Research Analyst

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Friday 21 February and therefore we advise getting your application by no later than midnight on Thursday 20 February.

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

The Research and Intelligence (R&I) team is part of Strategy and Research group and is essential to Ofcom’s role as an evidence-based regulator. The Market Research team’s role in the Research & Intelligence team is to help ensure the decisions that Ofcom makes are based on evidence about consumer, citizen and audience behaviour. We do this by working with external, independent market research agencies, who conduct research on our behalf to provide the evidence we need to monitor outcomes in the communications market and to address policy questions. Colleagues in our team work closely with other teams across Ofcom, often as part of multi-disciplinary project teams that draw expertise from across Ofcom’s departments.

Purpose of the Role

We are seeking a Market Research Associate to join our team to work primarily on research within the online sector, although there may be opportunities to work across broadcasting and telecoms and post sectors. Associates are responsible for market research projects from start to finish. The successful candidate will work closely with other teams in Ofcom to define research objectives, select the best supplier to deliver the work and then collaborate with the chosen supplier to design, execute and report on the research findings.

We expect these research projects to be innovative, employing cutting-edge methodologies and analysis techniques. The post holder will have key working relationships with our external supplier(s) and with the Making Sense of Media, VSP and Online Safety policy teams.

Your key responsibilities

The successful candidate will take ownership of their work, demonstrate leadership, and contribute to various projects within the Research and Intelligence team:

• Manage quantitative and qualitative market research projects for Ofcom across the markets Ofcom regulates;
• Help to assess the research requirements of colleagues in our policy teams, demonstrating awareness and understanding of the policy context and of Ofcom’s overall mission, to develop appropriate research briefs which fulfil the requirements in a timely and cost-effective fashion;
• Stay up-to-date with external research and insight from industry / academic sources;
• Stay up-to-date with industry best-practice and new market research methodologies, including the application of Artificial Intelligence to research processes;
• Commission and manage market research agencies and consultants, assuming responsibility for their performance, timeliness and quality of output;
• Evaluate and interpret market research findings to generate insight that enables Ofcom to develop regulatory policy from a sound evidence base;
• Communicate research results/insights to colleagues, and help to ensure research evidence is effectively integrated into policy decision making;
• Produce high quality charts, interactive data and written research reports suitable for external publication.

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

Essential skills:

• Data analysis: Excellent attention to detail and analytical skills. Ability to quality assure and interpret data to identity key points and provide evidence-based insights.
• Building solutions: A good understanding and experience of working on a broad range of quantitative and qualitative market research projects, using a wide range of methodologies.
• Programme management: Experience of managing or delivering tracking and ad-hoc market research programmes to high standards that can withstand scrutiny.
• Executing plans: Strong organisational, planning and project management skills. Ability to prioritise and deliver on competing deadlines. You will be able to successfully manage your own time to deliver results in line with Ofcom’s research and policy priorities.
• Articulating ideas: Ability to present data in a concise, clear and easily accessible way to internal and external audiences of differing levels of seniority, using a variety of techniques including charts, well-written text and oral presentations.
• Forming relationships: Ability to build, trust and maintain business relationships with teams across Ofcom as well as strong relationship management skills with market research suppliers, holding them to account and working collaboratively to deliver high quality research projects.
• Innovative mindset: Experience of, or appetite for, embracing new or novel ways of designing, gathering and communicating market research insight both internally and externally.

Essential experience:

• Market Research agency or client-side experience

Desirable skills:

• Ability to use market research data analysis tools (eg SPSS, Askia, PowerBI)

How to apply:

Please apply with a CV and a short cover letter setting out why you are interested in working for Ofcom, your relevant experience and your office location preference.

At Ofcom we prioritise inclusive and diverse recruitment in order to truly reflect the society we represent.

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 of employment. We warmly welcome applications from candidate returning to work after a break – for whatever reason.

As a disability confident employer, we offer interviews to any disabled applicant who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. Learn more about the scheme here.

If you need information in an alternative format or have specific preferences, please contact our recruitment team.