Policy Officer Apprentice

Closing Date:

18/12/2026

Group:

Broadcasting and Media Group

Management Level:

Apprentice

Job Type:

Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Job Description:

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Friday, 18th December, and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Thursday, 17th December.

 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

Ofcom’s Broadcasting and Media Group (BMG) will be your home for your full apprenticeship. We help make sure people across the UK have access to a trusted, diverse and sustainable media sector.

Our work covers TV, radio and video-on-demand services. We set rules for the sector, issue licences to broadcasters, check that the rules are followed, and take action to help protect audiences. With more and more people watching and listening to content online and on platforms like Netflix, YouTube, TikTok and Spotify, we also consider the ways we can update our rules so people can continue to find and access high-quality UK content and news they can trust.

During your apprenticeship, you'll gain experience across all parts of BMG and see how policy expertise, regulatory judgement, strategic thinking, and operational delivery come together. You'll work with colleagues who review evidence, listen to different perspectives, and find practical ways to address issues affecting audiences and the media sector.

This means you’ll have the opportunity to experience the different areas of BMG’s work:

• Delivery and Strategy: helps BMG plan and deliver its work. This includes organising and prioritising projects and helping teams work together.
• Broadcast Licensing: issues licences to broadcasters so they can go on air. This includes receiving applications for TV and radio licences, deciding who should be issued a licence, and checking that broadcasters are fit and proper to hold one.
• Content Standards and Enforcement: helps protect audiences and makes sure broadcasters follow Ofcom's rules. This includes considering complaints and investigating issues including harm and offence, due impartiality, fairness and privacy.
• Content Policy Development:helps shape the rules and policies that affect TV, radio and online media. This includes helping to make sure viewers and listeners can find important public service content, that different voices and viewpoints are represented, and that media is accessible to everyone.

For your apprenticeship, you’ll learn how we develop policy from end-to-end. For us, this means identifying and understanding a problem or a need in the sectors we regulate and then deciding what to do about it. To do this well, we need to think creatively and find smart ways to handle big issues. We work in teams of people with different areas of expertise to look at information and evidence, listen to different points of view, and find fair and practical solutions to help make communications work better for everyone in the UK.

The purpose and scope of the role

The two-year apprenticeship will give you the opportunity to learn about policy and how we regulate while contributing to real work across our Group.

You’ll start in our Delivery and Strategy Hub, where you’ll develop core skills and learn how we plan and organise all of our work. As your apprenticeship develops, you’ll build on this experience by also working with the Broadcast Licensing, Content Policy Development, and Content Standards and Enforcement areas of the Group, where you’ll get to experience the different ways we regulate content.

For example, you could be helping to write a report about the performance of public service broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4, working on initiatives to make the broadcasting industry more representative and inclusive, or considering if our rules need to be updated to protect audiences from harmful content.

Your Key Responsibilities

As a Policy Officer Apprentice, you’ll contribute to a range of projects and other types of work that shape broadcasting and media regulation. You’ll be supported by experienced colleagues and will take on greater responsibility as your apprenticeship develops.

Working with Delivery and Strategy, you will:

• Support projects and priority work across BMG, helping teams plan, organise and deliver their work.
• Help keep work moving by monitoring shared mailboxes and work queues, responding to straightforward queries and directing other queries to the right colleagues.
• Organise meetings, take clear notes, keep plans and records up to date, and work with colleagues across BMG to help coordinate their work.

Working with Broadcast Licensing, you will:

• Help process applications for TV and radio licences, checking that the necessary information has been provided and keeping applicants informed.
• Support the team in gathering and reviewing information used to decide whether to issue a licence and whether a broadcaster is fit and proper to hold one.
• Keep licensing records and published information accurate and up to date, and help to respond to queries from applicants and licensees.

Working with Content Standards and Enforcement, you will:

• Help support the assessment of complaints about TV, radio and on-demand content, including requesting recordings, so we can quickly identify the issues that we may need to consider.
• Support the investigation process by gathering and organising relevant information and other material from broadcasters.
• Help prepare correspondence and other documents, keep case records up to date and support meetings with broadcasters.

Working with Content Policy Development, you will:

• Help develop broadcasting and media policy by identifying key questions, researching and reviewing information, and contributing to practical solutions.
• Consider evidence and help colleagues understand what it means for Ofcom’s policy decisions, contributing to clear and accurate documents for different audiences.
• Support meetings and engagement with broadcasters, media companies, public bodies and other organisations, listening to different perspectives and sharing your ideas.

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

• Trailblazing Ideas – Creates or suggests fresh ideas that improve processes, policies or services.
• Executing Plans - Plans work, sets clear goals, coordinates resources and keeps delivery on track.
• Embracing Change - Adapts positively to changing circumstances, stays effective through uncertainty and helps others adjust.
• Pursuing Growth - Takes responsibility for learning, seeks feedback and builds relevant skills and expertise.
• Articulating Ideas - Communicates ideas and information clearly, confidently and appropriately for different audiences

Entry Requirements

5 x GCSEs including English Language and Maths (or level 2 equivalent) at grade 4 and above (or the old grade C and above)

and

Level 3 qualification(s), including at least one of:

2 x A-levels at grade D and above; or

BTEC Extended Diploma at grade PPP and above; or

Level 3 apprenticeship; or

Equivalent level 3 qualifications of at least 48 UCAS points.

Inclusive hiring at Ofcom

At Ofcom, our mission is clear: to make communications work for everyone. To achieve that, our people must reflect the diversity of the UK, in background, identity and experience. 

We believe innovation thrives when difference is valued and everyone feels empowered to contribute their ideas and perspectives. That’s why we welcome colleagues of all ethnicities and races, sexes, genders and gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, faiths and beliefs, and those with apparent and non‑apparent disabilities. We value socio‑economic diversity, life experience and neurodiversity too. Whether you’re a carer, a parent, a veteran, or re‑entering work after time away, your voice and perspective matter here. 

Flexibility is at the heart of how we work because we want you to thrive in a way that suits you best. Most roles can therefore be adapted for part‑time hours, job shares, or other flexible arrangements. Learn more about our Rewards, Benefits and Wellbeing on our careers page. 

Our recruitment process is intentionally designed to be open and accessible. If you need adjustments, information in a different format or an alternative way to apply, contact us at [email protected] or 0330 912 1378. 

As a proud Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role. You can read more about this commitment here. 

Whoever you are, whatever your story, you belong at Ofcom.