Head of Regulatory Analytics

Office for Students; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A regulatory body for higher education in the United Kingdom seeks a strategic leader for its Data function. This role provides leadership to the analytics team, optimizing processes for maximum value. The ideal candidate will have a strong analytics background, exceptional leadership skills, and experience with SQL and Python. Offering flexibility in work arrangements, this position also includes a comprehensive benefits package, including a Civil Service pension scheme.

Benefits

Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension

25 days annual leave

Learning and development opportunities

Health benefits

Qualifications

• Strong background in analytics, understanding data value.
• Very strong leadership and people development skills.
• Commitment to personal development and data awareness.
• Awareness of modern data stack and methodologies.
• Excellent knowledge of modern data operations.
• Ability to write clear briefs for non-experts.
• Strategic oversight on data analytics and AI.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to analysts and drive analytics function.
• Create a high performance culture across data teams.
• Collaborate with colleagues to identify data opportunities.
• Manage resources efficiently across stakeholders.
• Encourage data-led decision making across the organization.
• Engage with higher education stakeholders on data needs.

Skills

Analytical background

Leadership skills

Data landscape awareness

SQL knowledge

Python experience

Agile working

Job description

Plus Generous Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension

About us

The Office for Students (OfS) exists to ensure that English higher education offers the best experience and the best value - for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. We have high ambitions and offer great opportunities to get involved in bringing that vision to life.

About the role

This role will play a pivotal part in the transformation of the Data function within the OfS; it will also form a key part of the Senior Leadership team of the Data function, providing leadership to the data analytics team, optimising processes to maximise value of the analytics function to the organisation.

You will be responsible for:

• Providing strategic leadership to a team of analysts, modelling the OfS behaviours and values to ensure analytical and AI best practises are implemented and there is a standardised operational approach. Enabling the data team to respond to changes in the regulatory environment and OfS business priorities, whilst developing long term strategic priorities in the analytics space.
• In conjunction with the rest of the data Senior Management team creating a high performance, continuous improvement culture across Data. Ensuring the team has expert knowledge about higher education data and how it can be exploited for regulatory purposes. Driving towards the outcomes and objectives in the OfS’s business plan.
• Working in partnership with regulation directorate colleagues to understand and identify opportunities for the exploitation of data and AI, and ensure the team designs and delivers a high-quality data service for providers and the OfS.
• Effectively oversee and manage resource across a portfolio of stakeholders to ensure OfS resources are used effectively and efficiently. Continually improving systems and processes to support the OfS’s strategy and data strategy.
• Providing challenge and coaching to the wider organisation to ensure decision making is data led, and use of modern technologies and working practices are maximised.
• Lead engagement with a subset of relevant third-party higher education stakeholders, internally and externally, to ensure data needs are met. This may include the Designated Data Body.

We need somebody who can understand and translate our organisational and data vision and inspire our teams to deliver. We have recently moved over to the Databricks platform from SAS, alongside a move to more agile ways of working and this role will be pivotal in helping to make this change successful as we transition from traditional on-prem analytics team to a new cloud base AI platform and into modern agile ways of delivering data products.

The role has the opportunity to have an outsized impact on the organisation by ensuring that decision making is data led, and use of modern technologies and working practices are maximised, and will be working for a leadership team who are truly open to new ways of working and challenge.

The Data function is known for it’s deep care of the subject and we have an extremely intelligent and motivated team with a strong level of respect and collaboration. We’re looking for somebody who can balance these values with a fast pace and careful management of change.

About you

Summary of any essential experience required for the role

• A strong background in analytics ideally within multiple organisations, able to really understand the value data can bring to organisations and able to continually challenge the status quo.
• Extremely strong leadership and people development skills
• An ongoing commitment to personal development and data landscape awareness
• Awareness of the modern data stack and associated methodologies
• Excellent knowledge of modern data ops and agile working practices
• Ability to produce forward plans, written papers and briefs in an understandable format for non-specialists
• Ability to Provide strategic oversight on data analytics and AI to the Chief Data Officer, the Executive Committee and Regulation directorate.
• Experience of working with SQL and Python

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.

In addition, our Total Reward Framework offers a range of benefits to suit your way of life. These include comprehensive learning and development, annual leave starting at 25 days per year (plus public holidays), access to the highly regarded Civil Service pension scheme and a variety of health benefits.

Closing date for applications: Noon Monday 12 January 2026