Closing Date:
02/03/2026
Group:
Strategy and Research Group
Management Level:
Associate
Job Type:
Permanent
Job Description:
Please note this role will close at 00.01 on Monday 2 March so we advise making your application by midnight on Sunday 1 March.
We may close this role early if we receive a high volume of strong applications, so we encourage early submission.
Team overview
Ofcom work to make communications work for everyone. To do that, we need to understand how people behave and make decisions across the communications sectors – especially in the online world.
Behavioural insights (BI) is widely used by governments and regulators in the UK. It can help us understand how people make decisions which we can then use to inform and design better policy, improve services and ultimately deliver positive results for citizens and consumers. BI is also being used to better understand how companies make decisions e.g. to understand service and product design decisions, and it can be used in compliance testing and monitoring.
Ofcom set up a Behavioural Insights Hub in 2020 and has since expanded its dedicated team of experts. The BI Hub brings together colleagues with a range of different skills: behavioural scientists, behavioural economists, psychologists, market researchers and statisticians.
Ofcom's BI Hub:
* Conducts its own primary research – such as online randomised control trials and behavioural audits – to understand decision-making and drivers of behaviour change.
* Translates academic research to inform policy.
* Applies evidence-based frameworks and techniques to design and test behaviour change interventions.
* Advises colleagues on how to use our research in their policy design.
* Designs and implements behaviour change communication campaigns.
* Publishes and blogs about our innovative work.
Purpose of the Role
We are looking for a Behavioural Insight Associate to join our group of specialists. Our team is an international leader in applying behavioural insight to online safety.
As a core member of the Hub, your role will involve delivering high profile projects and developing our skills, capabilities, and profile.
The successful candidate will work on behavioural insights projects across a range of subject areas. The role includes scoping, problem definition, behavioural diagnosis, intervention and trial design, qualitative and quantitative analysis, reporting and dissemination.
As the team functions like an internal consultancy, forming relationships with stakeholders and communicating results with influence and impact are core components of the role.
Requirements of the role
Please note: Ofcom is committed to improving online safety, particularly for children. Some research may involve exposure to online harms or distressing content. Wellbeing and safeguarding support is available to all staff, and colleagues can opt out of projects that carry a higher risk of encountering such material.
The role can be adapted to the strengths and interests of the successful candidate. Key responsibilities are likely to include:
* Work in cross-functional teams to deliver sophisticated behaviour change and user centred design projects in a timely and organised way.
* Plan, conduct and analyse user-centred research including usability testing, interviews and surveys
* Provide behavioural input into all aspects of policy development, providing evidence-based advice across online safety and the communications sectors.
* Use theory and evidence to diagnose behavioural problems and design and implement creative behavioural solutions
* Support the design and running of evaluations, such as thematic analysis and/or randomised controlled trials (RCTs), including analysis and reporting
* Build stakeholder relationships internally, externally, and potentially internationally
* Present evidence and recommendations clearly and persuasively, including for internal and external non-expert audience
* Deliver stakeholder workshops to promote the application of behavioural insight across the organisation
* Develop and maintain understanding of behavioural science and user research, industry best practice, emerging technologies and advancements to shape our research
Skills, knowledge and experience
* Experience of using behavioural insights theory and frameworks, to address real-world problems
* Experience of delivering behavioural research in one or more of the following:
o conducting and/or using behavioural research to address real world problems, including for example: online experiments, lab experiments, field trials, natural experiments, A/B testing, user and concept testing, qualitative and quantitative methods.
o designing, analysing and/or testing user interfaces or digital services. o analysing and distilling behavioural literature and evidence to identify patterns, develop actionable insights or recommendations to influence others' decision making.
* Generating insights: Experience of bringing creative ideas to life, from planning through to delivery
* Building solutions: Identify and solve complex issues, using evidence-based quantitative and qualitative methods to gather insights and develop well-founded solutions
* Executing plans: Strong project management and organisational skills and ability to effectively prioritise workload and react to changing priorities
* Forming relationships: Build and nurture positive relationships with people to build internal and external networks
* Articulating ideas: Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, both in writing and verbally to non-expert audiences
* Understanding of the ethical considerations of user research
Desirable Criteria – we are looking for some of the following:
* Knowledge about online behaviour and communications
* Ability in workshop facilitation
* Ability in statistics, including inferential analyses and/or linear and logistic regressions.
* Experience with any of the following software packages:
o Digital data tools: Google Analytics, Splunk
o Statistical analysis: SAS, SPSS, Stata, R
o Survey platforms: Qualtrics
Qualifications
* A degree in behavioural science or a related discipline: Related disciplines include psychology, cognitive science, sociology, economics, political science, social research, or another degree with a behavioural element. We can be flexible about the degree requirement if a candidate has significant relevant work experience
Inclusivity Statement
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, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. 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.
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. You can read more about our Rewards, Benefits and Well-being on our careers page.
Our recruitment processes prioritise accessibility and inclusivity. If you need adjustments, information in an alternative format, or prefer to apply in a different way, please contact us at or call
As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. Learn more about this scheme here.