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Search Policy Lead

Ofcom -

Full-time (Permanent)
Published on
7 June 2023
Deadline
27 June 2023

About Ofcom

Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day. We make sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.

Our culture is clear - we live by our values: Empowerment; Excellence; Collaboration; Agility and Respect. These define how we work to deliver our purpose, now and in the future. The behaviours which support these values set the path for a fully inclusive and innovative culture at Ofcom.

We focus not only on what we do, but how we do it. We pride ourselves on being an organisation of people who genuinely care about helping others. 

About the Team

This role sits within Ofcom’s Online Safety Group, as part of the Policy Development 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 Government has appointed Ofcom as the new regulator for online safety in the UK. There has never been a more meaningful time to join Ofcom on our mission to create a safer life online.

Purpose of the Role

The Policy Manager role will lead aspects of the development, delivery, and management of our programme of search policy work and are central to the success of the regime and delivering improved outcomes for users online. The individual will take a lead role in policy development related to search platforms, including those relating to illegal harms, protection of children, and fraudulent advertising. 

Please note that this role may involve some research or policy development into areas such as preventing hate and terrorism, online child sexual abuse, material promoting suicide or self-harm, or other potentially sensitive and/or distressing topics.

Key responsibilities

This is a policy role focusing specifically on leading our policy development work on search platforms. This will involve the following responsibilities:

  • Providing subject matter expertise and thought leadership on issues relating to search platforms’ Trust & Safety systems

  • Developing and delivering policy related to search platforms, including those relating to illegal harms, protection of children, and fraudulent advertising.

  • Lead the development, management and planning of stakeholder engagement, including with search platforms like Google and Bing.

  • Developing and managing research projects to help continue building Ofcom’s expertise in emerging technologies and broader innovation.

  • Potentially transitioning to focus on the supervision of search platforms.

  • Take a lead policy role in the Policy Development team to develop and deliver policy related to search platforms.

  • Solving complex policy problems by gathering information, completing analysis, and distilling findings to identify options for improving online safety.

  • Ensuring the delivery of clear, concise, and focused documents, such as briefings, governance papers, and consultation documents, for internal use or external publication.

  • Overseeing and project manage the workload of junior colleagues and delivering through others across multi-disciplinary teams.

  • Supporting the work of senior colleagues as needed to help ensure we deliver against our priorities.

  • Building and maintaining effective relationships with teams across Ofcom that work with Policy Development, ensuring they are updated, included, and feel heard.

  • Leading and/or supporting engagement with relevant external online stakeholders.

  • Developing and fostering online expertise across Ofcom’s online safety programme and keeping across online trends and technological developments.

Skills, Knowledge and experience

  • Experience working at a search platform

  • Experience of working with or for search platforms’ trust and safety or integrity functions, including in content policy, operations and process, investigations, and/or incident management, and project function

  • Strong understanding of how search engines work to keep their users safe from harmful content

  • Basic understanding of generative AI models, the safety issues they present, and ways of mitigating them

  • Keen interest and/or practice knowledge of emerging online safety regulation in the UK and beyond – and Ofcom’s mission to create a safer life online for people in the UK

  • Experience of working within a project environment with multiple internal and external stakeholders. Excellent project management and planning skills

  • Analytical skills, including conducting research and analysis into complex issues to help find solutions to complex problems.

  • Experience of coaching colleagues, setting direction, providing ongoing feedback, and delivering through others. 

  • Interpersonal and communication skills, including experience in confidently presenting complex ideas to different audiences. 

  • Experience of working within a project environment with multiple internal and external stakeholders.

  • Drafting skills, with a focus on producing clear, concise documents for internal use or external publication. Able to coach others to develop drafting skills. 

  • Experience in building and managing constructive internal and external relationships. within a project environment with multiple internal and external stakeholders – including using excellent project management and planning skills. 

  • Ability to prioritize your own and others’ work with the broader priorities of the team.

  • Agility in adapting to emerging priorities and shifting focus as needed in a dynamic team environment.

  • Experience of working with or for online services in relation to those services’ trust and safety or integrity functions, including in content moderation, content policy, operations and process, investigations, and/or incident management, and product function.

  • Strong understanding of how search engines work to keep their users safe from harmful content.

  • Understanding of generative AI models, the safety issues they present, and ways of mitigating them.

Applying for the role

If you’d like to apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter (up to 500 words), explaining why you are interested in this role and what skills and experience you’d bring. Please let us know if you’d like to submit your application in another format.

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