Closing Date: 21/02/2025
Group: Strategy and Research Group
Management Level: Associate
Job Type: Permanent
Job Description:
Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Friday 21 February. We advise getting your application by no later than midnight on Thursday 20 February.
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 to TV, radio, the postal service, and wireless devices. We’re also taking on the challenge of making the online world a safer place. 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
The Research and Intelligence (R&I) team is part of the Strategy and Research group and is essential to Ofcom’s role as an evidence-based regulator. The Market Research team’s role is to ensure the decisions that Ofcom makes are based on evidence about consumer, citizen, and audience behaviour. We do this by working with external, independent market research agencies to provide the evidence needed to monitor outcomes in the communications market and to address policy questions. Colleagues in our team work closely with other teams across Ofcom, often as part of multi-disciplinary project teams that draw expertise from across Ofcom’s departments.
Purpose of the Role
We are seeking a Market Research Associate to work primarily on research within the online sector, although there may be opportunities to work across broadcasting and telecoms and post sectors. Associates are responsible for market research projects from start to finish. The successful candidate will work closely with other teams in Ofcom to define research objectives, select the best supplier, and then collaborate with the chosen supplier to design, execute, and report on the research findings. We expect these research projects to be innovative, employing cutting-edge methodologies and analysis techniques. The post holder will have key working relationships with our external supplier(s) and with the Making Sense of Media, VSP, and Online Safety policy teams.
Your key responsibilities
* Manage quantitative and qualitative market research projects for Ofcom across the markets Ofcom regulates.
* Help assess the research requirements of colleagues in our policy teams, demonstrating awareness and understanding of the policy context and of Ofcom’s overall mission, to develop appropriate research briefs which fulfil the requirements in a timely and cost-effective fashion.
* Stay up-to-date with external research and insight from industry/academic sources.
* Stay up-to-date with industry best practices and new market research methodologies, including the application of Artificial Intelligence to research processes.
* Commission and manage market research agencies and consultants, assuming responsibility for their performance, timeliness, and quality of output.
* Evaluate and interpret market research findings to generate insight that enables Ofcom to develop regulatory policy from a sound evidence base.
* Communicate research results/insights to colleagues, and help ensure research evidence is effectively integrated into policy decision making.
* Produce high-quality charts, interactive data, and written research reports suitable for external publication.
The skills, knowledge, and experience you will need for success
Essential skills:
* Data analysis: Excellent attention to detail and analytical skills. Ability to quality assure and interpret data to identify key points and provide evidence-based insights.
* Building solutions: A good understanding and experience of working on a broad range of quantitative and qualitative market research projects, using a wide range of methodologies.
* Programme management: Experience of managing or delivering tracking and ad-hoc market research programmes to high standards that can withstand scrutiny.
* Executing plans: Strong organisational, planning, and project management skills. Ability to prioritise and deliver on competing deadlines.
* Articulating ideas: Ability to present data in a concise, clear, and easily accessible way to internal and external audiences of differing levels of seniority, using various techniques including charts, well-written text, and oral presentations.
* Forming relationships: Ability to build, trust, and maintain business relationships with teams across Ofcom as well as strong relationship management skills with market research suppliers.
* Innovative mindset: Experience of, or appetite for, embracing new or novel ways of designing, gathering, and communicating market research insight.
Essential experience:
* Market Research agency or client-side experience.
Desirable skills:
* Ability to use market research data analysis tools (e.g., SPSS, Askia, PowerBI).
How to apply:
Please apply with a CV and a short cover letter setting out why you are interested in working for Ofcom, your relevant experience, and your office location preference.
Ofcom has a clear mission: to make communications work for everyone. 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.
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. 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 resourcing@ofcom.org.uk or call 0330 912 1378.
As a Disability Confident employer, we offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. Learn more about this scheme here.
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