Senior Policy Officer - Scottish and Northern Irish Affairs in Edinburgh

Senior Policy Officer Scottish and Northern Irish Affairs – Maternity cover fixed term contract up to 12 months. Full time / Part time. Salary: £44,297- £49,813 per annum. Location: Hybrid, contracted to our Edinburgh or Belfast office, however, 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.

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 26 additional days leave per year).
• Pension.
• 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.

The Scottish and Northern Irish Affairs teams play a crucial role in ensuring the ICO delivers our statutory functions and strategic objectives in Scotland and Northern Ireland. As the voice of the ICO in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the teams engage with key external stakeholders in both jurisdictions on important issues including AI, biometrics, data sharing and children’s privacy. The teams provide expert internal advice on Scottish and Northern Irish legislation, policy, institutions and politics.

As a Senior Policy Officer working within both teams, you will represent the ICO in engagement with government, parliament and key stakeholders across the public sector, providing advice and guidance on data protection compliance and seeking to influence policy and practice. You will work closely with a variety of internal colleagues to ensure that ICO objectives are met in Scotland and Northern Ireland and that products and initiatives are effective and impactful. The role is varied and fast-paced and also involves supporting legislative consultation, horizon scanning, parliamentary monitoring, providing regulatory advice and guidance, shaping key ICO guidance and products and working on cross UK regulatory projects.

You will have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and be able to develop and maintain effective relationships with external and internal stakeholders at a senior level. You will be able to draft accurate policy advice and to represent the ICO confidently and independently at external events and meetings. You will have an interest in privacy issues and an ability to deal with some of the most high-profile compliance matters of the day, including those of strategic importance and major public policy initiatives. You will work closely with other teams in the department and across the wider ICO to promote our organisational objectives. In addition, the role includes providing support to the managers of the Scottish and Northern Affairs teams, deputising for them in their absence, as well as mentoring colleagues.

Key Responsibilities

• Identifying, building and maintaining the ICO’s relationship with key stakeholders in Scotland and Northern Ireland including government, parliamentarians and key public sector bodies to support the delivery of ICO objectives and priorities; influencing these at a senior level to achieve ICO objectives.
• Preparing and/or contributing to complex written work, including advice and guidance, briefing documents for senior ICO staff, codes of practice, responses to consultations and reports for senior internal and external audiences.
• Consulting with government and parliamentarians on legislative proposals and providing clear and impactful advice and guidance on privacy and data protection considerations.
• Represent the ICO at selected events, including speaking engagements and meetings with internal and external stakeholders at senior levels, leading and influencing their thinking and policy developments.
• Proactively developing legislative expertise, keeping abreast of developments in information rights legislation and regulations, as well as being conversant with other related legislation and political, social and legal developments in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• Deputising for Scottish Affairs/ Northern Irish Affairs managers including taking on line management and mentoring responsibilities for the Lead Policy Officers and Support Officers where appropriate.
• Contributing to the ICO’s strategic planning including the directorate and department business planning.
• Contributing to internal and external research, including leading elements of that research when appropriate.
• Undertaking any other duties required to assist with the effective operation of the department.

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage:

• Substantial work experience of working in a policy role.
• Experience of influencing policy and practice.
• Experience of analysing and interpreting complex legislation.
• Experience of applying the Data Protection or Freedom of Information Acts.
• An understanding of the democratic, political and organisational framework of Scotland and/or Northern Ireland and its interaction with UK central government.

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

• Good judgement and ability to take high profile decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present authoritatively and clearly in public.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to negotiate and maintain good relationships with officials.
• Ability to work on own initiative and as a member of a team.
• Ability to work under pressure, to deal with a demanding workload and to prioritise accordingly.
• Willingness to travel to meetings and events in the UK and occasionally overseas (possibly outside office hours).

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.

Candidates with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy will be invited to interview as part of the ICO’s commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme. As part of the ICO’s commitment to our EDI objectives and creating a workplace that represents the communities and societies we serve, we guarantee an interview to candidates who declare they identify as belonging from an ethnic minority background and who meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy.

If you are disabled or have an impairment and require an alternative application method, please email the HR team at recruitment@ico.org.uk.

Closing Date

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59 on Sunday 26th July 2026. Your cover letter should be no more than 1,000 words and should clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. To ensure your application is considered, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact us at recruitment@ico.org.uk.

In the event of a high volume of applications, we may not be able to invite all candidates who meet the minimum criteria to interview. However, we encourage you to stay in touch and apply for future roles that match your interests. All candidates who meet the minimum criteria and apply in-line with our guaranteed interview scheme for disabled and ethnic minority applicants will be interviewed.

Clearance Required for this role: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)