Behrens began his career at Coventry Polytechnic, where he lectured in Public Policy and Administration. In 1988, he joined the Civil Service and helped develop Fast-Stream programmes on government and social policy at the Civil Service College. In 1992, Behrens became the Director of the Southern African Development Unit which involved the preparation of a Post-Apartheid Public Service. For his work, he was personally thanked by President Nelson Mandela. In 1997, Behrens was promoted to the Senior Civil Service where he became the Director of the International Public Service Group. The ISPG provided valuable assistance to 25 countries in transition, including countries that were applying for membership to the European Union. Behrens then became the Secretary to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, in 2003. The role included providing advice to the Prime Minister on issues regarding ethics and conduct of public office holders. In January 2005, he oversaw the Committee's tenth inquiry and report, and the publication of the first national survey of public attitudes towards Public Office Holders. He left the Civil Service in 2006 to become the Complaints Commissioner of the Bar Standards Board. The BSB regulates the behaviours and set standards for Barristers in England and Wales. In July 2007, Behrens published a report regarding a strategic review of complaints and disciplinary processes for the BSB, highlighting a series of recommendations to improve the way the BSB is run. The report highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of the complaints system and targeted changes which made "common sense" to improve the system. In the summer of 2008, Behrens became the Independent Adjudicator and Chief Executive of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education. He replaced the first Independent Adjudicator, Baroness Ruth Deech and became a full-time Adjudicator highlighting the rise in student complaints since its inception in 2004. Behrens' first major statement in October 2008 was to produce the Pathway Report to develop the OIA into a key stakeholder in the Higher Education spectrum, along with making sure that the day to day processes are up to standard. Key Stakeholders were invited to comment and qualitative and quantitative findings and comments were published in the report which was published in February 2010. At the end of 2010, the OIA produced the second round of the Pathway Report highlighting the key issues emerging from the Pathway Report, and in July 2011, released the Pathway 3 Consultation in reply to the Higher Education White Paper, highlighting the importance of students at the heart of the system. In January 2011, Behrens was named as a lay member of the BSB board. In June 2011, the OIA produced their Annual Report which signifies yet another record rise in complaints and singled out Academic Misconduct as an emerging issue. Behrens was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to higher education. Behrens was appointed Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on 6 April 2017. When Rob Behrens was in charge of the OIA, there was a great deal of dissatisfaction from complainants regarding his handling of issues such as transparency, impartiality leading to a strong sense of bias towards the institutions in which the OIA was supposed to be independent of. This dissatisfaction has followed him across to the PHSO, where similar criticisms have been made by, once again, multiple complainants. In his role at the OIA and the PHSO, Behrens has used his unfettered discretion to control the narrative, the data and the publications of what both organisations do. In contrast, complainants who cannot get their concerns made publicly visible through the OIA or PHSO websites, publish else where. The general consensus from both groups is that the Ombudsman takes at face value the version given to them by the organisation, whilst undermining complainants themselves as well as their complaints. Evidence supporting complaints go missing, excessive time is taken to bring a complaint to a conclusion so that the complainants options to pursue a civil action are timed out leaving them with no options left open to them. Conclusions result from investigations which are done in secrecy and do not follow the weight of the evidence by where evidence is selectively chosen, which provides a rationale, albeit often in coherent, that leads to supporting the institution involved, whilst repeatedly ignoring strong evidence of wrong doing and cover-ups. Robert Behrens has been rewarded for overseeing this pattern of conduct by receiving his CBE for services to education.
Personal life
Behrens is an avid supporter of Manchester City Football Club and is an occasional contributor to 'The Man City Show' Podcast. Behrens is also a Trustee of the Fort Hare University Foundation, UK.
