Head of Counter Fraud - Office for Students

Job summary

About us

We are the independent regulator of higher education in England. We aim 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. We care about supporting and developing our staff. 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.

Job description

About the role

The Head of Counter Fraud role will be based in the Provider Governance team. The team leads on the OfS’s approach to policy development and casework, monitoring how universities and colleges comply with the OfS’s conditions of registration relating to management and governance, and to intervene in a way that ensures student and taxpayers interests are prioritised.

This is a new specialist post to lead on the design, development and implementation of an intervention approach to mitigate against risks to misuse of public funding by providers in receipt of funding directly or indirectly from the public purse, including funding distributed by the Student Loans Company.

You will work closely with the existing enforcement and investigations and legal teams, and will oversee the work of the existing provider audit team.

Person specification

About you

You will have led a counter fraud function overseeing the delivery of audits, investigations and activity directed at mitigating against risks of this nature. Other similar roles managing counter fraud activity both in terms of policy development and casework may also demonstrate appropriate experience. You’ll be experienced in assessing risks and designing innovative approaches to testing these, working with relevant existing powers to design and implement relevant interventions.

Professional accountant, internal audit or counter fraud qualifications (such as Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist, ICA or ACFE) are desirable, but not essential.

Essential experience required for the role:

• Experience of working creatively and agilely within a complex legislative and regulatory framework to establish a credible and effective intervention approach.
• A successful track record of influencing and collaborating with a range of senior stakeholders to deliver best practice in counter fraud, investigations and audit activity in large and complex organisations.
• Experience of developing, leading and delivering a counter fraud / investigations / audit practice / identification of risk, either in the public or private sector.
• Outstanding ability to communicate (both oral and written) and work effectively and collaboratively with a range of peers, partners and senior colleagues, combined with the ability to respond quickly to fast moving priorities.
• Highly developed leadership skills, with proven ability to build and inspire a team, develop capability and create an engaged and motivated workforce.
• Line management experience and experience in coaching staff.

Desirable experience:

• Experience of working in a regulator and / or the higher education sector would be an advantage.
• Experience of working closely with government on the development of new legislation would be an advantage

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £82,082, Office for Students contributes £23,779 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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 employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application process

There are 3 online application questions to complete, alongside providing a copy of your CV.

Reasonable adjustment

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 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 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 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 (with a minimum 0.8 FTE), apply to this role.

If you would like to talk further to someone about this role, please contact us at: recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk.

Closing date for applications: Monday 2 February at noon

Interviews: As part of the interview process, candidates will be asked to prepare and give a short presentation.

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

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

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

Recruitment team

• Email : RecruitmentTeam@officeforstudents.org.uk

Further information

Careers - Office for Students

Attachments

Why work for the OfS Opens in new window (pdf, 428kB)