Ofsted Hiring for Director, Strategy and Engagement at National, MD Full Time

Location

National

About The Job

Job summary

Director, Strategy and Engagement is responsible for leading the strategy, governance, private office, legal, communications and engagement functions for Ofsted. They advance Ofsted’s objectives through high-level, cross-government engagement and work with the organisation’s most important stakeholders. They lead on the development and implementation of the Ofsted Strategy, and advise His Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI), the Deputy HMCI/Chief Operating Officer (COO), Executive Board members and report directly to the Ofsted Board as required by HMCI, on all strategic opportunities and risks.

As a member of Ofsted’s Executive Board, they take a full corporate leadership role, shaping the strategic direction of the organisation. Tracking our delivery against outcomes, managing any strategic risks to Ofsted, whilst securing and building our reputation with the public, the sectors we inspect and regulate, government and our key stakeholders.

Ofsted is committed to equality and diversity. In our Ofsted Strategy 2022-2027 we aim to improve the diversity of our staff across all grades and roles. We are a Disability Confident – Leader with 5 staff networks for protected characteristics. We ensure all candidates are treated fairly in open competition, with all appointments made on merit. The wellbeing of our staff and of those we inspect and regulate is one of our highest priorities.

Job Description

For full details, please refer to the job specification.

Person specification

For full details, please refer to the job specification.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £123,500, Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills contributes £37,420 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

This is a Senior Civil Service post subject to Senior Civil Service terms and conditions.

Candidates from outside the Civil Service may wish to be aware of key elements of the Senior Civil Service terms and conditions for those joining the Civil Service:

• 25 days annual leave, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after five years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays. This will be complemented by 1 further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday.
• A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join and where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension. Your contribution comes out of your salary before any tax is taken and will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire.
• Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.
• Occupational sick pay.

Existing Civil Servants’ annual leave entitlement will be subject to the normal rules of appointment on promotion or level move.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

All applications will be considered by the selection panel. The panel will consider how your application demonstrates that you can fulfil the criteria set out in the person specification. We will inform you whether or not you were successful at each stage.

Shortlist

The panel will assess your application, including statement of suitability against the essential and desirable criteria of the person specification. Those who best meet the criteria will be shortlisted.

Psychometric assessment

Shortlisted candidates will be required to take part in online psychometric assessments, followed by a telephone conversation with an occupational psychologist. These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. Full details and guidance on these assessments will be provided to all shortlisted candidates.

Panel interview and presentation

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion about your previous experience and how you meet the criteria of the person specification. As part of this process, you will also be asked to undertake a short presentation for the panel and will be given time on the day to prepare immediately prior to your interview. Interviews are expected to take place in person in London. Panel interview arrangements will be confirmed with shortlisted candidates as early as possible.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 5 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) . See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality Requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SCS Recruitment team
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]