Senior Policy Officer - Scottish and Northern Irish Affairs

Senior Policy Officer – Scottish and Northern Irish Affairs

Senior Policy Officer Scottish and Northern Irish Affairs – Maternity cover fixed term contract up to 12 months, full time or part time. Salary: £44,297‑£49,813 per annum. Location: Hybrid – contracted to our Edinburgh or Belfast office, with flexible home and office‑based working opportunities. You will be expected to attend the office to collaborate with colleagues or travel due to business need.

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.
• Representing 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 identify as belonging from an ethnic minority background and who meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy. If you have a disability or impairment and need an alternative application method, please email the HR team at recruitment@ico.org.uk.

Clearance Required

Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

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.