[Hiring] Independent adviser – In-Year Student Data Collection @OFS

Role Description

Together, the Office for Students, Scottish Funding Council, Department for Education Northern Ireland, and Medr are looking to appoint two independent advisers, one to the In-year student data collection Programme Board and one to the Sponsoring Group. They will bring expertise, skill and experience of project and programme management in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. They will provide an independent view on the programme’s ability to deliver, and challenge and scrutinise the approaches being taken, to ensure that the benefits of the programme are realised.

Programme Board Role

• Take responsibility for the successful delivery of the programme and the realisation of its benefits, aligned with the Mandate.
• Monitor key aspects, assess stakeholder impact, help mitigate risks and issues, make decisions and escalate as needed.
• Provide support, constructive challenge and oversight to help the programme succeed.

Sponsoring Group Role

• Provide strategic direction, commitment and advocacy.
• Protect the programme from changes in direction, resolve significant risks and issues.
• Ensure the ongoing validity of the benefits, considering effort to achieve and impact on providers.
• Provide support, constructive challenge and oversight to help the programme succeed.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience of data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes.
• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups or non-executive roles, ideally in the context of a change management programme.
• Experience of risk and assurance processes, and internal control processes.
• Qualification and experience in financial auditing or accounting (for Sponsoring Board Adviser).

Requirements

• Able to prepare for, attend and participate in quarterly meetings on Microsoft Teams.
• Able to take an active part in the work of the group, both in meetings and by electronic means.
• Able to attend other relevant in-person events on an ad hoc basis.

Benefits

• An attendance fee of £300 is paid for meetings (including preparation time).

Person Specification – Sponsoring Board Advisor

• High integrity and independence of thought.
• Objective, impartial, and resilient under pressure.
• Collaborative and rigorous in their ability to challenge.
• Committed to public value, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Experience of setting, managing and monitoring risk and assurance processes in complex organisations.
• Experience of identifying and monitoring internal control processes, including through the use of internal audit activities.
• Extensive experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups and/or non-executive roles.
• Demonstrated ability to provide independent challenge and strategic insight at board level.

Desirable

• Experience advising or working with regulatory bodies, funding councils, or higher education institutions.
• Experience in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes.
• Ability to critique technology solutions, and recognise IT and cyber security opportunities and challenges.

Person Specification – Programme Board Advisor

• Deep technical knowledge of data transformations in higher education or other sectors.
• High integrity and independence of thought.
• Objective, impartial, and resilient under pressure.
• Collaborative, with the ability to challenge constructively.
• Committed to public value, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Experience of setting, managing and monitoring risk and assurance processes in complex organisations.
• Demonstrated ability to provide independent challenge and strategic insight at board level.
• Hands-on experience in data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes.
• Ability to critique technology solutions, and recognise IT and cyber security opportunities and challenges.
• Familiarity with programme lifecycle methodologies (e.g., MSP, PRINCE2, Agile).

Desirable

• Experience advising or working with regulatory bodies, funding councils, or higher education institutions.
• Understanding of data infrastructure, quality assurance, and provider engagement in the higher education sector.
• Knowledge of software supplier ecosystems and their role in data delivery.

Recruitment Process

The recruiting entities embrace and promote equality, diversity and inclusion and we want the committee membership to reflect this. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Applications are managed through our online applicant tracking system. The equal opportunities monitoring form enables us to monitor the diversity of applicant pools.

It is important that your application statement addresses all the criteria listed in the person specification, and outlines your current role and relevant experience, as we will assess your suitability for the role against the criteria.

The deadline for applications is 12 Noon, Monday 25 May.

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare you are disabled on your monitoring form and you are considered appointable in terms of the essential criteria, then we will offer you an interview.

We intend that interviews will take place online during the week commencing 1 June 2026. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please detail what these are if you are invited to interview.

For further information please contact [email protected] .