Chief of Staff to The CEO and Chair - Bristol, United Kingdom - Office for Students

Office for Students

Verified Company

Bristol, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

Chief of Staff to the CEO and Chair

Bristol or London

- £72,800 - £79,760 (plus additional London weighting allowance of £3,566 if applicable)

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. Its new strategy signals a shift from an organisation in a startup phase to an established regulator that understands its regulatory tools and how best to use them to shape incentives across the sector it regulates.
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.
Purpose
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. Alongside supporting the Chief Executive, this role oversees direct support to the OfS Chair, ensuring they receive excellent advice, briefing and administrative support. The Chief of Staff will also deliver outstanding leadership and management of the Chief Executive's 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.
Person attributes
You have experience and a demonstrable track record as a highly effective operational leader in a fastmoving 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 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.
Responsibilities
Proactively drive the Chief Executive's agenda across the OfS and beyond
Articulate and help deliver the Chief Executive's priorities and vision at all levels of the organisation
Coordinate information between the Chief Executive, Chair and directors' group, working effectively with colleagues in other directorates and teams (e.g. regulation, access & participation, public affairs, media)
Lead and coordinate internal communications from the Chief Executive and Chair, acting as their spokesperson, where appropriate
Oversee and coordinate agendas and papers for weekly executive team meetings, ensuring that directors' group meetings are focused on the right issues at the right time and that minutes and actions are quickly and effectively followed up
Manage and maintain strong relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders
Work closely with DfE officials across a range of issues (e.g. public appointments, OfS funding, policy reform, statutory guidance)
Ensure ministerial relationships with the Chief Executive and Chair are strong and managed effectively
Build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders across the higher education sector and in other regulators (e.g. m