Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Business Partner

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Business Partner – Maternity cover fixed term contract up to 12 months. Full time / Part time. Salary: £57,815 - £65,021 per annum. Location: Hybrid. Contracted to our Wilmslow or London office. We will be relocating our Wilmslow office to Manchester city centre from 28 September 2026. Through hybrid working we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities and 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 (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.

Job summary: As a talented and strategic Business Partner, you will be responsible for leading and driving the delivery of our organisational EDI objectives and our overall approach to Inclusion and Wellbeing.

Job description: Providing subject-matter expertise to enable delivery, you will be a credible and strategic partner, drawing on your technical and experiential know-how and insights to ensure effective delivery of our EDI objectives and that all of our work is aligned to our overall strategy and vision with respect to EDI. An inspirational leader, you will own the overall delivery of your area and team, managing programmes of work through to completion and evaluating the impact and outcome. As part of the People Services Extended Management Team, you will collaborate with the other People Services departments to ensure work is joined up and co-created to successfully deliver people programmes and will provide leadership to the whole directorate as part of the extended management team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the strategic leadership of the People Services directorate, and the wider ICO, by ensuring that plans and objectives are established and implemented that deliver our EDI objectives.
• Design, build and implement EDI training interventions for all ICO colleagues to build and embed an inclusive culture.
• Develop a suite of EDI tools to support the implementation of our strategy and devolved model of responsibility.
• Analyse and interpret EDI reporting and targets achieved in line with agreed measures on overall representation, and our EDI objectives.
• Chair the EDI Steering Group, using the feedback and insight from the group to support the EDI Board and its development and implementation of the EDI strategy, targets and measures to support the ICO’s overall delivery.
• Lead and coordinate the ICO’s Speak‑Up Champions network, acting as the primary point of contact and ensuring volunteers are supported to effectively guide and assist colleagues experiencing bullying, harassment and discrimination.
• Partner with the EDI Networks to provide feedback on interventions and where we could achieve a diverse and inclusive working environment for all.
• Keep up to date with developments across ICO departments and functions and be knowledgeable about the work of the organisation in order to understand the implications for EDI.
• Ensure that ICO leaders, people managers and people receive effective and appropriate advice and support on EDI related matters.
• Support embedding the ICO’s values into organisational processes and practices.
• Provide effective leadership to the Inclusion and Wellbeing team, ensuring that they are clear about expected standards of performance, motivated and developed to deliver on time, with professional services, plans and initiatives.
• Work with senior leaders and managers within the directorate to continually review and monitor progress against the People Plan and objectives.
• Manage and monitor contracts between the ICO and external suppliers for relevant services, ensuring value for money and high standards are consistently delivered.
• Deliver compliance with legislative, regulatory, financial and governmental reporting requirements within the EDI function.

Person specification:

Essential criteria assessed at application stage:

• Significant experience in Human Resources or Programme Management, preferably in a unionised environment.
• Experience of consulting, influencing and engaging leadership on EDI, and or HR initiatives.
• Strategic thinking and implementation of EDI theory, application, legislation and policy across the UK.
• Experience of leading a holistic approach to Wellbeing which focuses on awareness, prevention and sustainable recovery.

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

• A high level of self-awareness, emotional intelligence and aptitude for conflict resolution and dealing with sensitive issues.
• Excellent project management skills to lead initiatives from planning to implementation and the ability to meet deadlines and prioritise work.
• Excellent facilitation, presentation, training delivery and coaching skills, with the ability to adapt style and delivery approach to meet the needs of the audience.
• Ability to take complex information and provide clear advice to the relevant stakeholders.
• Proven ability to seek out, manage and influence opportunities for continuous improvement and change.

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.

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 10th May 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 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).