Principal Online Safety Policy (Trust & Safety Expert)

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Wednesday 25 March, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Tuesday 24 March.

About the Team

The Online Safety Group’s purpose is to ensure UK citizens have a safer life online by implementing and overseeing the requirements under the Online Safety Act 2023. The Group is responsible for delivering online safety policy, supervising online services and building technical expertise to meet the regime’s aims.

This role is within the Online Safety Policy Development team, which works at the centre of the Online Safety Group. The Policy Development team lead the development of Ofcom’s online safety policies which establish steps services should take to make users safer online. They are policy experts in online harms, mitigations and are responsible for implementing our policy codes and guidance.

This team works closely with cross functional colleagues from other teams in the organisation to use their skills and experience to develop robust policy. These include legal experts, technologists, economists, and research specialists amongst others.

Purpose of the Role

As a Principal in the Policy Development team, the successful candidate will work as part of a multi‑disciplinary project team that includes policy specialists, researchers, technologists, economists and lawyers. They will also bring experience leading and delivering complex work programmes, working effectively through others, and managing a broad range of stakeholder relationships.

This principal role will lead Ofcom’s Trust & Safety policy outputs across Online Safety regulation. The role will develop and iterate regulatory measures through codes of practice and guidance under the Online Safety Act, shaping how industry implements its regulatory duties, providing expert policy input into compliance drives and enforcement cases, and supporting the development of transparency notices. This is a pivotal role in shaping how online safety regulation is implemented in practice, influencing how major online services assess and mitigate risks to users in the UK.

The successful candidate will be responsible for all policy workstreams related to Terms of Service, Content Moderation, Proactive Technology, Reporting & Complaints, and Search, managing a team working across these workstreams, and providing expertise across the Online Safety Group on a range of other related trust and safety policy areas.

We are looking for candidates with experience working in online services’ trust and safety or integrity functions—such as content moderation, content policy, operations, investigations and incident management. This is a key role in establishing and implementing the online safety policy regime.

Your key responsibilities

This role will involve the following key responsibilities:

• Leading delivery of complex policy and regulatory outputs including drafting of and future updates to codes of practice and guidance,—owning outcomes, timelines, and risk across multiple
• Exercising senior judgement and constructive challenge, identifying risks, trade-offs, and unintended consequences, and advising on proportionate, evidence-based solutions
• Representing Ofcom externally, engaging with service providers, civil society, experts, and other regulators to test thinking, learn from best practice, and ensure our regulatory approach is credible, robust, and well-informed
• Contributing to leadership of the team and wider Online Safety Group, shaping strategic direction, supporting colleague wellbeing and development, and advancing broader leadership priorities across the organisation.
• Providing expert input into and supporting compliance and enforcement work, ensuring regulated services understand their expectations and supporting internal teams to drive safety outcomes for users.

The list above is not exhaustive, and the role will evolve in response to organisational and legislative priorities.

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success

Essential Criteria

Technical knowledge and experience

• Experience working with or for online services in trust and safety, integrity, or related functions, including content moderation, policy, operations, investigations, and/or incident management—particularly where judgement, escalation, and risk-based decision-making were required.
• Experience of applying or formulating rules, guidance, policy, or systems and processes for compliance in relevant sectors.

Behavioural attributes

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following behaviours:

• Building Solutions: Experience weighing complex and often competing evidence and arguments to inform policy decisions, making proportionate, evidence-based judgements, and demonstrating strong analytical reasoning.
• Generating Insights: Bring fresh perspectives and original thinking, constructively challenging existing approaches and improving how policy, processes, or services are designed and delivered.
• Commercial Acumen: Understand how online services operate in practice, including commercial incentives and operational constraints, and factor this into regulatory decision-making.
• Executing Plans: Experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects or programmes, balancing competing priorities, delivering through others, and working collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Channelling Influence: Excellent stakeholder management and oral communication skills, with a proven ability to influence and persuade senior and external stakeholders in challenging or high-pressure conversations.
• Empowering Development: Experience leading or managing others, setting strategic direction, and supporting the development and performance of colleagues.

Desirable criteria

• Strong understanding of Ofcom’s duties and regulatory remit.
• Experience working in ambiguity, proactively identifying challenges, and creating or improving processes.
• Experience of applying or developing regulatory frameworks, rules, guidance, or compliance systems in complex or fast-moving sectors
• Experience working in a broad range of trust and safety roles

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 resourcing@ofcom.org.uk or call 0330 912 1378.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. Learn more about this scheme here. https://careers.ofcom.org.uk/careers/how-we-hire/