Statutory Returns Specialist

Application Deadline: 21 May 2026

Department: Operations

Location: London Office

Compensation: £60,000 pro rata per annum

Type of Contract: Fixed term (6 months)

Working Hours: Part-time (24 hours per week)

Location: Remote/UK

Job purpose

We are seeking a Statutory Returns Specialist with strong experience in HESA statutory returns to support delivery during this critical set‑up period. The role involves designing and implementing efficient business processes, ensuring the timely and accurate submission of HESA returns, managing data validations, and supporting the validation and testing of any system or solution built to support statutory returns ahead of live submission. The immediate priority will be to bring practical HESA expertise into the organisation to set up Student reporting as part of a dedicated project. Working across Quality, Data, Technology and Enrolment teams, the successful candidate will establish the data definitions, collection points, mapping rules and validation approach needed for the first return. The role will also support clear documentation, practical knowledge share and broader readiness for future statutory returns. Experience of other regulatory or statutory returns, such as HESA Staff return, would be desirable. The ideal candidate will bring a mix of experience in HESA Student Returns and strong technical knowledge of the subject matter. If you are a data‑driven professional with expertise in student data returns and a passion for process improvement, capability building and practical delivery, we invite you to apply for this exciting opportunity.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• First return set‑up: Bring hands‑on expertise to help OIEG set up and run its first HESA Student return from a blank starting point, including the initial return for late‑arriving 2025/26 students and the practical steps needed to make that first cycle workable.
• Data mapping and collection design: Work with internal stakeholders to understand what data already exists, what still needs to be collected, how it should map to HESA requirements, and how provider‑defined identifiers and coding decisions should be set up to support an effective and repeatable return process.
• Validation and submission support: Coordinate preparation, validation and correction activity for the return, investigating issues, supporting resolution with relevant teams, and helping ensure compliant outputs are ready for submission within external deadlines. Support the validation and testing of any system or solution developed to underpin statutory returns ahead of live submission.
• Internal lead and HESA liaison: Act as the organisation’s specialist point of contact for HESA Student reporting during the contract period, providing clear guidance internally and, where appropriate, liaising with HESA/Jisc to clarify requirements, validations and submission issues. Support clear handover into internal teams at the end of the contract.
• Future readiness: Set up workable framework for future cycles by maintaining clear process documentation, agreed data definitions and practical guidance, and by supporting knowledge transfer and readiness within Quality and related teams. Contribute, where relevant and agreed, to readiness for other statutory or regulatory returns.

Person Specifications

• Qualifications: Degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Experience: Proven experience delivering HESA statutory returns with a UK education provider. Experience across the full return lifecycle, including preparation, validation, correction cycles and submission support. Strong working knowledge of HESA schema and validation rules, including experience resolving mapping or data issues with cross‑functional teams. Familiarity with HE enrolment or data collection processes in a regulatory context. Experience of working with internal technical teams or third‑party vendors to translate regulatory requirements into practical solutions. Experience of other statutory or regulatory returns in a higher education context (e.g. HESA Staff return, HESES, Discover Uni, Aggregate Offshore).
• Technical skills & abilities: Strong Excel and data analysis capability, including confidence working with large datasets, exceptions and reconciliations. Ability to translate HESA requirements into practical business rules, data definitions and process steps. Ability to support validation and testing of systems or solutions used to underpin statutory returns. Working knowledge of Power Query, Power BI, SQL or similar tools would be beneficial, but is secondary to direct HESA lifecycle experience. Strong organisation, judgement and problem‑solving in a data‑related context, including prioritisation, fixed deadlines and knowing when to escalation. Understanding of GDPR, Equality Act and other legislation relevant to education.
• Attitude & disposition: Highly presentable with strong written and verbal communication skills. Resourceful, collaborative and delivery‑focused, with the confidence to work across teams and challenge unclear data or process where needed. Flexible, accurate and discreet, with high attention to detail and capacity to adapt to changing regulatory and operational demands. Able to work practically with internal teams to support knowledge transfer and future readiness.

Disclaimer: This job description is provided as a guide to the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive description of duties and responsibilities and may be subject to periodic revision.

Safeguarding and child protection: Oxford International is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. This role involves working with children and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Equal opportunity: Oxford International is an equal opportunity employer. Every applicant and employee has the same opportunities regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status.