People Committee - Independent Member

People Committee - Independent Member

We are seeking to appoint up to two independent members to join the OfS People Committee.

The People Committee gives advice and makes recommendations on staff matters, including performance and remuneration. It also provides advice and assurance on people, culture, and reward matters at the OfS.

About the OfS

The OfS is the independent regulator for higher education in England. The OfS was established by the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. As a non-departmental public body, we are accountable to Parliament through the Department for Education. We receive statutory guidance from the DfE, but our operations are independent of government.

We protect the interests of students by regulating a diverse higher education sector. The higher education sector comprises multi-faculty universities, small specialist institutions, further education colleges, and private companies, and has major economic impact and social importance. Over 430 providers are registered with the OfS, and the se providers teach or supervise over 2.5 million students. The OfS employs around 500 staff. We are funded primarily through registration fees paid by the higher education sector. Fees for an academic year 2025-26 will total around 32 million. The OfS also distributes around 1.6 billion of government funding annually. This supports teaching and students in higher education, including for expensive to deliver subjects, students at risk of discontinuing their studies, and funding to world-leading specialist providers.

We have recently published our strategy for 2025 to 2030 which sets a vision for how we'll protect the interests of past, present, and future students. It introduces four core attitudes that will guide our work :

• Ambitious for all students from all backgrounds
• Collaborative in pursuit of our objectives and stewardship of the sector
• Vigilant about safeguarding public money and student fees
• Vocal that higher education is a force for good, for individuals, communities, and for the country.

And sets out that our priorities will be :

About the People Committee

The board of the OfS has established the People Committee as one of its advisory committees. Its role is to :

In undertaking its work, the committee takes account of remuneration and appointments policy and advice provided by HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, and DfE. In addition to up to three board members, the committee has up to two independent members who bring experience of people-related matters or remuneration committees to inform its work.

Your expertise

You will have proven experience at a senior level in overseeing strategic people and culture related issues. You will be able to provide an appropriate level of scrutiny, support, and challenge to the executive, and assurance and advice to the board. Please see the person specification below for a full list of criteria.

Terms of appointment

We normally appoint for terms of three years. An independent member may serve a maximum of two terms. Members are appointed as individuals and, if they are unable to attend a meeting, representatives may not stand in. Members are expected to conform to the standards set out in the OfS code of conduct. Members must also declare any relevant interests, and these will be published on the OfS website.

Meeting arrangements

The committee is expected to meet four times a year, with a mix of online and in person meetings in Bristol and London. Meetings last approximately two hours. Time will also be needed before each meeting for reading and preparation. An attendance fee of 300 is paid for meetings. Travel and subsistence expenses may be claimed in accordance with OfS policies. Papers are circulated to members electronically via a browser-based portal one week before each meeting. Members can provide comments on the papers via the secretariat if they are unable to attend.

Recruitment process

We recruit by merit based on 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. We intend that interviews will take place online on Monday 12 January 2026. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please detail what these are if you are invited to interview. Your application should include a statement of suitability addressing all the essential and desirable criteria listed in the person specification, and outlining your current role and relevant experience, as we will assess your suitability for the role against the criteria. You will also be invited to upload a CV. 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.

Please note that we would not normally appoint candidates employed by, or with governance responsibility for, OfS registered higher education providers or with other material interests relating to higher education providers. Please contact us if you would like to discuss your circumstances before making an application.

Timeline

The deadline for applications is noon on Monday 8 December 2025. We anticipate conducting interviews online on Monday 12 January 2026. Successful candidates will attend an induction (online) in early February and will attend their first committee meeting on the morning of 10 February 2026.