Senior Associate, Technical Advisor

Closing Date:

06/02/2026

Group:

Online Safety Group

Management Level:

Senior Associate

Job Type:

Permanent

Job Description:

Please note this role will close  on the 6th February so we advise making your application by midnight on the 5th February.

The Online Safety Technology team (OS Tech) provides an advisory role supporting wider multi-disciplinary work areas teams, comprising of policy specialists, technologists, economists, lawyers and others across Ofcom, working collaboratively on associated deliverables.

In addition, the OS Tech Team conducts research to build knowledge and understanding in subject areas fundamental to online safety. This includes, for example, age assurance, AI and machine learning, digital identity, privacy enhancing technologies, decentralisation, user experience, gaming, network infrastructure, and digital forensics

We are looking for a technically strong and strategically minded Senior Age Assurance and Digital Identity Technology Advisor to provide expert guidance on the technical aspects Age Assurance and Digital Identity as they relate to online safety.

The role holder will have an opportunity to work alongside existing team members, carrying out desk research and more technical work to ensure that the OST Team has the most up to date technical knowledge of this fast moving and exciting area. The team work alongside other OSG areas to support the development of policy positions.

This role will be a great opportunity for someone with a strong technical aptitude and a background in Digital Identity, Age Assurance or Identity and Access Management, to work in this key area.

• Provide expert guidance on Age Assurance and Digital Identity technologies to policy, supervision and enforcement teams.
• Advise on the technical feasibility and risks of proposed regulatory interventions.
• Translate complex Age Assurance, Digital Identity and wider technology concepts into actionable recommendations for senior leaders, policy experts, and external stakeholders.
• Have a good understanding of the Ofcom guidance on Age Assurance and also other areas where Age Assurance and Digital Identity are involved e.g. ICO Age Appropriate Design Code

• Independently lead research projects—ranging from literature reviews of publishable standard to experimental studies — on new capabilities, system performance, safety, and effectiveness, often in collaboration with multidisciplinary internal teams (e.g., lawyers, economists, data scientists).
• Explore novel and emerging Age Assurance developmentsthat may impact online safety, such as decentralised , new and novel Age Assurance products, standards and political developments in this space e.g. Digital Verification Services Trust Framework.
• Develop an evidence base to inform policy decisions and support regulatory innovation.

• Support work to assess Age Assurance implementions in accordance with Ofcom HEAA Guidance.

• Prepare and present technical briefings, white papers, and demos to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Host internal knowledge-sharing sessions and represent Ofcom in external technical working groups and conferences.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to influence regulatory thinking and promote responsible AI practices.

• Monitor the Age Assurance, Digital Identity and wider technology landscape to identify emerging trends and anticipate regulatory challenges.
• Contribute thought leadership to ongoing debates around Age Assurance and Digital Identity and their use in online services.

Maintain strong relationships with academia, industry, and public bodies to strengthen external research partnerships.

To be successful in this role, you will be able to demonstrate:

• Practical or theoretical expertise Age Assurance, Digital Identity or related areas e.g. Identity and Access Management. structured and evidence-based evaluations of the AAmechanisms. Or a demonstrable ability to research and understand these technologies.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences and produce documentation.
• Experience working in a technical advisory role, with a focus on Age Assurance, Digital Identity or online safety is desirable.
• Articulating Ideas:
  The ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for non-technical audiences, including internal and external stakeholders, consumers, and policy areas.
• Harmonising work:
  The ability to work across organisational boundaries in multi-disciplinary project teams of policy professionals, technologists, data specialists and lawyers to understand requirements and their mapping to technical specifications and delivering business outcomes.
• Forming relationships:
  Strong…