Funding and Compliance Officer (Apprenticeships)

Job title: Funding and Compliance Officer (Apprenticeships)

JOB DESCRIPTION

Employment status and working hours

Permanent, full time.

Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, with some flexibility in start/finish times.

Organisation structure

Education and Students, Apprenticeship Business Management team.

Your line manager will be Renata Dzwonkowska, Apprenticeship Funding & Compliance Manager.

Place of work flexibility

Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but will include up to 30 days per year spent at Horizons. Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable – please see the Working from home section on our Careers Site for further information.

High level summary of job role

The Apprenticeship Business Management (ABM) team is a specialist team responsible for safeguarding apprenticeship funding, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, supporting audit readiness and protecting University of the Built Environment from financial, operational and reputational risk.

As the Funding and Compliance Officer, you will support the delivery of funding compliance, audit and assurance activities across the apprenticeship lifecycle. Working closely with the Funding and Compliance Manager and colleagues across the apprenticeship team, you will help ensure learner records, funding evidence and compliance processes meet regulatory requirements.

The role involves undertaking audits and compliance checks, supporting data quality activities, assisting with audit preparation, identifying areas for improvement and providing guidance to colleagues on funding-related matters. You will contribute to maintaining high standards of compliance while supporting apprentices, employers and internal teams to achieve positive outcomes.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities

Funding compliance

• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of apprenticeship funding rules and associated guidance.
• Support compliance with apprenticeship funding rules and internal policies through structured assurance and audit activity.
• Assist with identifying funding compliance concerns and support the implementation of corrective actions.
• Provide advice and guidance to colleagues, and where necessary employers and apprentices, on apprenticeship funding and compliance requirements.
• Support the review and maintenance of funding-related policies, procedures and guidance documents.
• Support compliance reviews relating to learner changes of circumstance, including breaks in learning, changes of employer, withdrawals and programme amendments.
• Issue, chase and file revised paperwork, where required.

Audit and assurance

• Undertake compliance audits across different stages of the apprentice journey, including enrolment, learner eligibility, learner records, learner support funding, Off-the-Job Training, Gateway preparation, completions and withdrawals.
• Review audit findings and contribute to the development of recommendations and action plans.
• Monitor progress against agreed actions and support teams in addressing identified issues.
• Assist with the preparation for internal and external audits, including the gathering of evidence and documentation.
• Support the completion of outstanding compliance reviews and assurance activities as required.

Funding data and ILR compliance

• Support monthly ILR data validation and quality assurance activities.
• Review rule violation reports and assist in resolving data quality issues and Apprenticeship Service mismatches.
• Contribute to maintaining accurate learner records and funding data.
• Support system developments and implementation activities, including testing and validation work where required.
• Support data cleansing and quality improvement initiatives.

Continuous improvement and projects

• Contribute to the development of internal staff guidance and external compliance resources relating to funding and compliance requirements.
• Support the implementation of funding rule changes and new compliance processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, accuracy and efficiency.
• Share good practice and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement across the apprenticeship service.
• Participate in reviews relating to Subsidy Control, Learner Support Funding and other funding assurance activities as required.
• Contribute to the successful implementation and ongoing development of apprenticeship systems, including Maytas and other business applications.

Stakeholder support

• Provide funding and compliance advice, guidance and support to colleagues across the University.
• Assist in the delivery of training, workshops and awareness sessions relating to funding rules and compliance requirements.
• Support Admissions and other teams with learner eligibility and funding compliance enquiries.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, compliance awareness and shared accountability.
• Provide additional funding and compliance support across the Apprenticeship team during periods of peak operational activity, supporting business continuity and service delivery.
• Undertake any other duties as reasonably required by the Funding and Compliance Manager or Head of Apprenticeship Support, commensurate with the grade and responsibilities of the role.

Other important features of the job role

Line management responsibilities: None.

Budget responsibility: None.

In this role you will liaise with the following: Apprentices, employers, regulators/external auditors, Admissions team, Business Development team.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• E = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement

How the person requirement will be assessed:

• A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment

• Please be aware that as part of safer recruitment and onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure unless specified otherwise), and three years employment history. This is all part of our commitment to safeguarding our students. Keeping our students safe is a responsibility shared by everyone within the University.

• Qualifications and training

• GCSE Maths and English language Grade C or 4 or above (E, A).

• Further education level qualifications (D, A).

• Recognised apprenticeship, compliance, audit or business qualification (D, A).

• Previous experience

• In a similar role within apprenticeships, funding compliance, education administration or another regulated environment (E, A, I).

• Interpreting and applying apprenticeship funding rules (E, A, I).

• Undertaking compliance, quality assurance, audit or detailed checking activities (E, A, I).

• Supporting audit preparation and evidence gathering (E, A, I).

• Identifying issues and supporting corrective actions within a regulated environment (E, A, I).

• Conducting compliance audits and producing audit reports (D, A, I).

• Within the education sector / built environment / higher education (D, A, I).

• Reviewing ILR data and funding validation reports (D, A, I).

• Resolving DLOCKs and Apprenticeship Service data issues (D, A, I).

• Off-the-Job Training compliance monitoring (D, A, I).

• Supporting system implementation or change projects (D, A, I).

• Undertaking Subsidy Control or Learner Support Funding reviews (D, A, I).

• Behaviours and attitudes

• Alignment to the University’s core values and growth mindset approach, which reflect our culture. Refer to the specific behaviours within the Competency Framework (E, I) – summarised within the careers site.

• Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for apprentices, employers and students (E, I).

• Commitment to continuous learning and professional development (E, I).

• A collaborative, positive and solution-focused approach to work (E, I).

• Skills, knowledge, other requirements

• Understanding of apprenticeship funding and compliance requirements (E, A, I).

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills (E, I).

• Ability to identify, assess and mitigate compliance risks (E, I).

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy (E, I).

• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills (E, I).

• Digital skills confidence: We use MS Office which includes Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and several other systems/technology (E, I).

• Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students regardless of your area of work within the University; we want our students to be successful (E, I).

• Ability to deliver training and guidance to colleagues (D, I)

• You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed. The University is regulated by the Office for Students and Ofsted, and we have specific requirements and expectations around safeguarding, Prevent, and anti-harassment and bullying. This is all part of our Competency Framework requirements (E, I).

• PAY AND BENEFITS

• Salary: Salary range £32,000 to £34,000 per annum.

• Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.

• Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the People’s Pension which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether. We provide life assurance (death in service) cover as standard to all employees.

• Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax-Free Childcare (Government scheme).

• Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.

• Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.

• Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.

• Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).

Other valuable benefits:

• Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.

• You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.

• We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.

• APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER

• For an informal discussion about the role please contact Renata Dzwonkowska on 0118 467 2039 or email [email protected]. For any other enquiries please contact HR on 0118 467 2454 / 2433 or email [email protected]

• Did one of our employees recommend you? If you apply on the recommendation of an existing employee, please make sure to mention their name within your application.

• We're passionate about sustainability and we have a five-year strategic plan: We exp