ABOUT US

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

As the Private Secretary you will be required to respond to matters on behalf of the Information Commissioner by working with the Executive Team (ET), senior leaders and managers across the ICO to ensure that actions are congruent with organisational strategy, policy lines and legislative requirements. This includes supporting the Information Commissioner, and, from time to time, the CEO and ET at an extensive range of events and business meetings with the primary objectives of ensuring each event achieves its strategic goal and effective links are maintained between attendees and the wider office. The role will therefore require a commitment to domestic and international travel in order to support these engagements.
You will ensure that the Information Commissioner is suitably prepared for business-critical meetings. Working closely with the Head of the Commissioner’s Private Office, the CEO’s Private Office and across other Private Offices to strategically plan engagements for the Information Commissioner, wider ET and SLT as required. This will require oversight of the production of high quality and incisive briefings, often at short notice, across a diverse range of complex and sometimes sensitive subject areas. You will also be required to manage projects on behalf of the Information Commissioner, reporting progress and ensuring actions are progressed.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide a trusted source of advice for your Information Commissioner, CEO and ET, gaining and respecting their confidence and providing appropriate challenge.
• Identify issues that could impact on the successful delivery of organisational objectives and engage with relevant internal and external stakeholders to ensure that effective approaches are adopted.
• Advise on wider political, constitutional and organisational considerations and keep abreast of key developments and issues in the wider environment as relevant to the ICO.
• Liaise with senior external stakeholders across a diverse range of public and private sectors, plus international stakeholders as required.
• Advise and make recommendations to your Information Commissioner and ICO senior management, exercising good judgement and independent decision making, often working on problems and issues as they arise.
• Deliver accurate and concise briefing papers, written reports and presentations based on information gathered from across the ICO, often involving in depth analysis and/or interpretation and application of policy and regulatory methodology relating to complex issues.
• Oversee the delivery of key external meetings and events for the Information Commissioner, providing in-person support for domestic and overseas engagements as required.
• Support the development of submissions made by senior managers and assist in enabling them to provide appropriate advice to enable strategic decision making.
• Support the communication of your Information Commissioner’s views and decisions sensitively and diplomatically where appropriate both internally and externally.
• Where required, communicate with senior, high profile external stakeholders, including the media, MPs and government departments in order to influence and promote the ICO’s agenda.
• Working autonomously to deliver cross department, Information Commissionerate wide corporate projects which contribute to the ICO’s overall strategy using independent decision making skills.
• Keep up to date with developments across ICO directorates and functions, have a breadth of knowledge across the work of the ICO and work closely with members of ICO’s ET, SLT and non-executive directors.