Senior Officer - Financial Assessment

Location: Bristol

£57,952 - £59,691

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, ensuring that every student, regardless of their background, has a fulfilling experience that enriches their lives and careers. We have high ambitions and offer great opportunities to get involved in bringing that vision to life.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Financial Assessment team undertaking reviews of providers’ financial health.

The role

Would you like a finance role without the same monthly accounting processes again and again? Then this Senior Officer post in our Financial Assessment team might be the role for you. You will learn and apply the OfS's approach to assessing the financial viability and sustainability of higher education providers, joining a high performing team in which members help and support each other to get the work done. You will enjoy a variety of work, where each assessment is different and no month is ever the same!

The main purpose of the role is to undertake financial analysis based on complex data supplied by the regulated providers, information available about them in the public domain and the general knowledge regarding macroeconomic conditions in which the providers operate, to make judgements on their financial strength. This analysis is key in supporting the OfS’s regulatory decisions, so the postholder will write evidence-based assessments that are intelligible for non-experts, deliver crucial financial insight and recommendations to decision-makers, and lead on financial engagement with some higher education providers. The role therefore requires engagement with internal stakeholders, but it also involves interactions with external stakeholders, when necessary. In addition the role will provide an opportunity to input into improving the systems and processes that deliver services to customer teams internally and to providers.

About you

We are looking for someone with the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria:

· Qualified accountant, or part qualified accountant at final level, with significant relevant experience in a finance role

· Ability to analyse and communicate complex financial issues effectively, orally and in writing

· Ability to understand, interpret and identify risks in financial performance in diverse types of organisations

· Ability to reach and convey reliable and challenge-proof judgements to non-specialists on the basis of complex and imperfect information

· Ability to work with high levels of complexity and ambiguity

· Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly in a complex environment to deliver the team’s functions

Desirable criteria:

· Knowledge of the English higher education system and its regulatory regime; and

· Previous experience of reviewing financial statements

· Previous experience of assessing businesses’ financial health

· Previous experience of report writing on financial issues

For the purposes of recruitment to the role, we are measuring the following core competencies:

Delivering at pace

• I ensure the delivery of timely, quality outcomes, through providing the right resources for tasks, reviewing and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success.
• I maintain my own level of performance in challenging circumstances and support others to do the same.
• I adjust priorities and focus swiftly as the OfS’s internal and external context changes, to keep whole team efforts on the top priorities.
• I consider how my work impacts other teams across the organisation.
• I translate strategic priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives for managers and teams.
• I regularly monitor my own and my team’s performance against milestones.
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Communicating and influencing

• I actively deploy different methods for influencing others.
• I act as a role model to others by communicating straightforwardly and with clarity, honesty, and enthusiasm to build trust.
• I am open-minded and impartial in discussion so I can adjust my arguments to respect the diverse interests and opinions of others.
• I deliver difficult or important messages with clarity and sensitivity.
• I can articulate arguments and reasons in a clear and persuasive manner.
• When required as part of my role, I constructively engage with providers, students and other organisations to inform the OfS’s regulatory activities.
• I show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same.

Managing a quality service

• I use project management skills and techniques to achieve agreed results, including identifying risks and implementing mitigating actions.
• I understand the financial position of my part of the OfS and the wider organisation, and maintain good financial and resource discipline.
• I create regular opportunities for employees and stakeholders to help improve the quality of OfS service.
• I deliver positive stakeholder service, informed by appreciating the complexity and diversity of their needs and the OfS’s regulatory objectives.
• I regularly reflect on the quality of the team’s work, identifying opportunities for improvement where required.

Seeing the big picture

• I continually develop and maintain an understanding of legislative, economic, social, political, environmental, technological and regulatory developments to ensure my activity is relevant to the wider context.
• I identify and anticipate the work implications of changing priorities in my area.
• I ensure that different perspectives and the views or needs of different groups (including all protected characteristics) are appropriately reflected in our work when achieving goals.
• I recognise, appreciate and share the views and perspectives of a wide range of internal and external stakeholder interests.
• I understand the impact of our regulation on the higher education sector, individual providers and students.

Application process

For your application, you will need to upload a copy of your CV (no more than three pages) which should set out your relevant qualifications, skills and experience. 

There is one application question to complete, which allows you to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

For those that progress to the in-person interview stage, you will be given a case study to review before the interview. You will be then asked to talk us through your answers at the start of the interview. Interviews will be held in our Bristol office.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you through the application stage, please contact us at recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk and we will be happy to help.

Working for us

The OfS regulates the higher education sector in order to safeguard interests 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 or sexual orientation.

Flexibility 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 use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. In a typical week, we expect colleagues to spend several days working from the office, balancing business needs, team collaboration and individual responsibilities.

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: Wednesday 25 November at 9am

Interviews: Wednesday 2 December

For information: the OfS does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence