Senior Policy Officer in London

Full time / Part time Salary: £44,297 - £49,813, with potential for further progression to £56,082 with our pay progression scheme.

Location: Hybrid Contracted to our London, Wilmslow, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office. Our Wilmslow office will be relocating to Manchester city centre from 28 September 2026. Once the move takes place your contracted office will be Circle Square, Manchester. 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

Step into a pivotal role at the heart of the ICO’s mission to protect children’s privacy online, one of our most important strategic priorities. As a Senior Policy Officer, you’ll join a dynamic team of technology, policy and legal specialists, shaping high-impact work that influences how children are safeguarded in the digital world. Working with a high degree of autonomy, you’ll operate in a multi-disciplinary, matrix-managed environment, collaborating daily with technologists, lawyers, economists and policy experts across the ICO. This is a fast-moving, high-profile policy area where your ability to communicate clearly, influence confidently and deliver evidence-based advice to senior audiences will make a real difference.

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 description

Working in a high-profile, fast moving policy area will require excellent communication and influencing skills to present clear, evidence-based advice to senior internal and external audiences. You will be expected to develop and maintain positive external stakeholder relationships to support the ICO’s understanding of maturing technical approaches to age assurance. They will demonstrate the ICO values of curiosity, collaboration, impact and inclusion. You will enable you to ensure services and products at the forefront of innovation comply with data protection law, respecting individuals’ rights and bring wider benefits to society and the economy. In this role, you will be encouraged and supported to undertake development opportunities to upskill in areas of technology relevant to your job. There are further opportunities to undertake additional privacy-related training and certifications, if you wish.

Key responsibilities:

• Scanning the horizon for new issues that the ICO should consider; researching them to understand the strategic, social, and practical implications around new technologies or processes that affect data rights.
• Influencing thinking in the development of data protection and privacy policy both within the ICO and externally.
• Developing and producing external guidance or technical advice on complex issues.
• Undertaking high quality research in order to produce briefing notes, policy position papers and background policy papers on complex issues.
• Preparing written responses to consultations, supporting these responses as required, and drafting reports, which may be of considerable complexity.
• Developing in depth policy guidance on new and emerging issues working with colleagues across the Technology, Innovation and Enterprise Departments and engaging a range of experts from across the ICO. For example, commissioning work and undertaking research alongside the ICO Tech Lab.
• Developing the ICO’s relationship with assigned stakeholders in the department’s area of work, both in the UK and overseas, influencing these at a senior level in a way consistent with the requirements of information rights legislation and ICO objectives. This includes representing the ICO at selected events, speaking engagements, and meetings with stakeholders and regulatory bodies where appropriate.
• Proactively developing expertise, keeping abreast of relevant developments in information rights and relevant regulations in other jurisdictions.
• Comply with ICO policies and procedures.

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage:

• Significant relevant working experience. Experience in a policy, regulatory, technology based or legal role will be an advantage.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to analyse complex issues and formulate clear and persuasive arguments for a range of audiences (also measured at interview).
• Experience of working with complex information which could include legislation, operational rules and procedures or statistical reports.
• The ability to use good judgement and problem-solving skills to take sound and potentially high profile decisions (also measured at interview).
• Ability to work as a member of a project team to deliver defined objectives within deadlines (also measured at interview).

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to analyse complex issues and formulate clear and persuasive arguments for a range of audiences.
• The ability to use good judgement and problem-solving skills to take sound and potentially high profile decisions.
• Strong verbal communication skills, including and presentational skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to negotiate and maintain good relationships with senior officials in assigned stakeholder areas.
• An understanding of wider political, economic and technological developments in the UK and overseas.
• Ability to work as a member of a project team to deliver defined objectives within deadlines.
• Ability 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 (as one document) by 23:59, 31 May. 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)