Senior Technologist

Please note: this role will close at 00:01 on Wednesday 5 August, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Tuesday 4 August.

About Ofcom 

As the UK’s communications regulator, we’re delivering vital work that helps keep the UK connected and shapes the future of how we’ll stay connected with each other.

Our work covers everything from phones and broadband, through to TV, radio, the postal service, and wireless devices. We’re also taking on the challenge of making the online world a safer place. And we need people of all backgrounds, skill sets, and experiences to help us achieve our goal of making communications work for everyone.

About the Team

Almost every part of our lives is now online: we use online spaces to learn, play, make connections, do business and keep in touch. Alongside the many benefits, users face real risks from harmful or illegal content - from fraud, hate speech, bullying and harassment, child sexual exploitation, and more. Ofcom is the new regulator for online safety in the UK and there has never been a better time to join us on our mission to create a safer life online.  

Ofcom’s role will be to hold online services to account for the steps they take to protect their users from harmful content, in order to ensure a safer life online for UK internet users. These roles provide an opportunity to help create a safer online environment and leave a lasting legacy for future generations. 

This role will be part of Ofcom’s Online Safety Group, whose broader purpose is to lead our work in ensuring UK citizens have a safer life online. The Group consists of five teams – Policy Development, Supervision, Strategy Delivery, Tech Policy and Online Safety Tech. This role sits within the Online Safety Tech team.

About the team you’ll be part of

The Online Safety Technology team conducts research to build knowledge and understanding in subject areas fundamental to online safety. This includes, for example, AI and machine learning, digital identity, privacy enhancing technologies, decentralisation, user experience, gaming, network infrastructure, and digital forensics. The team provides technical expertise to policy, supervision and enforcement colleagues in the wider Online Safety Group, and others in Ofcom, during policy development processes and industry engagement activities.

The purpose and scope of the role

The successful candidate will play a leading role within the Online Safety Technology team to help deliver a programme of work that will develop and share fundamental understanding of the technologies that underpin online services to help meet Ofcom's Online Safety objectives.

We are looking for somebody who will act as a “go‑to” subject matter expert on relevant existing and emerging technologies, synthesising insights from analysis, research and experimentation to provide technical advice and inform stakeholder understanding of the implications of technological developments for online trust and safety.

Your key responsibilities

• Provide expert guidance to policy, supervision and enforcement colleagues in the wider Online Safety Group and across Ofcom during policy development processes and industry engagement activities, on the technical aspects of online safety.

• Analyse the technical feasibility of regulatory proposals and assess their potential impact on online platforms, users and other stakeholders.

• Provide technical input to support assessments of platform systems and processes against regulatory requirements.

• Lead the design and delivery of complex research projects, often in partnership with specialist third parties and other policy/functional specialists (e.g. strategists, economists, lawyers, data scientists etc.), ranging from desk-based reviews to the delivery of practical experimental and technical demonstration projects.

• Manage and support projects focussed on:

  • examining in detail aspects of the systems, platforms and standards which are of concern to Ofcom;

  • creating an evidence base for the application of a technology or combination of initiatives to tackle particular challenges relating to online safety, including informing assessments against regulatory expectations;

  • identifying and analysing new technologies that present significant opportunities in areas where existing regulation may be incomplete; and

  • supporting the development of new regulatory mechanisms.

• Produce analytical outputs to support senior management decision‑making and internal technical capability building across the Online Safety Technology team and the wider Online Safety Group.

• Monitor developments in the tech industry, including innovations in AI, machine learning, encryption, and data management, to anticipate and advise on future regulatory challenges.

• Proactively manage internal relationships to help define business-relevant research programmes and maximise the application of findings, including by effectively communicating with non-technical audiences.

• Strengthen external relationships with industry, academia, and public bodies to jointly define and deliver research programmes successfully.

• Represent Ofcom and advocate for the role of technology across a range of external industry and policy working groups, in order to shape the technology debate, the regulatory landscape and inform national policy.

Skills, knowledge and experience

To be successful in this role, you will be able to demonstrate:

• Practical and theoretical expertise in the architectures, integration strategies, deployment models and operation of online networks and systems

• Understanding of key concepts in Safety by Design, cybersecurity, encryption standards and data privacy practices with practical knowledge of how these areas affect online safety.

• Practical knowledge of the operation of technical tools and techniques used in online content moderation, including AI/ML-driven systems for text, image and video analysis, methods such as hash matching, keyword detection and rule-based filters, and user access control.

• Knowledge of assessment techniques to evaluate the performance and scalability of technology systems related to content moderation and user safety.

• Experience of working in a technical advisory role, with a focus on online safety, digital security, or internet governance is desirable.

• Articulating Ideas: The ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for non-technical audiences, including internal and external stakeholders, consumers, and policy areas.

• Harmonising work: The ability to work across organisational boundaries in multi-disciplinary project teams of policy professionals, technologists, data specialists and lawyers to understand requirements and their mapping to technical specifications and delivering business outcomes.

• Forming Relationships: Strong interpersonal skills and evidence of an ability to interact effectively with, and influence, a range of internal and external stakeholders.

• Scanning Horizons: The ability to take a strategic view by identifying emerging trends, risks and opportunities and aligning decisions and actions with long-term goals to inform effective policy and delivery outcomes.

Qualifications

• Educated to at least degree level (or equivalent) in a relevant engineering or science subject but candidates with evidence of equivalent demonstrable skills and experience in required specialist knowledge areas will also be considered.

Inclusive hiring at Ofcom

At Ofcom, our mission is clear: to make communications work for everyone. To achieve that, our people must reflect the diversity of the UK, in background, identity and experience. 

We believe innovation thrives when difference is valued and everyone feels empowered to contribute their ideas and perspectives. That’s why we welcome colleagues of all ethnicities and races, sexes, genders and gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, faiths and beliefs, and those with apparent and non‑apparent disabilities. We value socio‑economic diversity, life experience and neurodiversity too. Whether you’re a carer, a parent, a veteran, or re‑entering work after time away, your voice and perspective matter here. 

Flexibility is at the heart of how we work because we want you to thrive in a way that suits you best. Most roles can therefore be adapted for part‑time hours, job shares, or other flexible arrangements. Learn more about our Rewards, Benefits and Wellbeing on our careers page. 

Our recruitment process is intentionally designed to be open and accessible. If you need adjustments, information in a different format or an alternative way to apply, contact us at (phone number removed). 

As a proud Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role. You can read more about this commitment here. 

Whoever you are, whatever your story, you belong at Ofcom.