Technology Lead

Closing Date:
29/01/2025

Group:
Networks and Communications Group

Management Level:
Principal

Job Type:
Permanent

Job Description:
About Ofcom

As the UK’s communications regulator, we’re delivering vital work that helps keep the UK connected and shapes the future of how we’ll stay connected with each other.

Our work covers everything from phones and broadband, through to TV, radio, the postal service, and wireless devices. We’re also taking on the challenge of making the online world a safer place. And we need people of all backgrounds, skill sets, and experiences to help us achieve our goal of making communications work for everyone.

Ofcom’s Networks & Communications (N&C) Group plays a central role in making communications work for everyone by enabling a choice of accessible, secure communications services and networks, and working to empower and protect consumers.

Purpose and Scope of the Role

The N&C Technology Team (a key part of N&C Group) is where technologists and engineers experienced in telecoms, networking, broadcast, media and related areas can make a real impact on the lives of consumers in the UK.

Our responsibilities in N&C Technology include: 1. undertaking our duties related to monitoring and enforcing industry compliance to the Telecoms Security Act; 2. undertaking our duties related to monitoring and enforcing industry compliance to the UK Network Information Systems Regulations; and 3. developing Ofcom’s approach to understanding emerging and disruptive technologies across all the sectors we regulate - including mobile, fixed, satellite, broadcast, media and gaming. We monitor emerging technologies and analyse their potential impact on our sectors, engage with technologies in pilots and trials, and provide technical input to ensure Ofcom policies and strategies are robust against technological change.

Working closely with other members of the N&C technology team, you will be responsible for supporting and providing strategic technical insights and guidance on internet infrastructure domains so that Ofcom’s policy positions and approach to the security and resilience oversight of such infrastructure is effective and appropriate to end user needs and expectations, ensuring that they can benefit from new technological innovation in communications networks and services delivering a wide range of consumer and business services.

Your Key Responsibilities
- Working with other colleagues, provide strategic technical insights and guidance on internet infrastructure domains, in relation to security and resilience issues.
- Deliver technical outputs to a consistently high level and ability to demonstrate the impact this work has had on the organisation’s activities, consumers or wider society;
- Monitor development of technical standards.
- Maintaining an ongoing awareness and understanding of current and emerging telecoms technologies, including via: collaborating with technologists in N&C Tech and Ofcom more widely, standards interaction and monitoring, ongoing training, industry liaison and identifying, commissioning and managing specific external technical research projects.
- Work with other members of the team in responding to and assessing telecoms and digital infrastructure company responses to security and resilience incidents that occur in their infrastructure which are reported to Ofcom.
- Understand fraud and scams from a technical perspective and ensure Ofcom can adapt to changing circumstance in this area
- Work with colleagues in Ofcom enforcement teams to provide technical support in relation to any enforcement activity.
- Work with industry stakeholders, Government and other relevant agencies to ensure policy goals are aligned and effectively coordinated.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience
- A comprehensive understanding and direct experience of the network systems and technologies that enable the functioning of the internet, including how the technical architecture and operation of networks affects their delivery.
- Experience and understanding of developing network deployment plans including architectural choices and how to address resilience.
- A sound understanding of non technical factors affecting security and resilience e.g. power, physical security, environmental factors.
- Extensive experience of undertaking forward-looking reviews and assessments of future technologies
- Experience across all network resilience management domains in a telecommunications or related context (business continuity and emergency management, strategy; governance and risk management; response, recovery and resumption of services; situational awareness; testing).
- Articulating Ideas : Communicating technical concepts, both written and orally, across organisational and technical boundaries, including to senior management and non-technical audiences.
- Forming Relationships: Strong interpersonal skills and evidence of ability to interact effectively with, and influence, a rang