Project Lead – Online Safety Fees Regime

About Ofcom

Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day. We make sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.

Our culture is clear – we live by our values: Empowerment; Excellence; Collaboration; Agility and Respect. These define how we work to deliver our purpose, now and in the future. The behaviours which support these values set the path for a fully inclusive and innovative culture at Ofcom.

We focus not only on what we do, but how we do it. We pride ourselves on being an organisation of people who genuinely care about helping others.

Team overview

Almost every part of our lives is now online. As well as bringing many benefits, there are also real risks posed online by harmful or illegal activity - from hate speech to bullying and harassment to child sexual abuse, and more. The UK Government has appointed Ofcom as the new regulator for online safety. There has never been a more meaningful time to join Ofcom on our mission to create a safer life online.

Purpose of the Role

This role will lead the development of the online safety funding regime, ensuring the project outcomes are met and delivered on time. This work is essential to ensure our online safety regulation has a sustainable financial footing in the medium-term, and is therefore foundational to our online safety mission.

You will be responsible for the development of novel and complex policy proposals: to do this you will lead a multidisciplinary team including colleagues from policy, finance, economics and legal specialisms. Our proposals are likely to generate close scrutiny externally and you will oversee engagement on this issue with a range of stakeholders, including regulated services that may be impacted by the proposals.

You will also contribute to engagement with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), with whom we have shared responsibilities around implementation of the online safety fees regime.

This role is being offered as a 12-month secondment (for internal candidates) or fixed term contract (for external candidates), with the role expected to conclude following the finalisation of our policy proposals in 2025. However, there may be a need to extend the term of this role depending on how the regime develops.  

Key responsibilities

• Lead the development of Ofcom’s fees regime for online safety, working with the team to identify the key trade-offs and creating workable and evidence-based policy proposals.
• Oversee analysis of various evidence sources, in particular responses to Ofcom’s upcoming fees consultation.  
• Ensure the clearest possible articulation of our proposals and their justification, including through planning and quality assuring formal products such as Ofcom’s advice to the Secretary of State.
• Drive the team to deliver against goals, ensuring priorities are met and tasks are clearly scoped and delivered on time, accounting for the need for inclusive peer review, consultation and governance.
• Ensure clear communication and maintain close links with other internal teams, including Ofcom’s policy, finance, economics, legal and public policy teams.
• Career & Performance Management of colleagues working in this area.
• Work with the wider Supervision Management Team to lead the Supervision Team through its growth phase.
• Promote corporate initiatives that make a positive difference to how we work as a group and organisation.
• Act as a role model, actively demonstrating Ofcom’s values of excellence, collaboration, agility, empowerment and respect

Skills, knowledge and experience

• Experience of leading policy development in a project environment, including setting direction and overseeing contributions from a range of team members with different backgrounds and specialisms to ensure high quality analysis. 
• Ability to think critically, apply problem solving techniques to manage issues/risks and weigh up complex arguments to make proportionate, evidence-based decisions.
• Ability to oversee the development and delivery of clear action plans for moving forward with the outcomes of the regime in mind.
• Strong editorial skills to ensure that all documents are drafted in a clear and accessible way.
• Highly skilled in communicating complex and contentious subjects clearly to a wide range of audiences.
• Experience of building and maintaining effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders, with a proven ability to influence and persuade.
• Excellent people management skills, with the ability to develop colleagues so they can reach their potential.
• Excellent prioritisation skills, and ability to respond to the unexpected.  

Desirable

• Existing knowledge of the business models of the tech companies in scope of the online safety regime.
• Existing knowledge/understanding of funding policy development or implementation, especially in a regulatory or public sector context.
• Knowledge and ability to apply formal project management methodologies such as Agile, Scrum, Project Management Body of Knowledge, PRINCE2 etc.

How to apply

Please submit a covering letter alongside your application, of no more than 500 words, detailing how you demonstrate the skills and experience required for the role. Please note, you are able to upload multiple documents at the point where you upload your CV.