Senior Associate, Online Safety Policy Development

Ofcom; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ofcom in the UK is seeking a Senior Policy Manager within the Online Safety Group to lead policy development on child sexual abuse and exploitation online, shaping codes, guidance, and enforcement.

Based in the CSEA Policy Team, you will collaborate with legal, technical and economics colleagues, engage external partners, and drive policy changes while managing a busy workload in a 12-month fixed-term role.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading or contributing to regulatory policy development with evidence gathering and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to analyze complex information and draft policy proposals or recommendations for senior decision-makers.
• Experience presenting clear, evidence-based advice, preferably in law enforcement, charitable sector or Government context.

Responsibilities

• Apply subject-matter expertise on child sexual exploitation and abuse online to support policy development, compliance and stakeholder engagement.
• Utilize knowledge of CSEA threat and tech landscape to inform robust policy and address risks in encrypted services.
• Act as CSA SME to support supervision and enforcement teams in driving compliance with CSEA measures in Codes of Practice.
• Research and analyze trends in online child sexual abuse and their online manifestation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to consider government under-16s social media bans and their impact.
• Stay informed on technological changes affecting the spread of online CSA material.
• Build relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders in charitable sectors and government.
• Prioritize workload to deliver on strategic objectives and produce clear documents for internal and external use.
• Potential line-management responsibilities for Associates in the CSA team.

Job description

Closing Date:

11/10/2026

Group:

Online Safety Group

Management Level:

Senior Associate

Job Type:

Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Job Description

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Sunday 11 October, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Saturday 10 October.

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

The Online Safety Group’s purpose is to ensure UK citizens have a safer life online by implementing and overseeing the requirements under the Online Safety Act 2023. The Group is responsible for delivering online safety policy, supervising online services, and building technical expertise to meet the regime’s aims.

This role is within the Online Safety Policy Development team, which works at the centre of the Online Safety Group. The Policy Development team lead the development of Ofcom’s online safety policies which establish steps services should take to make users safer online. They are policy experts in online harms, mitigations and are responsible for implementing our policy codes and guidance.

This Senior Policy Manager role will be based in the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSEA) Policy Team. The role of the child sexual abuse and exploitation team is to create bold and innovative policy that protects the public from encountering child sexual abuse and exploitation online and prevents children becoming victim to child sexual abuse and exploitation online.

Our priorities over the next year involve driving compliance with the measures to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation that are already established in our Codes of Practice, assessing the impact of the Government’s proposals to ban U-16s from social media, and implementing further legislative changes as a result of the Crime and Policing Act.

Purpose of the Role

One of Ofcom’s key strategic priorities for online safety is to ensure that offenders cannot share child sexual abuse content and that children do not face unsafe contact online.

Our Senior Policy Advisors in the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSEA) Policy Team are subject matter experts that are responsible for leading key areas of policy development with the purpose of achieving this aim. They use their own expertise in this specialism to lead thinking, development, and delivery of new policy to prevent the spread of this content online and protect children from harm. They will also be responsible for challenging existing thinking and influencing change as an expert and trusted advisor on CSEA to colleagues across the Online Safety Group, particularly our supervision and enforcement teams.

This role is a fixed-term contract for a period of 12 months.

Your key responsibilities

• To apply your subject matter expertise on how child sexual exploitation and abuse manifests online to support a broad range of functions, including policy development, driving compliance and working with partners and stakeholders effectively.
• Utilise your knowledge of the CSEA threat and wider technical landscape to enable the development of effective and robust policy. This could include consideration of the specific risks associated with end-to-end encrypted services.
• Be the CSA subject matter expert to support Supervision and Enforcement teams in driving compliance with our existing CSEA measures in our Codes of Practice, with a particular focus on tackling online grooming.
• You will identify, research, and gather information and analysis about the latest trends and developments of how online child sexual abuse manifests online.
• Work with teams across the organisation to consider the implementation of the government’s under-16s social media ban and the impact of this on the CSEA threat.
• Stay abreast of changes in technological developments and how these impact the fight against the spread of child sexual abuse material online.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with teams across Ofcom, particularly with supervision colleagues and cross functional teams (legal, tech, economists).
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with key external stakeholders in the charitable sector and with relevant Government Departments.
• Own and prioritise your workload to ensure we are delivering upon our strategic priorities.
• Ensure the delivery of clear, concise, and focussed documents for internal consideration and external publication.
• It is possible you may have some line management responsibilities for Associates in the CSA team.

Content information and safeguarding:

Applicants should be aware that whilst these roles should not involve direct exposure to illegal content, however, given the nature of child sexual abuse and exploitation, this role has automatically been assessed as a one which does require the individual to work with distressing content, material, and themes. Ofcom is committed to safeguarding our colleagues who undertake this type of work and offers a range of tailored support options including training, annual psychological assessments and 24-hour access to counselling services.

Government National Vetting Requirements:

This role requires the successful candidate to undergo National Security Vetting to the level of Security Clearance (SC).

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

Technical Knowledge and Experience:

• Significant experience leading or contributing to regulatory policy development relevant to including evidence gathering, stakeholder engagement, analysis of complex information, drafting policy proposals or recommendations, and presenting clear, evidence-based advice to senior decision-makers, ideally with a background in law enforcement, charitable sector or Government.
• Candidates should have experience in policy development and subject matter expertise in one or more of the following areas: child online safety, safeguarding, or tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation and how it manifests online as well as an understanding on how the latest developments in technology impact the proliferation, spread and distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation online

Behavioural Attributes:

• Building Solutions: Identify and solve complex issues, using evidence-based methods to gather insights and develop well-founded solutions.
• Executing plans: Organise tasks and set clear goals, managing resources wisely, while keeping an eye on progress.
• Articulating ideas: Express your ideas, thoughts, and information in a clear and concise manner, ensuring messages are understood by everyone.
• Channelling influence: Guide opinions and decisions with compelling communication and persuasion techniques, looking to get everyone on the same game plan.
• Scanning Horizons: Grasp the bigger picture, foresee upcoming trends and challenges, and ensure actions and decisions are in sync
  with long-term objectives.
• Forming Relationships: Build and nurture positive relationships with people inside and outside the organisation.

Candidates who wish to receive a copy of the Job Description in Welsh are invited to contact [e-mail].

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 [e-mail] or 0330 912 1378.

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.