Senior Litigation and Regulatory Lawyer - Office for Students

Job summary

Senior Litigation and Regulatory Lawyer

Bristol or London

£68,720 - £72,004 + £7,500 allowance plus London weighting £3,566 (where appropriate)

Generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

Use your litigation expertise in an organisation that’s shaping policy and regulation

The opportunity

Make a real difference to the lives of students by bringing your litigation skills to the Office for Students (OfS).

As the independent regulator of higher education in England, we ensure the best experience and the best value – for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. This is a unique opportunity to lead on the provision of cutting-edge litigation across our diverse and rapidly evolving organisation.

Job description

The role

You’ll lead on the conduct of litigation activities at OfS, managing a portfolio of complex and novel litigation cases, both personally and through supervision of other qualified lawyers and members of the team. You will act as the senior lead and subject matter expert in respect of litigation at the regulator.

In addition, you will broaden your knowledge of the sector by providing legal advice and support for a broad range of regulatory matters relevant to the functions of the OfS.

Expect to work collaboratively with internal legal and policy colleagues, as well as external legal support, owning these key relationships and advising at the most senior level in the organisation, with regard to the high-profile nature of the organisation’s litigation.

Person specification

About you

This role would suit a qualified solicitor or barrister with strong litigation experience, as well as an interest in public law and regulatory issues. Excellent written and spoken communication and presentation skills are essential, including the ability to influence and negotiate.

While your legal career to date may have been in a different sector, you will have significant directly transferable litigation experience in an equivalent public law context . We offer a supportive environment that enables you to get up to speed, but you will need experience in at least two of the following areas:

• Public law matters
• Consumer protection law
• Human rights law
• The interpretation of regulatory rules such as licence conditions or equivalent
• The interpretation and application of sector specific legislation which relates to a regulatory body
• Investigation and enforcement in a regulatory context

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

Making effective decisions

Level 3: Managing and influencing complex team or project relationships

• I empower colleagues to make effective decisions.

• I recognise my own biases and assumptions and manage them to make better decisions.

• I actively weigh up information from a range of sources, identifying advantages, disadvantages, risks and impacts to make decisions that take account of the wider organisational, political and regulatory context.

• I encourage innovative suggestions and challenge from others, to support informed decision making.

• I use sound judgment in drawing on legal advice and public consultation approaches, wherever necessary and appropriate.

Delivering at pace

Level 3: Managing and influencing complex team or project relationships

• 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, considering how my work impacts other teams across the organisation.
• I translate strategic priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives for managers and teams.
• I quickly re-prioritise and formulate plans accordingly as the environment changes.

Managing a quality service

Level 3: Managing and influencing complex team or project relationships

• 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 business 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.

Communicating and influencing

Level 3: Managing and influencing complex team or project relationships

• I actively deploy different methods for influencing others, including making the most of digital resources to respond to different learning styles.
• I act as a role model to others by communicating 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 messages with clarity and sensitivity.

• I can articulate arguments and reasons in a clear and persuasive manner.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £68,720, Office for Students contributes £19,908 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 4 online application questions to complete, alongside providing a summary of your career to date, which will allow you to demonstrate your relevant experience.

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 process, 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 26 January 2026 at noon

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 : The 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)