Senior Analyst, The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) in Bristol

The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is the public body that helps to promote and safeguard fair access to higher education for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. We are seeking to appoint an experienced and enthusiastic Statistician, Operational Research or other such professional to lead our analytical work.

An improved evidence base and a robust approach to evaluation are critical in helping the higher education sector and partners to understand which of their activities are most effective and have the greatest impact on access, student success and progression. OFFA`s quantitative research to date has contributed significantly to the evidence base around this high-profile area of policy and we now need to develop this further. Our senior analyst will have significant opportunities to add to this evidence base: identifying priorities for research and producing reports which could change behaviour and spending patterns in the universities and colleges that we regulate.

You will be reporting directly to our Assistant Director, in a multi-faceted role: overseeing data collection and management, research, analysis, evaluation and making a significant contribution to the development of OFFA`s policy.

Managing two other analysts, you will be responsible for OFFA`s use of data, analysis and research to inform and support evidence-based policy and practice, through a combination of data processing, modelling and statistical analysis of higher education data, and mining the existing knowledge and expertise of the higher education community.

This includes:

• supporting and advising the Evidence and Good Practice Manager and senior management team in the development and implementation of OFFA`s research and evaluation strategy
• advising on our research needs, and being able to quickly and accurately understand and explain the implications of research undertaken elsewhere in the sector
• co-ordinating and leading research of fundamental and long-term policy interest to OFFA to the highest professional standard the development and management oversight of robust data collection systems for the data returned by higher education institutions and further education colleges around the approval and monitoring of access agreements
• the production of high quality statistics and evidence from OFFA and external data, including for public presentation, to inform process design and policy development developing our analytical work with other bodies in the higher education sector, including with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), UCAS and the Higher Education Statistics Agency
• instilling professionalism and integrity in all aspects of analytical work and ensuring that work is appropriately quality assured advising colleagues in OFFA on statistical and methodological matters.

OFFA is a small organisation, with around 20 members of staff, and you will need to work flexibly to contribute across the team, managing tight deadlines and changing priorities. You will also seek to build networks with other analysts in the higher education sector.
You will have excellent interpersonal skills, a confident and positive approach and be able to work effectively with others at all levels. Your verbal and written communications, including written analytical and research reports, will be both clear and accurate. You will be expected to contribute authoritatively to discussions and to present quantitative work to both technical and non-technical colleagues.

If you have these qualities and some experience, knowledge or interest in higher education we would very much like to hear from you.
Benefits include 25 days` annual leave (pro rata), a comprehensive staff development programme, and the opportunity to join the Civil Service Pension scheme.
OFFA is supported through a service level agreement with the Higher Education Funding Council for England and staff are covered by the same pay, conditions and human resourcing policies.
For further information and to apply (CVs will not be accepted) please visit our website at www.offa.org.uk

Closing date for completed external applications: 23:55 on 15 February 2015.
The selection process will take place w/c 2 March 2015.

Please note: this role will be initially based at our current address – Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1QD. OFFA will be relocating to Westward House, Lime Kiln Close, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS34 8SR in 2015.