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Senior Private Secretary Office for Students
Job summary
Bristol
£56,209 - £58,820
Plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension
Job summary
As Senior Private Secretary, you will play a central role in supporting the Chair and Chief Executives of the Office for Students. Working at the heart of the organisation, you will help ensure that they receive the right information, advice and support to lead the organisation effectively. You will coordinate complex and fast-moving priorities, provide high-quality briefings, and help ensure that key decisions and actions are delivered.
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.
Job description
The role
This is an exciting opportunity to work at the centre a busy Private Office function, supporting the Chair, Chief Executives and Chief of Staff on some of the most important issues affecting higher education.
The role is critical to managing the flow of information to senior leaders, preparing them for meetings and events, and ensuring that important organisational priorities are delivered effectively. You will work closely with colleagues across the OfS and with external stakeholders, building strong relationships and helping to navigate complex issues and competing demands.
The role combines strategic thinking with practical delivery. One day you might be preparing a briefing for a major stakeholder engagement, the next you could be coordinating action on a time-critical issue, supporting executive decision-making, or leading improvements to how the private office operates.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys variety, pace and making a real contribution to the leadership of the organisation.
Person specification
About you
We are looking for someone who can build strong working relationships, exercise sound judgement, and remain calm and organised when managing competing priorities.
Essential criteria:
- Have an understanding of the work of the OfS and the context it operates in.
- Strong writing skills and the ability to provide accurate and reliable information in a timely manner.
- Ability to communicate complex issues effectively through both verbal and written communication.
- Ability to take the initiative and make decisions relating to the operational parts of the role.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues, showing openness, professionalism and an ability to support delivery of senior priorities through others.
- Ability to prioritise work and deliver high quality outcomes under time pressure and in the face of competing demands.
- Ability to exercise judgement, discretion and professionalism appropriate to a senior support role, enabling effective decision‑making and delivery through others.
Desirable criteria:
- Understanding of the OfS’s priorities, and the ability to utilise judgement and creativity to apply these priorities to decision-making in novel situations.
For the purposes of recruitment to the role, we are measuring the following core competencies:
Seeing the big picture
Level 3: Managing and influencing complex team or project relationships
- 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.
Communicating and Influencing
Level 3: Managing and influencing complex team or project relationships
- 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.
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, 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.
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 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.
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 (opens in a new window).- 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, which will allow you to demonstrate your relevant experience.
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 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 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
Closing date for applications: Wednesday 12 August at noon
Interviews: From 19 August
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
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 : 01179317444
Recruitment team
Further information
Careers - Office for StudentsAttachments
Why work for the OfS Feb 2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 425kB)Salary range
- £56,209 - £58,820 per year