Senior Policy Officer in Belfast

The UK Government consults the Commissioner at various stages in its process. Working under the direction of the Group Manager, the successful candidate will undertake timely and thorough reviews of information provided in support of a new data adequacy assessment, providing advice and guidance, both verbally and in writing, to internal and external stakeholders throughout the process. While the ICO does not make its own assessment of another country, territory or international organisation, it provides independent assurance on the process followed and the factors UK Government officials have taken into consideration.

The post holder will be required to draft responses to consultations by DSIT and the Home Office in accordance with internal and external timelines, as well as an Opinion issued by the Commissioner to Parliament to consider alongside any new regulations. The post holder will contribute to the development and maintenance of the ICO’s internal procedures and record management. The role also demands development of good working relationships across the International Regulatory Cooperation Directorate, other ICO departments and with UK Government departments to ensure both visibility of the Government’s plans for UK adequacy assessments and to enable the ICO to fulfil its role. There may also be opportunity to contribute to the ICO’s wider work on international transfers policy and guidance.

Key Responsibilities

• Reviewing and producing written reports on adequacy assessments in line with developed processes and procedures.
• Contributing to, or leading where appropriate, the refinement and implementation of procedures to enable the ICO to review UK Government adequacy assessments in an efficient manner.
• Reviewing and providing comments or advice in relation to questions or issues concerning UK Government adequacy assessments and processes.
• Collaborating with team colleagues to progress and deliver key outputs.
• Corresponding and liaising with internal and external stakeholders, providing advice and guidance on established adequacy processes as appropriate.
• Attending meetings with a range of stakeholders.
• Assisting with updating ICO templates, procedures and knowledge base relating to adequacy processes.
• Liaising and working with cross-departmental colleagues in relation to adequacy processes and procedures.
• Providing advice to decision-makers regarding possible solutions, options and issues necessary to ensure compliance with processes and procedures when complex or novel issues arise.
• Assisting with preparation of input for briefs for ICO attendees at external meetings and conferences.
• Contributing to the ICO’s work programme in relation to international transfers.
• Contributing to the development of the ICO’s strategy and departmental business plan.

Please note we’re also recruiting for a 12-month fixed term Senior Policy Officer role in our Bilateral Engagement team within the International Directorate. The work of this team is central to our ability to create and develop bilateral partnerships in support of our international objectives for our regulatory priorities. This includes working with key priority international partners to organise information sharing and capacity building activity, and leading underpinning work such as the development of international MoUs.

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.
• Around five years’ work experience at a graduate level in a policy related role.
• At least two years’ experience of working in data protection or a regulatory environment.
• Experience of working with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Knowledge of, or experience of working within, the global data protection landscape and/or protection law in different countries.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Excellent organisational skills, ability to prioritise and manage own workload effectively.

Essential criteria assessed at interview stage

• Excellent intellectual and analytical ability, including knowledge of data protection law, with the ability to rapidly develop expertise.
• Ability to assimilate and digest large volumes of information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including dealing with technical and legal professionals.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to negotiate and maintain professional working relationships.
• Good judgment, with the ability to make considered decisions.
• Experience of successfully liaising with senior staff in external organisations and representing your organisation.

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.

If you have a disability or impairment and have difficulty using our online application system, please email the HR team who can arrange for you to submit an application via an alternative method.

Closing Date

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59 on Monday 16th February 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy before this date should we receive sufficient applications. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered. 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. 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 to 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