Ofcom

Employer Location: ANTRIM
Phone Number: 02890417500
Email: ofcomnorthernirelandoffice@ofcom.org.uk
Web: www.ofcom.org.uk

Job description

Ofcom is looking to appoint a new Member for Northern Ireland to the Communications Consumer Panel, who will also act as a Member of Ofcom's Advisory Committee for Older and Disabled People. This is a non-executive position. The Communications Consumer Panel ensures the citizen and consumer voice is represented in communications policy development, highlighting the interests of those who may not always be heard by the industry. Our job is to ensure that the sector works for consumers, citizens, and micro businesses - and in particular for people who may be more vulnerable to being excluded from using communications services. We act as a critical friend to Ofcom, rather than a campaigning organisation. We proactively influence decisions by making early, robust, high-quality interventions to ensure that consumer and citizen interests are at the heart of Ofcom’s thinking throughout. The core time commitment is four days a month, including one day a month at a formal Panel meeting. The successful applicant will chair the Panel’s Stakeholder Hub for Northern Ireland, which requires an additional six days’ time commitment per year. They will also attend quarterly meetings of Ofcom’s National Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland. The Panel operates on a hybrid-working basis, but the role will include some travel to Belfast, London, Edinburgh, or Cardiff. We do accommodate individuals’ needs and adjustments, so do let us know if you have any access requirements. Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 7th October, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Sunday 6th October. Please see the Jobs section of the Ofcom website for a full description of this role and how to apply.

Responsibilities

• The Panel’s leading role is to challenge and advise Ofcom to ensure that the interests of consumers, including micro businesses, are central to regulatory decisions.
• The successful applicant will also chair the Panel’s Stakeholder Hub for Northern Ireland and act as an observer on Ofcom’s National Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• The ability to understand and articulate the varied needs and views of citizens and consumers in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to people who may be in more vulnerable circumstances/who have experienced barriers to inclusivity.
• Good knowledge and understanding of the political and constitutional context in Northern Ireland.
• Effective communication skills to make an effective contribution to the discussions and formal policy responses of a high-level public body.
• The aptitude to learn about the telecoms, postal services, and digital sectors, to form an understanding about the way industry and policy makers’ proposals may impact positively or negatively the lives of consumers and citizens in Northern Ireland.
• The ability to work as part of a UK committee.
• Please indicate if you have previous experience in advocating for, or working with, consumers or citizens or micro businesses.
• Please see the Jobs section of the Ofcom website for a full description of this role and how to apply.

Further Information

To apply, your application MUST include a CV and a covering letter. Your application must specifically explain how you meet the key competencies for the role which are detailed in the Essential competencies section of the job description, have an understanding of the role and demonstrate that you have relevant transferable skills. Covering letters should be no more than four sides of A4 in length. Panel Members are part-time and drawn from a range of diverse backgrounds. We are seeking applications from people who can contribute relevant experience and help create a diversity of perspective and background on the Panel. We welcome applications from suitably qualified applicants whatever their background, especially women, disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background candidates as they are currently under-represented in our workforce. As a Disability Confident employer, we offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. No previous experience of being a non-executive member is necessary. Members must not be directly employed by Ofcom or organisations that Ofcom regulates or licenses or derive the majority of their employment income from such a company even if not so employed. Members cannot be engaged in active politics. This includes holding, or being a candidate for, political office at a national, regional, or local level, active political campaigning in support of a political party and making a donation or donations to a political party in a calendar year more than £7,500. Working full time for any central government department or as an official in the civil service (including in the devolved nations) or for local government is also not acceptable. Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday 24 October and may be held virtually. Please see the Jobs section of the Ofcom website for a full description of this role and how to apply.