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Working here

HESA is now part of Jisc. Jisc is now the data controller of personal data previously controlled by HESA. Pages on the HESA website are being updated to reflect this change. Please see updated Privacy information.

At HESA, we are passionate about the value of high quality data and analysis in enhancing the higher education sector.

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For over 25 years we have been confidently informing the higher education funding councils, the Government, Universities, and researchers. Our data connects people and organisations, supporting the advancement of the higher education sector across the UK. We bring information together, and our data enables students to make better decisions about their education, career, and future.

Our position within the sector, uniquely funded as a charity, allows us to help shape the data and analytical landscape. As the nature of how people store and create their personal information changes, so too do our projects and teams, who work to innovate within the sector. Supporting each other to succeed, we are excited by future possibilities. More than that, we do it together with a genuine sense of camaraderie. With us, someone would experience a career within a unique community that helps hundreds of thousands of people make better decisions about their future.

The changing data and higher education landscapes pose many challenges. We are embracing these challenges in order to secure our position as the trusted source of higher education data and analysis, enhancing the higher education sector.

Our team of around 125 staff work across a range of areas, from software development to big data analysis and from sector research to advanced project management.

photo of internal office space at HESA

Culture and benefits

We offer an open and inclusive working environment. We nurture and challenge our staff to ensure they meet their full potential.

We promote agile and collaborative working throughout the organisation, numerous training and development opportunities, and flexible employment policies. 

Our large, open-plan offices in the centre of Cheltenham feature a range of communal areas. Comfortable sofas and bean bags allow for individual reflection and informal meetings. This atmosphere is enhanced through regular charity and social events which everyone is encouraged to take part in.

We have a range of benefits, including:

  • A holiday package starting with 25 days of annual leave, increasing each year to a maximum of 30.
    • Plus English bank holidays
    • An extra 'agency day' at Christmas.
  • Hybrid working policy with a mix of working from home and office attendance.
  • A range of professional training and development opportunities, allowing you to work towards an advanced qualification.
  • Free parking in the centre of Cheltenham, offered on a rota basis.
  • Performance reviews, including an annual salary review.
  • Paid maternity and paternity leave and paid or unpaid time off for dependants.
  • Membership of either the SAUL or USS pension schemes (depending on your role).
  • Free access to an award winning Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to help you deal with personal and professional issues.

HESA employees work when and where it best suits them and the work that they are doing. Some of our employees prefer to be onsite most days and others prefer to work from home for the majority of the time.

We offer home working contracts as well as hybrid contracts (which allow you to balance work from home and the office in a way that suits you and your work). We offer this flexibility from day one of employment and can discuss your preferences at interview.

We value our staff and invest in their personal and professional development. The views of staff are important to us, and the results of our annual staff engagement survey inform top-level decision making and help us improve as an employer.

Key results from our 2019 survey:

  • 99% of staff say "I generally have good relationships with people I work with"
  • 87% say "my work is interesting"
  • 98% say "I am happy with the benefits provided"
  • 84% say "I enjoy my job at HESA"
  • 89% think HESA is a good place to work
  • 89% agree that team work is encouraged

As an employer, we are committed to the wellbeing of our staff to ensure a happy and healthy HESA, we have invested in a dedicated Wellbeing Hub designed to share our company principles within this area and to share what help is available; which includes on-site mental health first aiders, to help you choose the right support for you.

There are four pillars of Wellbeing at HESA:

  1. Positive environments. Building, improving and maintaining positive and supportive working environments​
  2. Policies and practice. Embedding wellbeing in our HR policies and people practices
  3. Mental wellness. Encouraging and supporting staff to maintain good mental health and manage problems should they arise​
  4. Removing mental ill-health stigma. Creating a culture where more people feel able to talk openly about their mental health as they do physical health​​

Median pay gap statistics:

man and woman gender pay gap image 15.5% September 2016,  2.6% May 2019

We are proud that we have reduced our gender pay gap over the last three years and are striving to improve upon this further. We’ve achieved this reduction through:

  • Promotion of women into senior positions
  • Higher recruitment of women into software roles
  • Offering flexible working options, to assist a better work/life balance

We are based in the centre of Cheltenham, in the heart of the Cotswolds.

Cheltenham is the most complete Regency town in the UK with a population of circa. 117,000 and has the perfect mix of traditional and new. It was recently rebranded as 'The Festival Town', due to it's hosting 25+ significant festivals each year, several of which are world leading. These include cultural events like the literature, science and jazz festivals and the legendary Gold Cup. Alongside festivals it has an exceptional range of fabulous cafes, bars and restaurants, with outside seating areas offering a café culture and cosmopolitan atmosphere, and award-winning stylish shopping.

It is also home to two campuses of the University of Gloucestershire, and other large employers nearby are GCHQ and UCAS to name a few.

We are situated close to the M5 and are also well connected by train; direct services to London take just over 2 hours; services to neighbouring cities of Bristol and Birmingham take under one hour.

To find out more about what Cheltenham has to offer take a look at the Visit Cheltenham website.