Director of Research Innovation and Data

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Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 16 November, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Sunday 15 November.

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

Research & Intelligence (R&I) sits in the Strategy and Research Group (SRG). It is comprised of around 90 colleagues, encompassing market research, market intelligence and data specialists, structured around five hubs, each providing expert advice and insight – Online, Media, Telecoms & Post, Statistics & Analytics and Behavioural Insights.

The R&I Team provides research, data, insight and analysis to inform policy development and strategic decision-making. The team applies market research, behavioural insights, data science and intelligence-gathering techniques to deliver impactful insight.

The R&I team collects data from a range of different sources, including primary research surveys, device applications which monitor media consumption and use, customer and financial data from regulated firms, public domain data, and third-party data sources, including BARB, RAJAR and Ipsos Iris.

Purpose of the Role

The Director of Research Innovation and Data has been created to maximise the value and insight that Ofcom extracts from the R&I team’s data and drive forward a refreshed strategy to build a research function fit for the future: anchored in priority areas, agile in responding to changing priorities, maximising value from the available budget by building new capabilities and using alternative approaches and methodologies.

 The role sits alongside the Director of Market Research and the Director of Market Intelligence in providing collective leadership of the Research & Intelligence team. It will lead on the development and delivery of a data and innovation strategy that develops the team’s capabilities and provides teams across Ofcom with timely and user-friendly access to high-quality and clearly presented data, and relevant insights derived from the data.

There are four specific areas that the successful candidate will provide leadership of.

• The R&I team’s Statistics and Data Analytics hub, which is a team of approximately 20 statisticians and data specialists, led by the Head of Statistics and Head of Analytics and Information (direct reports into the role).
• The R&I team’s behavioural insight research (led by the Head of Behavioural Insight who will be a direct report), working closely with colleagues in Ofcom’s Economics & Analytics Group.
• The development and scaling up of innovative research methods, including but not limited to direct observation (social listening, passive monitoring, avatar-based research and so on) is a key focus for the team, and this role will be critical in prioritising and developing capabilities.

• Oversight of the R&I team’s small programme management function charged with the operational management of the team’s programme of work, including resource planning and the tracking and reporting of progress against milestones and against budget.

Your key responsibilities

Develop and deliver R&I’s data strategy

• Drive data innovation ensuring that Ofcom’s research function is maximising opportunities offered by leading-edge data science techniques and AI and is fit for the future
• Work with peers in other teams across Ofcom, including the Digital, Data and AI Director, the Director of Online Safety Data & Intelligence and directors in Economics and Analytics Group to champion R&I’s data needs and develop and implement Ofcom-wide systems and processes that enable efficient, scalable, and consistent data and insight delivery.
• Ensure alignment between tools, platforms, and ways of working to support innovation and efficiency.
• Drive the effective use of the R&I team’s data and insight across the organisation, maximising impact through the creation of user-friendly access points, compelling storytelling, high-quality visualisation, and outputs focused on the needs of end users.
• Ensure rapid, responsive and responsible turnaround of R&I data processing to meet organisational and stakeholder needs.
• Lead best practice in quality assurance, data ethics, data analysis and presentation to unlock the full value of available data
• Create frameworks and team culture to enable experimentation in methods and approaches that further our understanding of best practices in research and data analytics and expand our understanding of the sectors that Ofcom regulates

Strengthen Cross-Organisational Collaboration

• Build effective partnerships, and agreed ways of working and roles & responsibilities with other teams that have responsibility for data management and insight delivery (including: Online Safety Data & Intelligence team; Digital, Data & AI team; and Economics & Analytics Group).
• Work with peer directors in collective leadership of organisational design thinking and future operating models across data and research functions to optimise capability, efficiency, and strategic alignment.

External engagement

• Build and leverage a network of external relationship including with counterparts in other regulators to ensure that we are sharing information and benefiting from best practice.

• Represent Ofcom externally in meetings and events with stakeholders across industry, government, consumer groups, media and academia, bringing the outside in to improve Ofcom’s research and data functions, while building Ofcom’s reputation and impact externally.

Leadership and Line Management

Act as Lead Director, building high-performing and resilient functions for:

• Statistics & Analytics
• Behavioural research and direct observation research
• Programme management

• Act as Career & Performance Manager for senior team members, providing strategic leadership, coaching, and development to senior team members
• Collective leadership of the Research & Intelligence team alongside the Director of Market Research and the Director of Market Intelligence
• Collective leadership of the Strategy & Research Group as a member of the Group’s Leadership team
• Member of Ofcom’s Senior Leadership Group, leading on cross-Ofcom initiatives as required

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

• Data science / AI capabilities - skills and experience of using leading-edge data tools and analytics to deliver insight from large and complex datasets
• Data ethics and extensive experience of responsible and legal use of data
• Strong understanding of research methodologies to collect data and drive insight about consumer behaviour and market outcomes
• Programme management - experience in running complex programmes and managing budgets and people resources
• Developing and delivering a strategy
• Management and leadership
• Relationship building
• Experience of leading change
• Effective communication of highly complex analysis to a range of audiences - written and oral
• Track record of successful ability to apply data-derived insights to complex market analysis and regulatory, policy or commercial scenarios
• Agile and responsive with the ability to adapt quickly under pressure and balance speed of delivery with quality in different business scenarios

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 resourcing@ofcom.org.uk 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.