Leadership Development Officer in Bristol

Location: Bristol

Salary:

• Year 1: £32,946
• Year 2: £37,614 (subject to meeting assessment criteria at the end of year 1)

Plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

The challenge

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England. We regulate more than 400 higher education institutions teaching 2.4 million students. The OfS sits at the heart of one of the UK's most dynamic and diverse sectors. Universities and colleges drive growth, widen opportunity and enrich local communities. Our mission is to ensure students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education.

If you want to build a career in regulation or public policy, and are passionate about the impact education can have, our Leadership Development Scheme is a great place to start. Over two years and three placements, you will shape the work of an ambitious regulator at a critical time for the higher education sector, benefiting students across the country.

We are seeking driven, creative future leaders who want to make a difference. Join us in 2026 and launch your career with the Office for Students.

The role

The Leadership Development Scheme runs from September 2026 to September 2028. Over two years, you will gain experience across a range of teams and functions, developing your skills, gaining insight into the work of a regulator and building a solid foundation for your future career. In your first year, you will complete two six-month placements in varied roles across the organisation. In recent years, Leadership Development Officers have helped develop the OfS's strategy, facilitated the delivery of organisation-wide projects and ensured student views inform our work, including via the OfS Student Interest Board.

In your second year, you will work in a core regulation team. You will deal directly with individual universities or colleges, deliver casework and support the development of regulatory policy. By the end of two years, you will be equipped to apply to a full time regulatory role in the OfS or beyond. Most Leadership Development Officers who apply to permanent roles receive a job offer.

Throughout your placements, you will be working collaboratively to support colleagues at all levels. The role is dynamic, demanding and varied, and you will often work on several different projects at once. We will encourage you to focus on developing your skills and will assign a mentor to help you with this.

About you – person specification

This is an entry level role, so no prior experience is necessary. We are looking for people who can:

• See the big picture – Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider context of the organisation's work, enabling better decision-making.
• Make effective decisions – Make well-reasoned, impartial decisions that stand up to scrutiny. Evaluate the impact and implications of decisions, ensuring that plans take these into account.
• Communicate and influence – Communicate, verbally and in writing, with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others, and anticipate concerns.
• Collaborate and partner with others – Work effectively as part of a team. Build inclusive, responsive relationships with colleagues across the organisation to deliver collective goals.
• Change and improve – Adapt and innovate in response to challenges. Act decisively in the face of ambiguity or uncertainty.
• Develop self and others – Focus on professional development and learning. Seek to develop knowledge and skills by reflecting on, and learning from, success and failure.

Further details about the Leadership Development Scheme and the assessment process are available on.

Application process

Please submit your online application form by midday on Monday 9 March 2026. We will assess candidates over three progressive rounds:

• Round 1 - application form and questions
• Round 2 - written task
• Round 3 - interview

We anticipate that interviews will take place on 20, 21, 22 and 23 April 2026. These will be held in person at our Bristol office. We will aim to make offers of employment in late April. Newly appointed Leadership Development Officers will be expected to start at the OfS on 14 September 2026.

To find out more about the Leadership Development Scheme, you can join one of our information sessions, which are running on the following dates:

• 19 February 2026, 12-1 pm
• 27 February 2026, 3-4 pm

If you have any queries about the role, the application process or the information sessions, please send an email to Josh Freeman at LDSRecruitment@officeforstudents.org.uk.

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 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. This role is based in Bristol. Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that this can enable people to work more effectively. To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants we have a flexible and hybrid working approach which applies to this role. Typically, you will be in the office in Bristol two or three days a week.

For information: the OfS does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence.