Senior Policy Officer chez Ico

Senior Policy Officer (Regulatory Cooperation) – Enterprise – Two year fixed term contract

Full time / Part time

Salary:          £42,593 - £48,245, with potential for further progression to £54,317 with our pay progression scheme.

Location:       Flexible

Contracted to our Wilmslow, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office, however, through hybrid working we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities. There will be times when you will be expected to attend the office to collaborate with colleagues or travel due to business need. Please note from Autumn 2026 our head office will relocate from Wilmslow to Manchester city centre.

Why work for the ICO?

• Pay progression scheme.
• Hybrid and flexible working options. 
• 25 days paid holiday per year, plus privilege and public holidays.
• Flexi leave (up to 24 additional days leave per year).
• Pension (employer contribution around 28.9%).
• Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more.
• Health Cash Plan.
• Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress.

Further details can be found on the benefits section of our website .

About us

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the independent regulator of information rights. In a data-driven world, we provide advice, guidance, and support to organisations enabling compliance with their obligations, as well as protecting individuals and their personal data.

As an employer, we are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives and careers of our people, and we empower you to be curious, impactful, collaborative and respectful.

Job Summary

The Enterprise Department in the ICO’s Regulatory Risk and Innovation Directorate, is charged with influencing the most significant firms and sectors in the digital economy to demonstrate high standards of data protection.  One way it pursues this objective is by forging partnerships with other UK digital regulators, including through the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF). The DRCF brings together Ofcom, the Competition and Markets Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority and the ICO to maximise the synergies between our regulatory regimes.  

The Competition and Regulatory Cooperation team’s work is high-profile and high-impact, shaping the experience of digital services for people across the UK. The ICO works collaboratively and cooperatively to maximise our impact, and we have a statutory duty to consult other regulators as appropriate where our regulatory functions affect economic growth, innovation and competition.

Job Description

As Senior Policy Officer (SPO), you will manage the ICO’s working relationship with the DRCF, supporting the Information Commissioner and CEO, Executive Director of Regulatory Risk and Innovation and the ICO’s DRCF Director. You will work closely with the other regulators in the DRCF and related government departments to develop cross-regulatory approaches and solutions to common digital regulation challenges. 

Digital regulation cooperation has never been more important. The creation of Ofcom’s online safety regime and the Competition and Markets Authority’s digital markets regime has created new intersections with the ICO’s regulatory remit; while the development and increasing adoption of digital technologies (such as AI and automated decision-making, digital identity, blockchain) creates a need for coherent regulatory regimes.

This SPO will need to be adept at joining the dots and forging linkages across organisations and regulatory initiatives to help make the DRCF and the ICO’s broader regulatory cooperation a success. You will have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and be a good negotiator, able to manage engagement with external and internal stakeholders at a senior level. You will be able to draft accurate, insightful and succinct policy advice; and able to represent the ICO confidently and independently at external events and meetings.  

Excellent organisational skills and the ability to stay informed about the policy projects being progressed by the ICO and DRCF is essential. The SPO will also work closely with other teams across the Enterprise department - and across the wider ICO and DRCF – supporting flexibility and collaboration, as well as exposing the SPO to a wide range of experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Developing and supporting relationships with the ICO’s regulatory and government stakeholders, including DRCF stakeholders. 
• Influencing policy developments at a working and senior level in a way consistent with the requirements of information rights legislation and ICO objectives on regulatory cooperation.  This will involve:
  • Proactively developing legislative expertise, keeping abreast of developments in information rights, technology and digital regulation
  • Leading thinking in the development of policy within the ICO and externally with other regulators. 
  • Undertaking high quality research and policy analysis (in line with the ICO’s Policy Methodology) to produce insightful briefing notes and policy papers. 
• Representing the ICO at selected events, including speaking engagements, meetings with stakeholders and meetings of national/international regulatory bodies where appropriate. 
• Developing and maintaining robust organisational and governance procedures that support regulatory cooperation in a fast paced environment. This involves keeping accurate records of stakeholder engagement; supporting appropriate information sharing; and maintaining processes that support the ICO’s work with the DRCF.
• Preparing succinct, well-written outputs, such as briefings, reports, and research papers, often concerning complex issues.
• Communicating progress and impact of regulatory cooperation work internally and externally, including in the context of the DRCF and our duty to consult other regulators.

About you

Essential criteria assessed at application stage

• Substantial experience relevant to the role requirements, as described in the role responsibilities and person specification, and accumulated through any combination of academic or vocational qualifications or experience.
• 3+ years relevant experience which could have been gained from a policy, regulatory, operational, or corporate environment.
• Experience working with complex information which could include legislation or operational rules and procedures and experience of working across multiple organisations, and applying data protection or associated digital regulation or legislation.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to analyse complex issues and formulate succinct, clear and persuasive arguments for a range of audiences.

Essential criteria assessed at interview stage

• Strong communication skills, including written, verbal and presentational skills
• A strong understanding of wider political, economic and technological issues in the UK and overseas, with an ability to analyse and influence policy development.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the confidence and ability to negotiate and maintain good relationships with colleagues and stakeholders (including seniors) in assigned areas.
• The ability to use problem solving skills and good judgement in order to support and take sound decisions concerning complex issues.
• Ability to work under pressure and at pace and to handle large and competing workloads, exhibiting strong organisational skills.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

The ICO is committed to promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are focused on developing a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and together we are building an inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference. We are championing this through our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board together with a number of staff networks. Read more about our commitment on our website. 

If you have a disability or impairment and have difficulty using our online application system, please email the HR team at [email protected] who can arrange for you to submit an application via an alternative method.

Closing Date

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 6th October and therefore we advise getting your application in by no later than midnight on Sunday 5th October

Please submit your CV and cover letter (2 pages max) 

In your cover letter, please include your views on:

• Some of the key digital and technology regulation issues that present opportunities and challenges in the UK
• How regulatory cooperation can plan a role in addressing these issues.

Please attach your cover letter at the same place you attach your CV when applying.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before this date should we receive sufficient applications. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.