Events and Communications Co-ordinator

About the OfS

The Office for Students is 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’re looking for skilled, committed people who care about students and their experience of higher education.

About the job

The Strategy, Delivery and Communications (SDC) Directorate leads the OfS’s work on external and internal communications and public affairs: media relations and planning, digital publishing, multimedia support, stakeholder engagement and parliamentary support, publications, Events and public information.

As the lead events contact across the OfS, you’ll be part of a small, busy public affairs team leading on the planning and delivery of online, in-person and internal events for a range of key audiences including universities and colleges, political and sector stakeholders, and students.

You’ll work with colleagues across the OfS to identify events which support our communications objectives and work independently to provide expert advice and strategic guidance on their design and delivery. This will include thinking strategically about the type, style and delivery of Events and working with colleagues to prepare event communications, produce content, and write speeches for OfS speakers.

As well as delivering the events programme, you will work alongside the Head of Public Affairs to deliver communication and public affairs priorities, for example by writing stakeholder briefings or preparing background briefings for senior staff attending parliamentary committee hearings and providing occasional cover for the public inquiries service.

Key responsibilities in this role include:

• Reporting to the Head of Public Affairs and working closely with them to deliver a strategic, engaging, and effective events programme ensuring it delivers the organisation’s key priorities and regulatory objectives Leading small project teams to plan and deliver all OfS events (digital, in-person and internal). Drafting content for OfS Events and proposing agendas and external speakers.   Delivering logistical activities, including: locating suitable venues and producing detailed proposals for events; managing event registration; event promotion; agreeing and managing event budgets and project plans; managing supplier relationships and co-ordinating venue management. Hosting and producing OfS online events. Briefing OfS colleagues, including senior leaders, on roles and responsibilities during online and in-person events. Collaboration with internal stakeholders to advise colleagues across the OfS on event objectives, audiences, agendas, and event promotion. Working with the Head of Public Affairs to deliver public affairs and communication priorities including preparing briefings for meetings with external stakeholders and supporting communication colleagues

About you

We are looking for someone with strong organisational and interpersonal skills, and a proven ability to plan, coordinate and deliver in-person and online events.

You’ll be an excellent influencer, able to build positive trusted relationships with peers and senior leaders and have outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to understand and assimilate complex policy and technical information and data to inform advice and judgements.

You’ll have a good sense of how events help to deliver strategic objectives, what makes an engaging event or speaker line-up, and how to evaluate success.

A highly organised individual with excellent attention to detail and strong project management skills, including the ability to work collaboratively and flexibly across several projects and respond effectively to changing demands and priorities.

An existing knowledge of the higher education policy environment and an understanding of UK politics, or demonstrable willingness to develop this, is desirable.

Essential criteria

• Expert knowledge of delivering an events programme through experience of developing, planning and creating both in-person and online events. Knowledge of online events platforms and understanding of good practice for delivering online events

Working for us

We’re proud of our people, our culture and the benefits we offer. We care about supporting and developing our staff, working together to achieve more than each of us can do alone, and we want to create a welcoming and engaging working environment which is free from discrimination.

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.

Join us and you’ll be part of an energetic, forward-looking organisation with high ambitions and big opportunities for our people.

Working arrangements 

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 to three days in a typical week. 

To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part-time working, applies to the role.  

Closing date for applications: 18 February 2024

Interviews: From 4 March 2024