The company, which operates fixed-line telephony, mobile, Internet and pay TV services, plans to restructure its entire operation, adding that most of the changes should be in place between the end of next year and the end of 2010.
Virgin Media would not reveal which departments will face job cuts, adding that a period of consultation is now underway. A spokesman said the changes would help the company to save about £120m a year by 2012.
Chief executive Neil Berkett said: "These changes are critical to ensuring Virgin Media is positioned to compete effectively and deliver on our customers' changing expectations.
"Over the coming weeks and months, we will be developing more detailed proposals for their implementation."
The company insisted that the restructuring was not entirely as a result of the economic downturn. It said the changes build on its formation via the merger of ntl and Telewest and the subsequent acquisition of Virgin Mobile in 2006.
"It is a result of an intensive period of review which started in early 2008 to understand what is needed to create a fully-integrated, customer-focused organisation that is capable of competing effectively for the long term," the company said.
Last week, Virgin Media struck a deal with its banks to postpone repayments on much of its £4.3bn debt until 2012, giving it an extra three years to refinance loans.
Also last week, Virgin Media ended a 20-month dispute with BSkyB over the carriage of their respective channels on each other's platforms. Virgin said it expected this agreement to result in increased payments for its Virgin Media TV (VMTV) channels business of at least £24m per year.
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