Head of Governance

Head of Governance Salary: £82,082 - £86,006 plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension Permanent Full time (job share will be considered)

Location:

Bristol

Message from the OfS Chair, Edward Peck We are looking for someone who knows that exemplary governance is one of the central foundations of an effective organisation. You would be joining the OfS at a key moment in its development with a new Chair and refreshed Board, new Chief Executives, new strategy and a renewed sense of its purpose and priorities.

The regulation of higher education seeks to balance the interests of a range of stakeholders with a complex set of policy ambitions and challenges. The student sits at the heart at what we do, but we have also to be cognisant of the perspectives of providers, government and wider society. We achieve this by possessing a Board comprised of outstanding non-executive and executive members whose extensive experience is drawn from a wide range of sectors;

please do visit our website to view their profiles. These members lead and contribute to a diverse set of formal committees – Risk and Audit, People, and Quality Assurance. They also lead a set of advisory panels that enable articulation of the student interest and provider voices, as well as the exploration of issues relating to financial sustainability and public affairs.

This web of governance arrangements reflects the breadth and complexity of the issues with which the OfS deals. It necessitates careful and creative choreography to ensure that business proceeds smoothly through the governance process while enabling us to be aware of the many major questions and important nuances raised by our proposed approaches to regulation. The successful candidate will be the centre of this web, actively advising the Chair and Chief Executives on governance in the specific context of the OfS while drawing on accepted and emerging best practice.

They will work closely with the chairs of our committees and panels as well as the OfS Sponsorship Team within the Department for Education. Overall, this role requires someone who can offer sound advice and solid administration, combined with an ability to collaborate with seasoned non-executive and executive Board members to draw together the strands of a complex governance setting into considered and authoritative decision-making.

Our approach to governance should be setting the standard, not least as we regulate the governance of over 400 registered providers of higher education in England. We look forward to receiving your application. Professor Edward Peck, Chair

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It exists to ensure that English higher education offers the best experience and the best value: for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. Our vision is that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.

Please do have a look at our new strategy on our website. The governance team covers the operation of the Board and its committees, as well as the Executive Committee. It also manages the OfS’s risk management function, oversees internal audit, and coordinates organisational performance assessment. Its aim is to gather and present the right information, to support the right discussions, to enable the right decisions at the right time by the right people.

The OfS is currently undertaking a review of its organisational design. The exact shape of the role may evolve, but strong governance and risk management will remain at its core.

The Head of Governance will lead the governance function at the heart of the OfS’s…