Director of Research Innovation and Data

Closing Date:16/11/2026

Group:

Strategy and Research Group Management Level:Senior Management Specialist Job Type:Permanent

Job Description:

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 16 November, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Sunday 15 November.

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.

About the Team Research & Intelligence (R&I) sits in the Strategy and Research Group (SRG). It is comprised of around 90 colleagues, encompassing market research, market intelligence and data specialists, structured around five hubs, each providing expert advice and insight – Online, Media, Telecoms & Post, Statistics & Analytics and Behavioural Insights. The R&I Team provides research, data, insight and analysis to inform policy development and strategic decision-making.

The team applies market research, behavioural insights, data science and intelligence-gathering techniques to deliver impactful insight.

The R&I team collects data from a range of different sources, including primary research surveys, device applications which monitor media consumption and use, customer and financial data from regulated firms, public domain data, and third-party data sources, including BARB, RAJAR and Ipsos Iris. Purpose of the Role The Director of Research Innovation and Data has been created to maximise the value and insight that Ofcom extracts from the R&I team’s data and drive forward a refreshed strategy to build a research function fit for the future: anchored in priority areas, agile in responding to changing priorities, maximising value from the available budget by building new capabilities and using alternative approaches and methodologies.

The role sits alongside the Director of Market Research and the Director of Market Intelligence in providing collective leadership of the Research & Intelligence team. It will lead on the development and delivery of a data and innovation strategy that develops the team’s capabilities and provides teams across Ofcom with timely and user-friendly access to high-quality and clearly presented data, and relevant insights derived from the data.

There are four specific areas that the successful candidate will provide leadership of.

The R&I team’s Statistics and Data Analytics hub, which is a team of approximately 20 statisticians and data specialists, led by the Head of Statistics and Head of Analytics and Information (direct reports into the role).The R&I team’s behavioural insight research (led by the Head of Behavioural Insight who will be a direct report), working closely with colleagues in Ofcom’s Economics & Analytics Group.

The development and scaling up of innovative research methods, including but not limited to direct observation (social listening, passive monitoring, avatar-based research and so on) is a key focus for the team, and this role will be critical in prioritising and developing capabilities. Oversight of the R&I team’s small programme management function charged with the operational management of the team’s programme of work, including resource planning and the tracking and reporting of progress against milestones and against budget.

Your key responsibilities

Develop and deliver R&I’s data strategy

Drive data innovation ensuring that Ofcom’s…