Senior Analyst, Financial Analysis Office for Students

Job summary

Bristol

£56,209 - £58,820

Plus generous Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension

Job Summary

We are looking for a Senior Analyst – Financial Sustainability. This role is key in assessing the financial health and sustainability of the higher education sector at an overall level including supporting the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) area of work. It will involve leading on pieces of analysis of financial and other data from a range of sources and providing high quality outputs for both internal and external stakeholders.

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 Senior Analyst – Financial Sustainability role will be based in the Sector Financial Analysis team, part of the Regulation Directorate. In this role you will play a key part in fulfilling the OfS’s statutory duty to monitor and report on the financial sustainability of higher education providers and financial patterns and trends across the sector.

The post holder will contribute to a programme of analysis and modelling focused on the financial sustainability and risks facing the higher education sector. Working as part of the team you will be required to communicate the analysis in high‑quality outputs, including external publications which require a high level of accuracy.

Person specification

About you

You will be a fully qualified accountant with experience in analysing and modelling data, including financial data. You will also have an understand of costing systems such as activity based costing. Experience of contributing your findings to high-quality outputs such as reports or similar documents is essential.

Strong team-working skills are also vital for success in this role. You will work closely with members of the Sector Financial Analysis team, as well as colleagues across the wider organisation to achieve shared goals.

Essential experience required for this role:

• Experience in financial analysis and modelling.
• Providing professional finance analysis and costing expertise.
• Experience of working cross-functionally.
• Proven ability to contribute to high-quality reports and publications.
• An understanding of the Higher Education Sector and Public Sector finances.
• An accounting qualification with up-to-date CPD.

Desirable experience:

• Experience of working in the higher education sector.
• Experience of analysing the financial data of higher education providers.
• Experience of the HE sector costing methodology – TRAC.

As part of the initial application process you will be asked to respond to three questions. We will use your written responses to these questions and your career history and experience to shortlist candidates for interview.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,209, Office for Students contributes £16,283 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

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.

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 9 February 2026 at noon; Interviews from week commencing Monday 23 February 2025

Interviews: As part of the interview process, candidates will be asked to complete an Excel based assessment. Further details will be shared with short listed candidates ahead of the interview.

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)