Head of Knowledge and Information Management

Head of Knowledge and Information Management

12 month fixed term (maternity cover)

Salary: £66,556 – £69,737 (plus London allowance of £3,566 where appropriate)

Location: Bristol or London

Plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

Note: we are open to queries regarding secondment for this fixed term position. For more information, please contact: recruitmentteam@officeforstudents.org.uk

We are 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 also care about supporting and developing our staff, working together to achieve more than each of us can do alone.

We’re proud of our people, our culture and the benefits we offer. At the OfS we want to create a welcoming and engaging working environment which is free from discrimination.

We’re looking for skilled, committed people who care about students and their experience of higher education. Join us and you’ll be part of an energetic, forward-looking organisation with high ambitions and big opportunities for our people.

About the role

The purpose of the role ‘Head of Knowledge and Information Management’ is to lead the knowledge and information management (KIM) team and oversee the OfS’s functions relating to freedom of information, data protection, handling information incidents, and records management. Where candidates are suitably skilled, the role will also include acting as the OfS’s Data Protection Officer.

You’ll lead a team of experts in delivering pragmatic, risk-based advice on compliance with information rights legislation. It’s an exciting time as we’re expanding our team and enhancing our services. We pride ourselves on a collaborative and transparent culture, where dedication to our work is paramount. Through effective leadership and proactive management of the team’s diverse and complex responsibilities, you’ll play a crucial role in ensuring the delivery of a high-quality KIM service to colleagues across the OfS and to the wider public.

About you

We’re looking for an experienced manager who can lead and motivate a busy team of KIM experts.

Essential experience required for the role:

• An understanding of the frameworks and challenges of information governance in a regulator or similar public body.
• Ability to lead and motivate a high performing team.
• Effective stakeholder management skills to foster excellent working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to initiate and manage projects to achieve desired outcomes while ensuring the team balances a complex workload.
• Ability to adopt a creative, risk-based and innovative approach to knowledge management and information governance matters.
• Excellent verbal, written communication and presentation skills.

Desirable experience:

• Providing expert advice on data protection matters, including but not limited to the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, as well as specifically acting in the role of a Data Protection Officer.

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The application process:

You will be assessed against the following competencies. This is your opportunity to expand on what you have achieved in your career by describing what you’ve done and how you’ve done it. We are looking for how you made your own contribution to a scenario, why you made that contribution and what was the outcome. Assertions without evidence will, in contrast, make it difficult to evaluate your skills and how you apply them.

The competencies for this role are:

Inclusive leadership

• I promote diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity both inside and outside the OfS.

• I clarify strategies and plans, giving a clear sense of direction and purpose for my team(s).

• I inspire and motivate all individuals to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role.

• I build shared goals and agendas across the OfS that align with our regulatory role and with an appreciation of the impact of activities across the organisation.

• I proactively manage conflict, misconduct, and non-inclusive behaviour, raising with senior managers wherever appropriate .

Developing self and others

• I prioritise and role model continuous learning and development.

• I work with individuals and teams to identify performance areas to develop, and support colleagues to take responsibility for their own learning and development.

• I ensure that individuals take full advantage of work-based learning and development opportunities available to them.

• I seek out discussions within and between OfS teams to learn from others’ experiences.

Communicating and influencing

• I actively deploy different methods for influencing others, including making the most of digital resources to respond to different learning styles.

• I act as a role model to others by communicating 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 messages with clarity and sensitivity.

• I can articulate arguments and reasons in a clear and persuasive manner.

Managing a quality service

• 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 business 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.

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.

Closing date for applications: Thursday 19 June 2025 at noon

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