Independent adviser – In-Year Student Data Collection

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.

The role of the Programme Board is to:

• 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.

The role of the Sponsoring Group is to:

• 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.

About the In-year Data Collection Programme

The in-year student data collection programme is a transformation plan for the collection and delivery of more timely in-year student data. The programme is a complex one involving Jisc, regulators and funders of higher education in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, higher education providers, and software suppliers. This transformation aims to drive improvements in the collection, timeliness and utility of student data while aligning with other changes and initiatives. Its ultimate goal is to enable data users to make decisions based on up-to-date data, improving the outcomes of those decisions.

Your expertise

Programme Board Adviser

You will bring extensive hands-on experience of data governance, digital transformation, or large-scale IT-enabled change programmes. You will have experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups or non-executive roles, ideally in the context of a change management programme you have overseen or contributed to. In this capacity, you will be able to provide an appropriate level of scrutiny and challenge to the Programme Board, drawing on your experience of successes and failures in previous projects.

Sponsoring Board Adviser

You will bring extensive experience of risk and assurance processes, and internal control processes. You will have experience of working in multi-disciplinary groups or non-executive roles, ideally in the context of a change management programme you have overseen or contributed to. In this capacity, you will be able to provide an appropriate level of scrutiny and challenge to the executive. You might have a qualification and experience in financial auditing or accounting.

Please see the person specification below for a full list of criteria.

Terms of appointments

The appointments are to initially cover a two year period, with scope to extend to the length of the programme.

Meeting arrangements

Programme Board Adviser

The Programme Board meets monthly via Teams for approximately two hours. Time will also be needed before each meeting for reading and preparation. An attendance fee of £300 is paid for meetings (including preparation time).

Sponsoring Board Adviser

The Sponsoring Group meets quarterly via Teams for approximately two hours. Time will also be needed before each meeting for reading and preparation. An attendance fee of £300 is paid for meetings (including preparation time).

Person specification – Sponsoring Board Advisor

Please note that we would not normally appoint candidates employed by OfS, Medr, DfE NI, or SFC registered or funded higher education providers, or by any organisations already represented on Programme or Sponsoring Board. We are looking for an individual who:

• Has high integrity and independence of thought.
• Is objective, impartial, and resilient under pressure.
• Is collaborative and rigorous in their ability to challenge.
• Is 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.

Selection criteria contain the requirement that committee members must perform their role impartially, dispassionately and without bias.

Availability

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 and able to attend other relevant in-person events on an ad hoc basis.

Person specification – Programme Board Advisor

Please note that we would not normally appoint candidates employed by OfS, Medr, DfE NI, or SFC registered or funded higher education providers, or by any organisations already represented on Programme or Sponsoring Board. We are looking for an individual who:

• Has deep technical knowledge of data transformations in higher education or other sectors.
• Has high integrity and independence of thought.
• Is objective, impartial, and resilient under pressure.
• Is collaborative, with the ability to challenge constructively.
• Is 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.

Selection criteria contain the requirement that committee members must perform their role impartially, dispassionately and without bias.

Availability

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

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. Those selecting candidates may also take account of the balance of the background and skills of the wider membership of the committee in their decision making.

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. As a final stage of the process, before confirming any appointments, we may ask the selected candidate to complete a due diligence process which may include basic searches of social media.

For further information please contact sarah.baggs@officeforstudents.org.uk.