Senior Officer Higher Education Regulation

Who we are

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England – we regulate higher education on behalf of all students. Our mission is to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling higher education  experience that enriches their life and career.

We do exciting work that drives change for students.  As we embark on our ambitious new strategy, focusing on quality and standards, and equality of opportunity, this is an exciting time to join. We’re looking for aspiring regulators who want to use their skills to support the next phase of regulation in these areas. 

What we do

The regulation directorate’s primary function is to develop and implement the OfS’s regulatory framework. We design and deliver high quality services for market entry, degree awarding powers and university title, and are responsible for the ongoing monitoring of registered providers.

We implement the OfS’s new approach to regulating quality and standards, including the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework. We also work to promote fair access to, and participation in, English higher education for students, no matter what their background. We regulate access and participation plans, and deliver funded programmes such as Uni Connect.

More information on our regulation directorate, can be found here.

What you’ll do

You’ll work across the regulation directorate on several projects, gaining a whole breadth of experience. As a Senior Officer, you may

• Register new higher education providers wanting to enter the sector
• Assess providers’ plans to improve access and participation among underrepresented groups
• Deliver funded programmes such as Uni Connect
• Investigate and assess compliance with our conditions of registration and intervene in the interest of students
• Develop and implement policy reforms to improve quality and standards and equality of opportunity
• Improve our systems that deliver services to providers

What you’ll need

These are the skills you’ll already have:

• Ideally, you have some knowledge of the regulatory context for the OfS’s work and have an understanding of the regulatory decision-making processes
• You’re committed to protecting students’ interests
• You can write complex strategic and operational details clearly and concisely, using appropriate grammar, style and language
• You can plan and manage your own workload, resolving competing demands and coping with changing priorities in a flexible and proactive way
• You can build positive working relationships, working with people at all levels

• 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%

Career Opportunities

Our flexible resourcing model enables us to be responsive and agile in how we resource our work, allocating people to priorities. You will have the flexibility to move between areas of responsibility, as you develop your regulatory knowledge, experience and expertise.

Job contact :

• Name : The Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk
• Telephone : 0117 931 7444

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk