Senior Associate, Legal

Office of Communications; City Of London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading regulatory organisation in the UK seeks a Senior Associate legal advisor to provide expert legal advice on complex matters. You will manage a portfolio of legal work, ensuring compliance with Ofcom's strategy and policies. The position requires a qualified lawyer with experience in multiple legal areas. The role offers a salary between £75,000 and £85,000, alongside comprehensive benefits and a supportive team environment.

Benefits

Excellent benefits package

Flexibility in working arrangements

Support for mental health and well-being

Qualifications

• Post-qualification experience in private practice, in-house or at a public authority.
• Experience advising on regulatory or competition matters, consumer issues, media, technology, online safety, data protection, or public law.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of a portfolio of legal work across diverse projects.
• Assess and resolve legal risk in the context of Ofcom's overall strategy.
• Help produce clear and well-structured legal documents.
• Assist with litigation, working collaboratively with colleagues.
• Support more junior lawyers in a peer-review capacity.
• Identify challenges and help implement solutions.

Skills

Articulating ideas

Building solutions

Forming relationships

Owning accountabilities

Embracing change

Education

Qualified lawyer (solicitor, barrister or equivalent)

Job description

Closing Date: 19/09/2025

Group: Legal Group

Management Level: Senior Associate

Job Type: Permanent

Salary: 75,000 – 85,000 depending on experience, with an excellent benefits package

Employment Type: Full‑Time

Job Description

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Friday 19 September and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Thursday 18 September.

About the Team

Ofcom’s Legal team is part of our Legal & Enforcement Group. We are a friendly and diverse team based in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, bringing together each of our own strengths and specialisms to provide first‑class proactive and focused legal advice and support across the whole organisation.

We work closely with colleagues from a range of disciplines and professions to help Ofcom create, implement and enforce communications policy and regulation, and provide legal advice on all its key decisions.

The team consists of around 80 qualified lawyers with a range of legal backgrounds. The structure of the team comprises Ofcom’s General Counsel, Legal Directors, Principal Legal Advisors, Senior Associates, Associates, plus a paralegal, apprentices and a small number of non‑legal administrative assistants.

Over the last few years Ofcom’s remit has expanded to encompass telecoms, cyber‑security and online safety. We also have important new legislation to implement including the Media Act, and we are now looking to recruit more lawyers at Senior Associate level.

Purpose of the Role

As a Senior Associate legal advisor you will provide expert legal advice across the full spectrum of Ofcom’s work. Our Senior Associate lawyers typically work as part of a team on a big project or with a more senior lawyer acting as a peer reviewer, ultimately reporting to our Legal Directors and General Counsel. Senior Associates work with more independence than at Associate level and are expected to take on a greater degree of ownership of their work. Depending on experience, a Senior Associate may also peer‑review more junior lawyers.

You will work on complex and high‑profile matters that are often the subject of political and public interest and debate. These matters have the potential to raise new and significant points of law, and you will collaborate with colleagues and experts from a range of disciplines and professions.

You will have the opportunity to work on projects throughout their life cycle, including helping with early‑stage policy development, advising on consultation processes, decision‑making, and any subsequent litigation or enforcement.

Your key responsibilities

• Take ownership of and advise on a portfolio of legal work across diverse projects in a range of sectors, working independently and with other lawyers in the team
• Assess and resolve legal risk in the context of Ofcom’s overall strategy, including through risk‑based analysis and strategic advice on matters that raise new and significant points of law and Ofcom’s policy and programmatic work
• Help produce clear and well‑structured written documents, including drafting regulatory conditions, rules, codes, guidance and statutory instruments
• Assist with litigation, working collaboratively with colleagues across Ofcom and liaising with external stakeholders such as central government, other regulators and regulated industries
• Support more junior lawyers, including in a peer‑review capacity where relevant
• Contribute to strengthening Ofcom by identifying challenges and helping to implement solutions

Ofcom has a range of statutory duties designed to protect people in the UK from harmful material on TV, radio, on‑demand programming and online services. This role may involve work with potentially distressing content and themes. Ofcom is committed to safeguarding our colleagues through tailored support options, including annual psychological assessments for high‑risk roles and 24‑hour access to counselling services.

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

We welcome applications from qualified lawyers (solicitor, barrister or equivalent) with post‑qualification experience in private practice, in‑house or at a public authority advising on one or more of the legal areas relevant to Ofcom’s remit, including regulatory or competition matters, consumer issues, media, technology, online safety, data protection or public law. You need not have experience across all areas but should be prepared to work in a regulatory environment on new areas of law, sectors and technologies, with greater independence than our associate lawyers but with support and oversight from principal legal advisors and legal directors.

We are interested in people who can demonstrate the following:

• Articulating ideas: Communicate ideas, thoughts and information in writing and orally in a clear and concise manner, ensuring messages are understood, and provide clear, accessible legal advice in writing and when presenting to groups or in discussion.
• Building solutions: Analyse problems in new areas of law, new sectors and technology and provide robust advice on contentious areas. Think strategically and creatively to solve problems.
• Forming relationships: Work effectively as part of a team and collaborate successfully with others by building relationships with colleagues, reviewing documents and contributing constructively to projects to drive high‑quality outcomes.
• Owning accountabilities: Take responsibility for your actions, decisions and their outcomes, commit to getting the job done and further Ofcom’s interests. Work with increasing independence, escalating key issues to more senior legal input as needed.
• Embracing change: Take a structured but flexible approach to managing and prioritising your workload, anticipate and manage risks to project deadlines where there are competing demands on your time.

Inclusivity Statement

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, no matter your social background, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or disability. 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.

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. You can read more about our Rewards, Benefits and Well‑being on our careers page.

Our recruitment processes prioritize accessibility and inclusivity. If you need adjustments, information in an alternative format or prefer to apply in a different way, please contact us at [e-mail] or call 020 7278 1000.

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