : Head of Public Affairs, Ceri Lawrence
• Email : Ceri.lawrence@officeforstudents.org.uk
• Telephone : 0117 931 7444

Recruitment team

• Email : RecruitmentTeam@officeforstudents.org.uk