Policy Advisor; Online Safety

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Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 9 March, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Sunday 8 March.

We have both fixed term and permanent positions available for this role, please specify in your cover letter if you have a preference between the two.

About the Team

The Online Safety Group’s purpose is to ensure UK citizens have a safer life online by implementing and overseeing the requirements under the Online Safety Act 2023. The Group is responsible for delivering online safety policy, supervising online services, and building technical expertise to meet the regime’s aims.

This role is within the Online Safety Policy Development team, which works at the centre of the Online Safety Group. The Policy Development team lead the development of Ofcom’s online safety policies which establish steps services should take to make users safer online. They are policy experts in online harms, mitigations and are responsible for implementing our policy codes and guidance.

This team works closely with cross functional colleagues from other teams in the organisation to use their skills and experience to develop robust policy. These include legal experts, technologists, economists, and research specialists amongst others.

Purpose of the Role

Sitting within the Online Safety Group (OSG), this role supports the development of Ofcom’s approach to regulating online safety, including how Ofcom protects users from harmful and illegal content. You will work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment on some of the most complex and challenging issues facing society. The role will include working on the development of new online standards for harmful and illegal online content and helping to shape innovative regulatory approaches to assessing, measuring and enforcing compliance. A key aspect will be understanding the challenges for regulation in a fast-changing world of digital and technology innovation. Collaboration with colleagues from across OSG and the wider organisation will be integral to this role. You will also have plenty of opportunities to develop analytical, problem solving and project management skills. 

Policy Associates support the development and delivery of our programme of policy work and are central to the success of the regime and delivering improved outcomes for users online. Examples of the variety of roles in this team include providing subject matter expertise on corporate governance and risk management, identifying solutions for specific online harms, considering safety mitigations for specific users, or evaluating how transparency can drive service design change.

Your key responsibilities

• Support project teams to solve complex problems by developing options and considering their practicality, risks and long-term implications. 

• Research and analyse multiple data sources on particular topics and draw conclusions together for the wider team.

• Provide practical project management support to work areas, such as setting up meetings, project planning and feeding into programme management.  

• Ensure the delivery of clear, concise and focused documents, such as meeting notes, agendas, briefings, consultation documents and research reports, for internal use or external publication. 

• Support your team to build and maintain strong relationships with relevant online services in order to understand, assess and, where necessary, support improvements in protections for users.  Build and maintain effective relationships with teams across Ofcom, ensuring they are updated, included and feel heard. 

• Develop and foster online expertise across Ofcom’s online work programme and keep across online trends and technological developments. Keep abreast of the public policy landscape in relation to online regulation. 

Please note, this role may involve some research or policy development into areas such as preventing hate and terrorism, online child sexual abuse, material promoting suicide or self-harm, or other potentially sensitive and/or distressing topics. 

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

In your covering note please demonstrate your experience of at least one of the following:

• Policy analysis and or policy drafting

• Information analysis - and experience of drawing out information from evidence and making decisions/assimilations

• Reporting writing/drafting skills

Grade-Based skills:

• Evaluating Problems: Identify and solve issues by using well-thought-out strategies. Consider different angles and potential solutions to resolve concerns.

• Generating Insights: Use evidence-driven methods to gather insights, and make well-founded decisions based on thorough analysis.

• Trailblazing Ideas: Bring fresh perspectives through creative and original ideas that improve processes, policies, or services.

• Embracing Change: Remain flexible in the face of change, anticipating and adjusting to shifts.

• Pursuing Growth: Show your commitment to growing and developing. Pursue opportunities to learn and add to your skillset.

• Harmonising Work: Work effectively with others, creating an honest team environment and sharing valuable information and resources.

• Articulating Ideas: Express your ideas, thoughts, and information in a clear and concise manner, ensuring messages are understood by everyone

Inclusivity Statement

Ofcom has a clear mission: to make communications work for everyone.  To be able to deliver on this, we want our organisation to reflect the diversity of background, experience, upbringing and thought that exists across the UK.  We aim to recruit from the widest pool of candidates possible – no matter your social background, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. We also warmly welcome applicants who are returning to the workforce after a break – for whatever reason. If you have taken time away and are ready to rejoin, we look forward to reviewing your application.

Where positions are listed as full-time, we remain open to reduced hours, part-time arrangements, job shares, and other flexible working options. From day one, we champion flexible work arrangements to accommodate individual needs. You can read more about our Rewards, Benefits and Well-being on our careers page.

Our recruitment processes prioritise accessibility and inclusivity. If you need adjustments, information in an alternative format, or prefer to apply in a different way, please contact us at [email protected] or call 0330 912 1378.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. Learn more about this scheme here.  https://careers.ofcom.org.uk/careers/how-we-hire/