Manager, Policy Compliance

About the Role

As Manager, Policy Compliance, the role holder will work within Student Support, in Academic Services, and provide leadership, supervision, and support to members of the Student Policy & Compliance Services Team.

The main functions of this role are to ensure Student Policy is compliant with university policy, UK law, and the requirements of relevant external bodies such as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) obligations under consumer protection law.

The role focuses on the compliance of student policy and contractual documentation based on user needs, business requirements, and student feedback. The role holder will support ensuring that student policy remains compliant with both internal and external requirements. They will also support ensuring that strategic decisions and change activities across the university take account of any applicable compliance risks, and where appropriate, ensuring that such risks are mitigated as far as possible.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with colleagues in Student Support, across Academic Services, OUVP, CIO portfolio, PVC Students, Faculties, and others to ensure that the University’s student support provision is compliant with University Policy, the requirements of HE regulatory bodies, UK law, and quality frameworks including Matrix and QAA.
• Coordinate policy change projects.
• Support the Assistant Director, Student Policy & Compliance Services in matters related to policy and compliance.
• Assist in the proactive management of changes to policy, curriculum, and legislation. This includes taking a risk-based approach to analysing the impact of change for students and reporting to appropriate Senior Staff.
• Ensure that all changes to policies and the curriculum are recorded so that students can easily track all the changes that have affected their study.
• Provide expertise within projects and other developments that relate to student policy and compliance, offering advice on risk management, direction, and information where there are compliance requirements.
• Provide line management for staff who assist in the work above, including career development and pastoral support.

About You

Essential:

• Strong data analysis skills and the ability to conduct advanced data analysis to assess risk, inform policy decisions, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Advanced reporting skills and the ability to develop comprehensive reports that clearly communicate findings and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Highly developed problem-solving skills and the ability to address complex compliance issues with innovative, pragmatic, and effective solutions.
• Strong ability to support thorough investigations into compliance breaches and develop strategies to prevent future occurrences.
• Possess experience in leading and managing teams to ensure compliance with recognised standards.
• Exhibit an analytical mind, capable of lateral thinking to solve problems, make sound, evidence-based decisions, and work confidently on own initiative within tight time constraints.
• Display highly developed interpersonal skills, excellent communication and presentation abilities, with the capacity to influence, establish credibility, and assert authority.
• Ability to build and maintain effective, genuine, and open long-term relationships with external and internal stakeholders, working cooperatively across institutional boundaries to improve compliance with policy and service to students.
• Demonstrate proven organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise, use tact and judgement, and adapt flexibly to changing requirements.
• Ability to carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and University policies.
• Strong commitment to excellence in working with a diverse student population.

Desirable:

• Detailed consumer law knowledge and the ability to apply in-depth understanding of external requirements (e.g. Competition & Markets Authority) to a range of audiences to mitigate risk and/or ensure organisational compliance and protect consumer rights.