Senior Associate, Programme Manager

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Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Tuesday 24 March, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Monday 23 March.

We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We therefore encourage candidates to submit their applications as soon as possible.

Interviews for this role will take place in mid-April due to the Easter break.

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 you’ll be part of

The Infrastructure & Connectivity Group’s (ICG) role is to advance a better‑connected UK and ensure there is reliable internet and post for UK people and businesses. The Group oversees a broad and increasingly complex remit across connectivity, telecoms, security and resilience, consumer and competition issues, and future digital infrastructure.

Strategy & Delivery (S&D) is ICG’s central strategy and programme delivery function. Our mission is to shape ICG’s strategic direction and support teams to deliver with impact. We do this by setting a clear strategic direction, leading planning and progress monitoring, and optimising how we use our time, talent, and resources. The Delivery arm of S&D is crucial to success in ICG - leading ICG’s annual planning cycle, governance and delivery assurance, risk management, resourcing, budget, corporate reporting, and operational improvements.

The purpose and scope of the role

This role will take charge of programme management across ICG’s portfolio. You will own the planning cadence, governance and reporting that keep complex programmes on track, building deep knowledge of ICG’s work and proactively surfacing risks, dependencies and decisions. Working closely with the Principal – Delivery and the Senior Associate – Resourcing & Budget, you will help ensure ICG has a clear, credible and forward-looking delivery plan, and that senior colleagues have the insight they need to make confident decisions.

As this is a newly created role, its scope and focus will evolve to meet the needs of the team and the wider Group. Responsibilities may shift as we learn more about what’s required - so flexibility, adaptability and a collaborative mindset will be essential for success. This role reports to the Principal – Delivery.

Your Key Responsibilities

You will proactively build and develop broad understanding of ICG’s work programme so that you can act as the central point of coordination for programme plans, milestones and delivery risks across ICG:

Programme planning and oversight

• Own and maintain ICG’s programme plan, milestones, dependencies and critical path across portfolios.

• Lead annual and quarterly planning cycles, ensuring plans are robust, joined-up and deliverable – including owning ICG’s input into Ofcom’s 3-year and annual plans.

• Ensure ICG’s programme plan is clearly and effectively communicated to colleagues at all levels.

• Work closely with all S&D colleagues to ensure coherent alignment between strategy, planning and delivery.

Governance and reporting

• Own and continuously improve ICG’s delivery governance processes, including tracking programme progress and strategically managing senior governance forums.

• Produce high-quality reporting for senior colleagues, including clear insights and narrative on risks, progress, and resource implications (partnering closely with the Senior Associate – Resourcing & Budget).

Risk management

• Own and maintain risk registers and help ensure risks are surfaced early and addressed proactively.

• Ensure all risk products (e.g., forward looks, risk registers, corporate reporting) meet high standards and support senior colleagues in confident decision-making.

Continuous improvement

• Support ICG’s contributions into Ofcom’s Transformation programme.

• Take a key role in driving forward planning, governance, and operational improvements within ICG.

This role is designed to operate within an agile environment: while this role has a primary focus, all are expected to support other areas of work and adapt to changing priorities. You may therefore be asked to lead or support the team’s work in other areas, particularly the Senior Associate – Resourcing & Budget.

The skills, knowledge and experience you’ll need for success

Essential Technical Skills:

• Proven expertise: Demonstrable experience in owning elements of strategic planning and programme delivery, including managing complex workstreams, governance, risk management and delivery reporting. Experience of working on large or complex programmes is essential; experience of contributing to change initiatives is desirable.

• Regulatory insight: A good understanding of Ofcom’s regulatory role and powers, policymaking and regulation more generally, and an understanding or strong interest in ICG’s sectors.

Behavioural Skills:

• Executing Plans: Excellent organisational, planning and project management skills. Ability to organise complex work, manage multiple workstreams, track progress against plans and prioritise effectively to deliver agreed outcomes.

• Building solutions: Ability to identify problems and develop practical solutions to make things better and/or keep projects or programmes on track.

• Generating insights: Ability to analyse delivery information from multiple sources and use sound judgement to identify emerging issues and support effective decision-making or problem-solving.

• Forming relationships: Confident at building and managing constructive working relationships with cross-functional teams and colleagues at all levels. Able to persuade and influence colleagues to reach agreement.

• Articulating ideas: Excellent oral, written and visual communication skills, adept at explaining complex information clearly and concisely, and able to communicate effectively to different audiences and seniority.

• Embracing change: Comfortable working in agile, evolving environments, adapting plans and approaches as priorities change. Proactively contribute to continuous improvement in processes and ways of working.

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 [email protected] 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/