The team you'll be a part of:
Ofcom’s Economics and Analytics Group is a dynamic, international team of around 100 competition and regulatory economists, data analysts and finance experts working on a range of issues relating to broadcasting, telecoms, postal services, spectrum and online safety.
We work closely with colleagues from other professions providing economic and technical insights, formulating and assessing policy proposals and providing the analysis to support robust, evidence-based decisions.
The role:
The Ofcom Graduate Programme is a dynamic two-year rotational programme designed to immerse you in the heart of our policy, enforcement, and research pathways. As an economics graduate, you’ll gain hands-on experience in a broad range of competition, consumer and regulatory issues across several areas of Ofcom’s work. The rotations are designed to give you unparalleled exposure to the diverse and impactful projects that shape the UK’s communications landscape as well as the opportunity to develop your working knowledge of economics and your quantitative skills.
Your personal development is also important to us. You will benefit from several training opportunities that will help you build and further your skills, including internal or external courses, seminars and on-the-job learning. We are also happy to support learning opportunities for candidates with an interest in econometrics, data analysis and machine learning.
By Joining the Ofcom graduate scheme, you will not only expand your expertise across multiple sectors but also develop the tools and insights to make meaningful contributions to our ever-evolving industry.
If you're interested in finding out more about the role, see these useful resources:
- Economists group
- Economics & Analytics at OFCOM
- Find out why Lucy joined the Ofcom Economist graduate scheme here.
Your Key Responsibilities
As a graduate economist you might be working in multi-disciplinary teams that:
- Use behavioural economics to understand how people buy communication services and make it easier for them to switch provider.
- Assess the potential positive and negative impact on the media sector of BBC services such as new TV channels and apps.
- Analyse competitive conditions in broadband markets using applied industrial organisation theory and identify ways to promote competition in the build out of fibre networks.
- Draw on game theory and auction theory principles to inform the best ways to allocate portions of the airwaves over which wireless devices operate.
- Design and interpret consumer surveys to understand what people want from their postal service to help design the scope of the postal universal service.
- Build a conceptual understanding of the key factors that have facilitated the spread of online false information, and the harms this may generate.
- Use econometric techniques to evaluate the impact of Ofcom’s policies on consumer outcomes.
- Use operator and household level data to analyse the competitive conditions in broadband markets, and identify ways to promote competition in the build out of fibre networks.
What we're looking for:
For this role we are looking for talented economists with
- On track to obtain at a least a 2:2 in an undergraduate degree in economics or a mixed degree that includes economics, or post-graduate qualification. For mixed degrees or post-graduate qualifications at least 50% should be in economics.
- A good understanding of microeconomic theory and enthusiasm about its applications to real world problems.
- An understanding of (or an interest to develop a good understanding of) econometric theory and its applications in the fields of microeconomics and/or industrial organisation.
- Some familiarity (or interest to acquire some working experience) with quantitative tools in the fields of data analysis and micro-econometrics and the relevant analytical software (for example, Stata, Python or R).
- Strong communication skills
- Who are team players who will make the most of EAG’s collaborative environment and knowledge-sharing culture.
* You must have the Right to Work in the UK for the duration of the programme without requiring sponsorship.
Application Process
The application process consists of three stages:
- Initial application
- Blended Assessment
- Assessment Centre
Inclusivity Statement
Inclusivity is at the heart of what we do.
Ofcom has a clear mission: to make communications work for We aim to recruit from the widest pool of candidates possible – no matter your gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or social background. 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.
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.
Our recruitment processes prioritise accessibility and inclusivity. If you need information in an alternative format or have specific preferences, please contact our recruitment team at ofcomcareers@ambertrack.co.uk.
As a Disability Confident employer, we offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for our advertised roles. When you apply, you can let us know if you would like your application to be considered under this scheme (sometimes known as ‘guaranteed interview scheme’). Find out more about the scheme here.
