Paralegal - Office for Students

Job summary

Paralegal

Salary: £37,614 - £38,577 plus London weighting £3,566 (where appropriate)

Location: Bristol or London

Generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

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

We are looking for a Paralegal to support our established legal team. The role will involve providing assistance and support on a wide variety of legal matters in the higher education context, including applying public, human rights, consumer protection and data protection law. The role will involve a significant amount of legal research, as well as assisting lawyers to advise on a broad range of regulatory matters, and supporting the handling of litigation/appeals. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the ability to proactively manage a varied workload, whilst adopting a creative and innovative approach to legal issues.

Key responsibilities may include

Providing support to the legal team, in particular through legal research and analysis relating to:

• Legislation applying to the higher education sector, including the Higher Education and Research Act 2017;
• Data protection and information law, including legislation implementing the GDPR and the Freedom of Information Act 2000;
• Legal topics relevant to decision-making and supporting processes, such as public law principles, statutory duties and considerations, the delegation of functions and equalities legislation;
• Human rights law;
• Litigation activities, such as judicial review proceedings, statutory appeals and regulatory investigations;
• Consumer protection law;
• The use of the OfS’s enforcement and information gathering powers; and
• The regulatory framework and registration conditions that apply to higher education providers.

Supporting lawyers in formulating legal advice for the organisation, including through contributing own thoughts and analysis;

Supporting the legal team in operating the legal function within the OfS, which may include, for instance, producing internal guidance notes on key legal and regulatory issues and working with legal administrators to support the legal team; and

Engaging with internal and external stakeholders, including by developing and maintaining productive relationships with internal stakeholders, e.g. policy colleagues.

Person specification

About you

Essential experience required for the role:

• Excellent legal research skills;
• Experience of at least two of the following legal practice areas, gained through paid practical experience:

• Ability to analyse case law and identify complex legal issues;
• Experience in drafting legal memos;
• Understanding of the needs of an in-house legal team and ability to proactively find solutions to support the team; and
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills

Professional qualifications:

Essential: Legal degree (or equivalent conversion course)

Desirable: Completed relevant postgraduate legal training (for example, the Legal Practice Course, Solicitors Qualifying Examinations 1 and 2, or vocational component of Bar training such as the Bar Practice Course)

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

Making effective decisions: Level 1: Managing and influencing self

I analyse and research information to support effective decision-making.

I speak with relevant people to get the most accurate information and advice when I am unsure how to proceed.

I consider the diverse needs of those impacted by decisions.

I ensure that my decisions reflect the legal requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and the OfS’s strategic commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

I ask others to clarify decisions if I am unsure and I query any issues that arise constructively.

Delivering at pace: Level 1: Managing and influencing self

I have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite setbacks.

I regularly review my performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary.

I consider relevant policies, procedures, and legislation when completing my work.

I regularly review the success of activities I contribute to and identify barriers to progress, proactively suggesting how we can overcome these in the future.

I formulate clear plans and prioritise effectively to complete tasks and activities.

Communicating and influencing: Level 2: Managing and influencing others

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.

Collaborating and partnering: Level 2: Managing and influencing others

I seek information, resources, and support as appropriate from others across the OfS, to help achieve results.

I invest time to develop an OfS common focus and team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respect one another.

I take responsibility for creating an OfS working environment that encourages collaboration, diversity, and inclusion.

I actively seek and consider input of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,614, Office for Students contributes £10,896 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 summary of your career to date, which will allow you to demonstrate your relevant experience.

For those who are shortlisted, there will be a written research task to complete during week commencing Monday 16 February.

For those who progress to interview, the process will include discussing a case study, sent shortly ahead of the interview on the day itself.

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.

At the OfS, we recognise that flexibility 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: Monday 9 February 2026 at noon

In the event of a high volume response, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early without notice. For transparency, once we have closed a vacancy, it is not possible to complete an in flight application.

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)