Regulatory Affairs Associate (Online Safety - Scotland)

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 25 November, and therefore we advise getting your application in no later than midnight on Sunday 24 November.

How to Apply

Please submit a copy of your CV, and a covering letter of no more than a page outlining how you meet the skills, knowledge and experience required below. You should put your CV and cover letter in one document and submit it when requested for your CV.

About the Team

The Scotland Team represents Ofcom in Scotland and Scotland within Ofcom. We ensure that we keep in touch with the views and opinions of citizens and consumers, the regulated industries and stakeholders more generally in Scotland, and factor these into Ofcom’s wider policy and decision-making. We do this by consulting through regular government, industry and political contact, hosting events to discuss key policy issues, and ensuring that as wide a variety of stakeholders as possible are aware of and engage with our work.

Purpose of the Role

The successful candidate will be Ofcom’s lead contact in Scotland as we deliver our duties under the Online Safety Act. You will develop relationships with the teams across the Online Safety Group and have a clear understanding of its the priority areas of work. Externally, you will lead the team’s engagement on our Online Safety work with the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament, industry and wider civic Scotland, using the subject-matter expertise across the Online Safety Group as appropriate.

Particular attention will be on Ofcom’s programme on protecting women and girls online and how it relates to the Scottish Government’s work around misogyny and the delivery of its Equally Safe plan.

Your key responsibilities

• Build and manage relationships with the Online Safety Group within Ofcom to ensure you have a full understanding of the range of work it is undertaking, including our latest Roadmap published in October 2024.
• Ensuring the Online Safety Group (and our Public Policy team) understands the attitudes within Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, industry in Scotland and other stakeholder groups to ensure interests of Scottish citizens and consumers are adequately reflected in our policy decisions.
• Overseeing and coordinating relationships (including of the Chair, Chief Executive and Board member for Scotland) with high profile stakeholders and groups in Scotland to ensure Ofcom’s responsibilities as the Online Safety regulator are fully understood.
• Leading engagement and shaping our relationships with the Scottish Government, MSPs, industry, Police Scotland and wider civic Scotland.
• Identifying ways to expand the network of key stakeholders in Scotland and promote the work of Ofcom.
• Providing direction and shaping policy on regulatory issues in Scotland, particularly as they relate to areas which may lead to specific challenges in Scotland (e.g. our work programme in protecting women and girls online)
• Provide clear and concise briefings and summaries for senior Ofcom colleagues.
• Contribute to Ofcom’s governance by working with the Board member for Scotland and providing support to the Advisory Committee for Scotland (including Scotland members of the Content Board and Communications and Consumer Panel), preparing papers, attending and presenting as required.
• Co-ordinating work on wide range of cross-cutting policy issues as necessary, working closely with expert colleagues across Ofcom, helping develop thinking as required and appropriate.
• Leading the work on the Ofcom Scotland team’s Parliamentary Bulletin.
• Providing support to the team’s Senior Associates on issues across Ofcom’s remit as required.

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

• Articulating Ideas: You’ll have excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to get complex information across clearly and concisely.
• You’ll have an interest in politics and/or policy-making and be skilled at cutting through to the essentials on complex policy issues.
• Forming Relationships: You’ll have experience of reaching out to build collaborative relationships with others, including more senior colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Executing Plans: You’ll have an ability to juggle a diverse workload and respond to changing priorities.
• You’ll have an appreciation of, and desire to promote, Ofcoms values of excellence, agility, empowerment, collaboration and respect.

Ofcom has a clear mission: to make communications work for everyone. To be able 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, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or disability.

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 – for whatever reason. 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 or call 0330 912 1378