16-19 Funding Unit Manager

The Department for Education (DfE) is supported by around 8,000 staff and is responsible for supporting learners at every stage of education and training.

The 16-19 Funding Unit Manager role sits within the 16-19 Funding Unit, part of the Funding and Financial Directorate. The Unit manages approximately £8.6 billion of funding that supports around 4.6 million students across nearly 4,800 institutions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Specifying and developing complex funding calculations, ensuring they are delivered efficiently, accurately, and in line with policy requirements.
• Quality assuring a range of data products and processes to ensure that data inputs, outputs, and calculations are accurate, robust, and fit for purpose.
• Leading or supporting funding implementation projects, collaborating with stakeholders and carrying out data analysis to inform delivery and decision-making.
• Identifying and developing opportunities to enhance standard data products derived from a variety of sources, including the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and School Census data.
• Producing high-quality guidance, technical specifications, and documentation for data products and funding calculations.
• Responding promptly and effectively to enquiries from internal and external stakeholders.
• Delivering ad hoc data analysis to a high standard, often within challenging timescales.
• Working closely with policy teams to ensure the 16-19 funding formula is implemented effectively.
• Leading on complex casework relating to individual institutions, funding allocations, and wider funding policy issues.

The role requires using SQL to query and analyse large datasets and Excel to perform complex calculations, data validation, and reporting.

Working Pattern: We welcome applications from candidates seeking part-time or compressed working patterns. However, due to the nature of the work and the shift coverage required, the minimum number of contracted hours for this role is 30 hours per week over a 4-day period.

Benefits: Alongside your salary of £44,305, the Department for Education contributes £12,835 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time, and compressed hours.