Compliance and Counter Fraud Team Manager in Wilmslow

Full time / Part time

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

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

This role is designed to lead the ICO’s compliance and counter fraud function, ensuring the organisation proactively identifies areas for improvement, mitigates fraud risk, and maintains robust control systems that uphold legal, regulatory and internal standards. The role provides specialist support, advice and guidance to embed a culture of integrity, accountability and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee a strategic framework for compliance and counter fraud, aligned with legal obligations, internal policies, and public sector standards.
• Deliver a risk-based annual programme of reviews, investigations and improvement actions, targeting areas of highest risk and supporting managers to strengthen controls.
• Establish and maintain effective control systems to prevent, detect and respond to breaches of legislation, regulation or internal policy.
• Continuously evaluate and improve the efficiency of these controls, revising procedures and processes to identify hidden risks or non-conformity issues.
• Report to relevant governance groups on compliance levels, fraud risk exposure, and priority areas for improvement.
• Provide assurance on the effectiveness and impact of compliance and counter fraud activities, using data and analysis to inform operational and strategic decisions.
• Lead or support investigations into suspected compliance breaches or fraud.
• Monitor and support the implementation of internal audit recommendations, ensuring corrective actions address root causes and contribute to long-term resilience.
• Provide expert advice on compliance and fraud risk during the development of new services, projects and programmes.
• Collaborate with the Risk and Business Continuity Team Manager and colleagues across the ICO to ensure these types of risks are identified and managed early.
• Contribute to the oversight of third-party contracts and supply chain arrangements, ensuring compliance and fraud risks are considered and mitigated throughout the procurement and contract lifecycle.
• Design and deliver training to staff on compliance obligations and fraud prevention.
• Promote awareness of control frameworks and empower staff to take ownership of compliance and ethical conduct.
• Compare the ICO’s compliance and counter fraud framework against professional standards and peer organisations. Identify opportunities for improvement and innovation, and apply policy and process development to support strategic goals.
• Participate in ICO-wide projects and governance forums, providing clear, concise and relevant input.
• Make operational decisions within a defined framework, using sound judgement and analytical skills to resolve complex issues.
• May manage a support officer, and act as deputy for the Risk and Compliance Group Manager when required.

The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage:

• Relevant experience in compliance, counter fraud, risk or governance.
• Experience of leading or managing control systems and risk mitigation.
• Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance.
• Experience of managing or coordinating teams.
• Ability to lead projects and contribute to strategic goals.

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

• Understanding of legal, regulatory and internal standards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to make operational decisions within defined frameworks.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to embed a culture of integrity and continuous improvement.

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 Monday 11th 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)