Our people
Our people make the OIA what it is. They are central to what we do and come to us from diverse backgrounds with a variety of skill sets and life experience. We have built a professional and committed team of staff who share our organisation's values and reflect them in our work, enabling us to fulfil our role and provide an effective service. On these pages you can find out more about our people, our organisational structure and our teams, and about working for us.
Helen Megarry and Ben Elger jointly lead the OIA as Independent Adjudicator and Chief Executive respectively.
Many of our staff work in case-handling roles, dealing with enquiries, deciding whether a complaint is one we can look at, and reviewing complaints. We are committed to treating everyone who comes to us fairly and with respect, and to deciding cases impartially.
Lana (Casework Administrator)
"Before coming to the OIA, I was an Equality and Human Rights Adviser for the Government Equality Office. Working as a Casework Administrator at the OIA is a good fit, because my job is varied and I like the fact that I am involved in the cases from the outset."
Amina (Case-handler)
“I am part of a busy team that deals with assessment, review and resolution of complaints. I enjoy being able to take ownership of a case and ensuring that I reach the right resolution as effectively as possible. It’s great to be in an environment that encourages collaborative working and sharing knowledge and ideas with colleagues”.
Craig (Assistant Adjudicator)
“The role of Assistant Adjudicator at the OIA appealed to me because I felt it would enable me to make a real difference and to have a role in sharing good practice in the HE sector. I have been struck by the dedication of the staff at the OIA and how passionate they are about justice and getting the decisions right.”
Our good practice and outreach work with providers and student representative bodies is led by a dedicated team, with support from case-handlers.
Gemma (Provider Liaison Officer)
"We have a diverse range of member providers and I believe it’s really important that all providers have the information they need to be able to engage with our Scheme and good practice guidance in an effective way. An important part of my role is helping to make sure that information is available - whether that’s via our outreach activities or dealing with queries from individual providers. Building relationships with providers in this way helps to ensure they can put that guidance into practice for the benefit of all their students."
Barry (Student Liaison Officer)
"As Student Liaison Officer, one of my priorities is to explore how we can engage and connect better with students and their representative bodies. I believe that listening to students who have used the Scheme, as well as those who haven’t, will improve our service and how we communicate. Engaging with students’ unions, associations and guilds for me is also vital. Representative bodies work directly with their student members and have a broad depth of experience and understanding of students and student issues. We’ve set in motion several projects to help us improve awareness of the Scheme amongst students, including working collaboratively with student representative bodies, and we’re excited about where this work will take us."
Our Stakeholder Engagement and Membership team works with sector bodies, Governments and other relevant organisations to contribute to the development of policy and legislation, as well as supporting the integration of providers who are new to our Scheme.
The work of the Office is supported by our organisational teams, which cover governance and executive support, communications, human resources, finance, IT, information management, and operations.
Rose (HR Advisor)
“I have responsibility for recruitment and learning and development. We recruit candidates of a very high calibre and they come to us from a diverse range of backgrounds, each of them bringing their own unique blend of skills and expertise. In my experience, the one thing they all have in common is the desire to keep learning and adapting so that they can deliver the best service possible.”
Katherine (Data Analyst)
"My role has developed quickly with plenty of opportunity to learn new skills. The improvements we have made to the periodic information we send to providers about their cases, following the Annual Statements moving online, have been particularly interesting. The working environment is incredibly supportive of new ideas and different perspectives. I have taken part in a number of exciting projects – including implementing MyOIA."
We are always looking for skilled people who share our values to join our team. Find out more about working for us.