Lead Policy Officer - Scotland

This fixed term appointment offers a unique opportunity to join the Scottish Affairs team, a specialist department within the Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Directorate. As the voice of the ICO in Scotland — and the voice of Scotland within the ICO — the team plays a pivotal role in shaping how the organisation understands, influences, and responds to the Scottish policy landscape.

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

You will support colleagues to represent the ICO within Scotland and hold key stakeholder relationships. The Scotland team plays a crucial role in ensuring the ICO delivers its statutory functions and strategic objectives in Scotland and provides expert advice on Scottish public affairs, legislation and policy to internal colleagues. As a member of the Scotland team, the postholder will support senior colleagues to deal with some of the most high profile issues of the day and major public policy. Issues that you will work on within the Scottish context will include AI, biometrics, data sharing and children’s privacy.

You will manage a portfolio of specific stakeholder relationships within Scotland to the benefit of the ICO and provide them with a professional, proactive and unified service (involving other ICO colleagues as issues dictate). You will provide support to senior colleagues on key strategic relationships. 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.

Key Responsibilities

• To develop and manage the ICO’s relationship with specified stakeholders in Scotland, influencing them in a way consistent with the ICO corporate and local business plan objectives.
• To support colleagues in their work dealing with critical and significant relationships and issues in Scotland.
• To represent the ICO at external meetings and events with specified stakeholders including speaking engagements.
• To provide advice on compliance to specified stakeholders.
• To contribute to the development of ICO guidance and other products where Scottish specific content is required.
• To support senior colleagues in undertaking statutory consultations on legislative proposals that involve the processing of personal data.
• To collaborate with cross office colleagues as required to help ensure a joined up approach to identifying and addressing issues for action in Scotland and to ensure that ICO initiatives are successful in Scotland.
• To identify systemic practices that fail to deliver good information rights outcomes in ICO priority areas and causes and propose and promote solutions in collaboration with colleagues.
• To contribute to the development of the ICO’s strategy and business plan for the Scotland team.
• To understand the relevant legislation and political, social and legal developments that impact on stakeholders or on information rights more generally.
• To provide coordination, admin, event and information management support to the team as required.
• To undertake any other duties required to assist with the team’s effective operation.

Essential criteria assessed at application stage:

• 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.
• Good intellectual and analytical skills. Knowledge and experience of applying data protection law or ability to apply complex legislation to a variety of circumstances.
• Knowledge and experience of working in relevant sectors or ability to develop detailed knowledge in specified stakeholder areas.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with people at all levels and ability to influence stakeholders.

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

• Effective written communication skills with ability to undertake clear and influential written communications including letters, consultation responses and meeting notes.
• Effective verbal communication skills in particular the ability to provide clear advice in meetings and do presentations.
• Ability to deal with a demanding workload which may include conflicting demands on time.
• Ability to work on own initiative and as a member of a team.
• An ability to help others to develop their knowledge/ experience.
• Ability to travel to meetings and events across Scotland and elsewhere in the UK (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.

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.

If you are disabled or have an impairment and require an alternative application method, please email the HR team.

Closing Date

Please submit your CV by 25 January 23:59. 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.