We are hiring a Senior Policy Officer to join our Schools and Early Education Team.
The postholder will need to ensure that the development of policy and frameworks are effectively managed and coordinated, and are informed by regulation and inspection evidence, user engagement and best practice so that Ofsted’s work drives improvement in the experiences and outcomes of children and young people.
This is a fantastic opportunity to further your experience in Ofsted’s well-established team. The post holder will work with high-achieving professionals at all levels, surrounded by a friendly and supportive team. They will have access to amazing benefits, such as flexible working hours, the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and 32.5 days annual leave + 8 bank holidays. We offer a hybrid working model, so you may also choose to spend a proportion of time working from home.
Qualifications
Degree level qualification or equivalent knowledge and experience.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Knowledge and experience of managing a programme of work.
- Track record of planning projects and delivering them to agreed timescales.
- Experience of building positive and effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders and team members.
- Understanding of the current political and professional issues in education and those relating specifically to Ofsted.
Alongside your salary of £46,490, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills contributes £13,468 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Full details of the benefits available can be found in our Offer brochure.
Ofsted is devoted to equality, diversity and inclusion. Within our Ofsted Strategy 2023-2027 we have stated that we will improve the representation of under-represented groups across the organisation and publish our progress on this annually. We are always looking to expand on our diverse workforce by recruiting candidates from varied backgrounds and differing experiences. We are proud to be a Disability Confident – Leader, we continually engage with our 5 staff networks for protected characteristics, and highlight the work of our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group. We ensure all candidates are treated with fair and open competition, with all appointments being made on merit and we use our Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) to provide assurance to all candidates of this.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Application And Shortlisting
The selection panel will assess your application based on your evidence you have provided against the essential criteria as set out in the person specification.
You will also be asked to provide information within the “Employer/Activity History” section of the application form. This information is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV setting out your career history (this may be used in the sifting process).
If we receive a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on the following two criteria:
- Track record of planning projects and delivering them to agreed timescales.
- Experience of building positive and effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders and team members.
Applicants who meet the initial eligibility criteria will be invited to progress to the next stage of the selection process. If required, a further full sift will be undertaken, where all applications that passed the initial sift will be assessed against the complete set of essential criteria outlined in the person specification.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Apply before 5:00 pm on Friday 31st October 2025
