Economics Director
Closing Date: 03/06/2024
Group: Economics and Analytics Group
Management Level: Senior Management Specialist
Job Type: Permanent
Location: London, Manchester, Edinburgh
Job Description:
Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 3rd June, and therefore we advise getting your application in no later than midnight on Sunday 2nd June.
How to Apply
Please apply with a CV and cover letter setting out why you are interested in working for Ofcom and including evidence of your experience and suitability for the role of Economics Director.
About Ofcom
Ofcom is the UK’s communications and media regulator, overseeing sectors including telecommunications, post, broadcast TV and radio, and online services. We believe in making communications work for everyone.
Our culture is clear - we live by our values: Empowerment; Excellence; Collaboration; Agility and Respect. These define how we work to deliver our purpose, and 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 Economics and Analytics Group
We provide the economic and financial analysis that underpins everything Ofcom does to improve communications services for people and businesses. We help shape policy based on insights from economic theory and empirical research and strive to be thought leaders in how we apply economics and financial analytics to benefit UK consumers and citizens in media and communications.
We work across a wide range of challenging questions, and the fast-paced technological change in the markets we oversee means our role is ever-changing. Ofcom has one of the largest competition and regulatory economics and finance teams in the UK, with more than 120 colleagues working on issues across the sectors we regulate.
About the Role
We’re looking to appoint a Director of Economics within Ofcom’s Economics and Analytics Group. As part of the Economics and Analytics Group, you will help to ensure our policies have a sound economic foundation and deliver a real, long-term impact in what is an increasingly important and dynamic sector for consumers and companies.
You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the economic analysis supporting our work across all the markets we regulate, covering broadcasting, online, spectrum, and telecoms. You will work collaboratively with other economists, as well as lawyers, technical experts, accountants, and policy specialists.
Please Note: This role could be based in either London, Manchester or Edinburgh.
Key Responsibilities
- You’ll adopt a leadership role on challenging and high- priority projects, ensuring that the economic foundations of our decisions are robust and defending our analysis when questioned in an adversarial setting.
- You’ll ensure that Ofcom is aware of new economic and analytical thinking being considered elsewhere, e.g. in academia, other regulators, competition authorities, government and think tanks. Where appropriate, you will reflect on the latest economic thinking and methodologies (including simple statistics to econometrics, large language models, and AI) in the research we conduct for our economic discussion paper series and to help guide our policy decisions.
- You’ll get the best out of your team, coaching and mentoring people directly on projects, and ensuring that they can work in a way that fits with the culture and values of the organisation.
- You’ll communicate convincingly and with authority internally and externally both orally and in writing. This includes engaging with impact at Ofcom’s executive committee and board.
- You’ll be responsive to the changing needs of the organisation and play a key role in enabling a rewarding professional experience for all colleagues in the Economics and Analytics Group.
- You’ll build rapport at all levels of seniority and foster effective relationships within multi-disciplinary teams.
Skills, Knowledge, Experience
- You are a recognised expert in competition and regulatory economics. You have an aptitude for quickly developing your knowledge of other areas of economics when required. You have experience in leading economics and data/financial analytics teams.
- You can oversee a range of economics projects, ensuring timely delivery against ambitious deadlines whilst maintaining quality. You’ll need to demonstrate an ability to anticipate issues early, prioritise effectively and handle the tensions that can arise in any complex programme.
- You have an ability to engage, lead and motivate teams. You know how to empower colleagues to deliver impactful work and foster effective working relationships within multi-disciplinary teams.
- You have experience contributing to corporate initiatives that foster an inclusive culture where your team is able to learn and develop.
- You are adept at communicating convincingly and with authority to a variety of internal and external stakeholders at the most senior levels. Excellent drafting skills are essential, as is the ability to review the written work of others.
Qualifications
- A degree in economics and/or a post-graduate qualification (MSc or a PhD) in economics.
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 resourcing@ofcom.org.uk or call 0330 912 1378.
As a Disability Confident employer, we offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. Learn more about this scheme here. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/jobs/disability-confident-scheme
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