Spectrum Services Operations Manager

Spectrum Services Operations Manager

Please note: this role will close at 00:01 on Friday 12 June, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Thursday 11 June.

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 you’ll be part of

The Spectrum Services Team & Project Management Office (PMO) team plays a pivotal role in enabling operational and project teams across the Spectrum Group to deliver with impact. Sitting within Spectrum Operations, the Spectrum Service Team provides strategic and operational support that underpins the effective delivery of Ofcom’s spectrum management responsibilities

The purpose and scope of the role

This is a rare opportunity to contribute in a forward-looking, operational support capacity at the heart of one of Ofcom’s most critical functions—helping manage the UK civil radio spectrum.

As the Spectrum Services Operations Manager, you will shape and drive the delivery of high-impact support services across a geographically dispersed team. Working in close partnership with the Head of Spectrum Services & PMO, you will help define the team’s strategic direction, translate vision into operational excellence, and ensure alignment with Ofcom’s broader mission to make communications work for everyone.

You will lead a multi-disciplinary operations support team, fostering a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and high performance. Your role will be instrumental in ensuring that operational support functions— including areas such as procurement, sanction management, asset & Fleet management, and governance—are not only efficient and effective in the support of operational teams, but also future-ready.

You will be a key member of the Spectrum Services & PMO management team, contributing to strategic planning, cross-functional collaboration, and organisational transformation. You will champion inclusive leadership, talent development, and data-driven decision-making, ensuring your team is empowered to deliver with purpose and agility

Your Key Responsibilities

As the Operational Manager, you’ll be expected to develop an understanding of the operational environment you’ll be managing within. Accountable for operational effectiveness and delivery of support services in providing leadership, support, and guidance to team members.

• Operational Excellence: Provide collaborative leadership across Spectrum Services & PMO, setting clear plans and monitoring delivery to time and quality, aligned with Ofcom’s strategic priorities and regulatory responsibilities.
• Team Empowerment: Inspire and develop a high-performing team, using strengths to deliver priorities, seeking and acting on feedback, and holding people to account
• Cross-Functional Influence: Collaborate across the Spectrum Group and wider Ofcom functions to ensure joined-up delivery and strategic coherence.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Frame key analytical questions and use insight to inform decisions, optimise resources and drive improvement, with clear assurance on data and document accuracy.
• Governance & Risk Management: Ensure robust governance across operational activities, proactively identifying risks and implementing effective mitigation strategies
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders, negotiating trade-offs and enabling timely, well-evidenced decisions on delivery and change
• Change Leadership: Lead significant improvement and change work, sharing knowledge and best practice at pace to enhance capability, service quality and organisational resilience.

You will champion personal development and embed a culture of coaching and continuous learning to elevate individual and team performance. With a strong focus on operational excellence, you will lead efforts to refine processes, enhance service delivery, and ensure consistent adherence to internal KPIs.

As line manager to Spectrum Services you will provide clear leadership, manage upwards where required, and hold others to account—acting as a trusted escalation point for complex or sensitive matters. You will actively support the wellbeing, flexibility, and inclusion of your team, embedding them into Ofcom’s wider culture and ways of working

Skills, Knowledge and Experience for Success
To thrive in this role, you will bring a blend of strategic insight, operational expertise, and inclusive leadership. You will have experience in:

• Executing Plans: Translating organisational priorities into structured operational delivery plans, ensuring support services (e.g. procurement, fleet, sanctions, governance) are delivered to agreed timelines, quality standards, and KPIs across geographically dispersed teams.

• Owning Accountabilities: Leading robust governance and compliance across operational support functions, proactively identifying risks, implementing mitigation strategies, and ensuring adherence to regulatory, audit, and assurance requirements within a regulated or public sector environment.

• Empowering Development: Leading and developing multi-disciplinary operations teams through coaching, feedback, and performance management, and fostering a high-performing, inclusive culture that supports wellbeing, continuous learning, and accountability.

• Forming Relationships: Building and maintaining effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, influencing decisions, aligning priorities, and enabling coordinated delivery of cross-functional operational services.

• Embracing Change: Leading operational change initiatives, driving process improvements, and embedding best practices to enhance service efficiency, organisational resilience, and future readiness of support functions.

• Operational Service Management & Process Optimisation: Managing operational support services (e.g. procurement, asset/fleet management, governance processes), with a strong focus on KPI delivery, service performance, and applying process improvement methodologies (e.g. Lean) to increase efficiency.

• Risk, Governance & Compliance Management: Implementing governance frameworks, managing operational risk registers, and ensuring compliance with relevant regulatory and organisational standards.

• Using Data: Applying data analysis and performance insights to optimise resource allocation, improve service delivery, and ensure accuracy in operational reporting, supporting evidence-based decision making and continuous improvement.

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, 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.