• Job Description

  Req#: R0000961
  Business Support Manager

  2 x roles

  Bristol or London (with regular travel to Bristol)

  Salary £42,001 - £44,151 (plus London allowance of £3,566 where appropriate)

  Plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

  About us

  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 experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.

  We’re proud of our people, our culture, and the benefits we offer. At the OfS we want to create a welcoming and engaging working environment which is free from discrimination.

  We’re looking for skilled, committed people who care about students and their experience of higher education. Join us and you’ll be part of an energetic, forward-looking organisation with high ambitions and big opportunities for our people.

  About the role

  The purpose of this role is to support the operational running of the Regulation Directorate, working closely with the three Strategic Advisers and other Business Support Manager(s), and acting as an interface with directorate staff and teams.

  This role also interfaces with centrally driven work, where there is a need for in-directorate collaboration, including: facilitating the OfS governance structures, recruitment, resource allocation, business planning/reporting, and freedom of information requests. As work is undertaken to clarify and embed processes centrally, this role will need to flex accordingly.

  Key areas of responsibility include:

  • Providing operational and project support to the three directors and senior directorate staff in the delivery of their strategic and operational responsibilities, including the co-ordination of policy and strategy support and contribution to more significant pieces of work.
  • Working closely with the directorate Strategic Advisers to provide a credible and responsive first point of contact for the directors’ work.
  • Co-ordinating resources and ensuring that the directorate is able to fulfil its corporate responsibilities for finance, HR, governance, freedom of information, risk and project delivery matters.
  • Ensuring there is effective communication within the directorate, and with other directorates; ensuring that information and knowledge is shared.
  • Providing effective support for directorate meetings, including a formal secretariat function for regulatory boards, with planned agendas, accurate notes, tracked actions, and effective communication of discussion and decisions.
  • Ensuring the effective functioning of the directorate’s administrative support for the delivery of the directorate’s work.
  • Acting as the interface with central teams on issues such as resource allocation, budget management, risk management, freedom of information requests, and project planning and delivery.
  • Engaging in the recruitment process within the directorate, working closely with managers and HR on recruitment activities.
  • Supporting the delivery of the outcomes and objectives in the OfS’s business plan efficiently and effectively.
  • Ensuring programme and project management of the directorate’s activities are adequate and effective and in line with OfS delivery team approaches.
  • Line and activity management responsibility within the Strategy and Support team.

  About you:

  The key person attributes to fulfil this role are:

  • Experience in a range of operational areas, for example project management, reporting and business process development.
  • Ability to prioritise, work accurately, and deliver high quality outcomes under pressure and in the face of competing demands.
  • Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing.
  • Ability to take the initiative and make decisions relating to the operational parts of the role.
  • Ability to provide a credible, proactive, confidential and responsive first point of contact for the directors’ work, with routine matters resolved without the directors’ input and more complex matters escalated or delegated.
  • Ability to gain a comprehensive understanding of the work of the OfS and the Regulation directorate, and the context in which this takes place.

  Competencies for this role are:

  Seeing the big picture

  • I am aware of emerging trends and issues that might impact or benefit my area of work.
  • I seek to develop my knowledge of how my own/my team’s work interacts with others’, to support their contribution to the OfS’s regulatory objectives.
  • I actively seek out and take account of the views of others whose perspectives are different to my own.
  • I seek to contribute and develop my work activities, so they align effectively to the OfS’s regulatory objectives and strategy.
  • I can work with the functions granted to the OfS through legislation.
  • I can describe the current regulatory environment in which the higher education sector in England operates

  Making effective decisions

  • I make decisions when they are needed, even if they prove difficult or unpopular.
  • I consult with others in good time to ensure the potential impacts of decisions are considered.
  • I recognise patterns and trends in evidence, drawing on this to inform decisions.
  • I present clear, well-reasoned recommendations in a timely manner, outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks.
  • I debate and discuss issues rigorously before making decisions.
  • I recognise where there is a need or legal obligation to consult.
  • I can assess regulatory risks associated with decisions.

  Delivering at pace

  • I promote the importance of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time and are of the right quality.
  • I regularly monitor my own and my team’s progress against milestones, ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks.
  • I act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to be resolved.
  • I show a positive approach to keeping the team’s efforts focused on top priorities.

  Communicating and influencing

  • I communicate using appropriate styles, methods, and timing, to maximise my impact with different audiences.
  • I communicate confidently with an appropriate diversity of stakeholders, interested groups and colleagues at different levels and can construct a convincing narrative to bring to life my message.
  • I communicate the benefits of acting in a straightforward and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact for different groups.
  • I regularly engage with people in my area of work and across the OfS, so they can understand the course of action required.

  Application process

  In order to apply for this position, please submit your CV along with a covering letter, setting out how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for this role.

  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, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in 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.

  F lexibility is important to the OfS , as we recognise that it 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 would usually mean working from the office for two or three days in a typical week.

  To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part time working, apply to this role.

  Closing date for applications: Tuesday 26 March

• About the company

  The Office for Students is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Education, acting as the regulator and competition authority for the higher education sector in England.

Notice