Associate Technologist – Online Safety

Closing Date:

20/09/2024

Group:

Online Safety Group

Management Level:

Associate

Job Type:

Permanent

Job Description:

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Friday 20th September and therefore we advise getting your application by no later than midnight on Thursday 19th September.


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 Online Safety Technology (OST) Team:

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 exploitation, 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.

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.

About the Digital Identity and Age Assurance Team

Protection of Children is key to the Online Safety Act so the Digital Identity and Age Assurance team have the opportunity to engage with a wide range of teams across the Online Safety Group. Playing an advisory role across policy development, supervision and enforcement. As this is the first time regulation has been made in this space the team has a unique opportunity to use technical knowledge and experience impact the success of the Online Safety Act.

In addition, the team works with colleagues across the organisation and with external stakeholders to continually develop the skills and understanding required to ensure Ofcom keeps pace with the rapid rate of change and innovation in online and trust and safety technologies.

The purpose and scope of the role

The main function of this role will be to work in the Online Safety Technology, Digital Identity (DI) and Age Assurance (AA) Team. The team provides an advisory role supporting wider multi-disciplinary teams, comprising of policy specialists, technologists, economists, lawyers and others across Ofcom, working collaboratively on associated deliverables.

The role holder will have an opportunity to work alongside existing team members, carrying out desk research and more technical work to ensure that the OST Team has the most up to date technical knowledge of this fast moving and exciting area. The team work alongside other OSG areas to support the development of policy positions.

This role will be great opportunity for someone with a strong technical aptitude and a background or interest in Digital Identity, Age Assurance or Identity and Access Management, to work in this key area and build up policy, advisory, regulatory and communication skills as well as continuing to build technical knowledge.

Your Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will:

Be focused on advisory and project work in Digital Identity and Age Assurance.

Manage and support projects to explore in detail aspects of the systems, platforms and standards relating to Digital Identity and Age Assurance which are of concern to Ofcom; to brief senior management and to build the knowledge and understanding for the Online Safety Technology team.

Where relevant, work with external stakeholders (such as government departments, industry bodies, regulated services, technology providers and internal Ofcom colleagues) to ensure a ‘joined up’ approach to the technological aspect of our online regulation regime.

Identify and recommend practical work within Ofcom to explore technological capabilities relevant to the team’s work, and to develop new approaches and techniques to support our regulatory activity.

Provide technical input and support for cross-departmental projects and initiatives relevant to Ofcom’s role regulating online safety.

Develop relationships with relevant internal and external stakeholders.

Have the opportunity to promote and deliver specialist knowledge and training to colleagues and, more generally, to improve the capability of all colleagues in the organisation to understand online technologies.

Distressing Content Material
 

Applicants should be aware that an element of this role may be assessing and investigating complaints about audio-visual content. This may include potentially distressing content and material and/or themes.

Ofcom is committed to safeguarding our colleagues who undertake this type of work. We endeavour to reduce exposure to distressing content, material, and/or themes wherever possible. Where this isn't possible, we control the risk by ensuring that colleagues who are exposed to DCM are appropriately protected and supported. We offer a range of tailored support options, psychological screening assessments and access to specialist therapeutic support where required. 

The skills, knowledge and experience you’ll need for success

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

Pre-existing understanding of the technology involved in age assurance and/or identity verification technologies, or wider Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools. Or a demonstrable ability to research and understand these technologies.

An understanding of the systems and technologies employed by both large and small-scale online services; and an understanding of the harms that such platforms can present to consumers.

An awareness of policy debates around online identity/age assurance and relevant technologies that will fall within Ofcom’s regulatory instruction.

Articulating Ideas: The ability to demonstrate how technical concepts can result in tangible consequences for 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.

Can pick up new concepts (which could be related to policy or technical issues) and proactively identify opportunities to influence policy work and develop ideas for how to approach new issues.

Have strong organisational skills, managing their own and others’ time.

Are motivated and able to take the initiative to drive their own work forward in ambiguous situations.

Are a great written and oral communicator, able to convey technical information in a clear and concise way to a range of audiences.

Applying for this role 
 

If you are interested in the role, please submit your CV and a covering letter (up to 500 words) explaining your relevant skills, knowledge and experience and why you want to join the Online Safety Group at Ofcom as an Associate Technologist.

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, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or disability. 

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.

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.

Our recruitment processes prioritise accessibility and inclusivity. If you need information in an alternative format or have specific preferences, please contact our recruitment team at or call .

As a Disability Confident employer, we offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. Learn more about this scheme here. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/jobs/disability-confident-scheme