Head of Stakeholder Engagement Bristol or London £63,386 - £69,444 Plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension and London weighting if applicable The Office for Students is 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 looking for skilled, committed people who care about students and their experience of higher education. We’re proud of our people, our culture and the benefits we offer. We care about supporting and developing our staff, working together to achieve more than each of us can do alone, and we want to create a welcoming and engaging working environment which is free from discrimination. Join us and you’ll be part of an energetic, forward-looking organisation with high ambitions and big opportunities for our people. About the job The Head of Stakeholder Engagement is responsible for driving forward the OfS’s stakeholder engagement strategy and managing key stakeholder relationships for the OfS, notably key sector groups, parliamentarians and policymakers. You will maintain and grow relationships with sector groups and key influencers, and lead parliamentary and political engagement, ensuring good visibility of OfS work and expertise across higher education and in government. You will work closely with the Head of Provider Relations to monitor relations and programme sector-facing engagements, and you will build trusted relationships with a range of colleagues from across the organisation. Key responsibilities include: Managing relationships with mission groups and sector bodies, ensuring a regular cycle of communications and pre-engagement on key issues. Managing OfS events in accordance with the OfS communications plan. Managing OfS appearances at parliament and political engagement. Leading the production of briefings for MPs, peers, and select committees, preparing and training OfS exec for parliamentary appearances, managing parliamentary correspondence and engagement. Providing strategic advice to the Chief Executive and Directors on political engagement. Leading stakeholder mapping and the creation of stakeholder engagement plans. Building relationships with key stakeholders, raising awareness and visibility of the OfS with these groups and evaluating that engagement. Internal stakeholder engagement. Helping to coordinate strategic activity with key groups, for example using stakeholder engagement to pilot approaches or test new ideas. Leadership and line management. Essential skills required: Ability to motivate and lead a high performing team Excellent understanding of parliament and the wider policy environment Written and verbal communication skills – ability to influence and communicate with internal and external stakeholders Ability to exercise judgement in working with complex and sensitive information Effective stakeholder management Ability to participate in continuous improvement across your substantive area of responsibility, ensuring effective links between different areas of work in the Directorate 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, sexual orientation and socio-economic background. 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 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: Sunday 27 October 2025 at 23:55