Director of Enforcement and Investigations

Join the ICO Investigations team at an exciting time. You will be leading a key team at the forefront of protecting and enforcing the information rights of the public, defining and executing our regulatory investigation and enforcement strategy across the whole UK economy. You will also ensure the ICO is run, managed and governed in line with our corporate vision, values and strategy, and adheres to the obligations placed on the organisation as an eminent regulator and service provider.
You will be a dynamic, driven individual who sees the bigger picture and can translate top-level strategy into clear objectives for everyone in their team. You will have experience or understanding of leading and delivering high-profile regulatory investigations. As an experienced senior leader capable of inspiring, motivating and developing teams, you will successfully deliver change programmes and nurture a culture where colleagues are confident to try new things and continuously improve.
This is an exciting and rewarding leadership role, offering the opportunity to have a real impact on the regulation of technology, security and privacy in the UK.
You will form an integral part of a team of leaders responsible for delivering high-impact, timely interventions across the entire UK economy in line with the ICO’s strategic objectives. You will lead, inspire and engage colleagues across professions including investigators, lawyers, technologists, economists and policy specialists working on multidisciplinary teams delivering high-profile regulatory investigations that have a real impact on today’s society. Your teams will deliver a large portfolio of investigations tackling data protection concerns including AI compliance, children’s privacy, cybersecurity incidents and much more.
Reporting to the Deputy Commissioner, the Director of Enforcement and Investigations provides strategic leadership to the departments which undertake regulatory investigations on behalf of the ICO. You’ll actively seek opportunities within your teams to deliver on our ICO25 strategic plan, whether through targeted regulatory enforcement and investigations or through building the capacity and capability of teams to future-proof the ICO’s regulatory abilities. Impact is at the heart of what we do, and so we’re looking for someone who can collaborate across professions to identify ways we can amplify our impact – whether that’s through enforcement, communications, policy development or engagement.
This role requires occasional oversight and leadership of sensitive investigations and as such the successful candidate will be required to obtain security clearance to DV level., + Provide high-quality senior leadership to a large Directorate comprising over 100 staff, and to the whole ICO on all enforcement and investigative activity and strategy, ensuring that proposed regulatory interventions have measurable, defined impacts in line with agreed priorities and organisational strategy.
+ Own processes, performance, culture and communication within the Directorate, continuously reviewing and improving all four of these elements to ensure the team are empowered to deliver against organisational goals and strategy, and that the team’s culture supports agile decision making, innovation and the ICO’s values.
+ Develop and manage strategic relationships with key stakeholders internally and externally, negotiating and influencing others to achieve desired outcomes and coordinating between regulators and other agencies to enhance the impact of the ICO’s work. This will require national and international travel.
+ Personally champion our ICO values, developing and nurturing a curious, collaborative, impactful and inclusive culture within the directorate.
+ Represent the ICO and its values effectively at senior level at speaking engagements and in the media nationally and internationally., 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.
Please note that post holders for this role will be required to receive security clearance to DV level. This requires the disclosure of spent and unspent convictions. Although convictions will be taken into account, any such information will not necessarily prevent you from obtaining a security clearance.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

+ Substantial experience relevant to the role requirements, including experience of delivering or responding to regulatory investigations, accumulated through any combination of academic or vocational qualifications or experience.
+ Experience of advising on complex strategic projects and of engaging and influencing senior external stakeholders (this may also be assessed at interview).
+ Experience of developing and leading high-performing teams (this may also be assessed at interview)
+ Experience of leading and implementing improvements to process and culture, and of leading teams through organisational change (this may also be assessed at interview)
Essential criteria assessed during interview:
+ Experience of leading and delivering high profile or complex civil regulatory investigations
+ Experience of interpreting and applying complex legislation.
+ Experience of the management and deployment of resources, including budgets.
+ Experience improving capacity and capability through technology.
+ Excellent analytical and decision-making skills
+ Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation and presentation skills
+ Inclusive and supportive staff leadership skills
+ Excellent performance management skills
+ Ability to continuously seek out, manage and influence opportunities for improvement and change.

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.

Salary: £ 88,403- £ 101,223, with potential for further progression to £114,042 with our pay progression scheme.
Location: Hybrid
Contracted to our Wilmslow, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office, however, we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities. 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.
+ Civil Service defined benefit pension (employer contribution around 28.9%).
+ 25 days paid holiday per year plus public holidays and additional time off during the office Christmas closure.
+ Flexi leave (up to 26 additional days leave per year).
+ A culture of flexible working, with a range of hybrid and flexible working options.
+ Generous parental leave
+ Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more.
+ Health Cash Plan, free Bupa health checks, access to a 24/7 GP consultation service and access to our Employee Assistance Programme.
+ Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress.
Further details can be found on the benefits section of our website ., Alongside your salary of £88,403, Information Commissioner's Office contributes £25,610 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides., 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.