Information Commissioner's Office
Head of Legal - Contracts and Compliance
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Head of Legal - Contracts and Compliance
Full time / Part time
Salary: £72,146 - £81,952, with potential for further progression to £92,273 with our pay progression scheme.
Location: Hybrid
Contracted to our Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office. Through hybrid working we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities and 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.
- Hybrid and flexible working options.
- 25 days paid holiday per year, plus privilege and public holidays.
- Flexi leave (up to 26 additional days leave per year).
- Pension (employer contribution around 28.9%).
- Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more.
- Health Cash Plan.
- Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress.
Further details can be found on the benefits section of our website.
Job Description
The Information Commission 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.
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Legal Service. The Head of Legal Service operates in one of the Information Commission’s five legal directorates, reporting into a Legal Director.
The Post Holder Will Provide Expert Legal Advice Across All Legal Issues Within Their Area Of Operation, Which Will Relate Primarily To Commercial Contracts And Procurement, And Internal Compliance Including Data Protection And Public Procurement Law. Our Contracts And Compliance Team Provides Legal Advice To Teams Across The Organisation On Internal Legal Risk, Including:
- Contract and procurement law advice
- Leases and property matters
- MOUs and data sharing by the organisation
- Internal legal compliance, including information law and public procurement law
The Head of Contracts and Compliance will work within the Legal Service, providing legal advice on relevant matters and supporting the organisation’s own internal legal compliance. The post holder will line manage other lawyers in the team.
The post holder will provide expert legal advice, and forge partnerships with other areas of the organisation to achieve consistency of approach, efficiency and the delivery of high quality, timely and risk-based legal advice to the Information Commission.
The post holder will act in accordance with directions given by the Commission (and Executive Team) and Legal Directors, under the overall supervision of the organisation’s General Counsel. They will advise as to the appropriate legal lines to take, including providing strategic advice including in relation to commercial matters, procurement law and other areas of internal compliance including data protection.
As one of the Information Commission’s noted legal experts in their field, the Head of Contracts & Compliance will provide technical and line management support to other lawyers. They will supervise other lawyers in the Legal team, and work with external lawyers where appropriate.
Post holders will manage the deployment of people and resources within their area of activity and will work with other Heads of Legal Service, Legal Directors and General Counsel to develop and deliver appropriate legal strategies.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic, high quality, timely and risk based legal advice a diverse range of commercial and internal compliance matters, in particular managing and/or supervising complex and high-profile negotiations.
- Provide expert advice in areas of responsibility by being fully conversant with all relevant legislation and policies, as well as leading on developing strategy and thinking on novel and complex legal issues.
- Provide instructions to external lawyers on key legal cases and legislative matters.
- Provide direct line management to lawyers in the Legal team, including developing team members, monitoring and reviewing individual performance, and supporting individual lawyers’ development. Ensure that all lawyers within the post’s remit are continually developing and competent, undertaking sufficient development opportunities to maintain their practising certificate.
- Develop and implement effective and appropriate strategies to deliver specific objectives outlined in the corporate plan relating to legal advice.
- Provide effective leadership to the Directorate, ensuring that all staff are clear about expected standards of performance, motivated and developed to provide effective and efficient legal services.
- Ensure that appropriate and effective mechanisms are in place to produce and monitor key performance indicators to ensure both internal and external legal service delivery is in line with agreed standards.
- Seek continuous improvement in all areas of responsibility, recommend changes, and manage and lead on commercial or regulatory initiatives to ensure that implementation is successfully achieved.
- Participate and where appropriate lead, on behalf of the ICO, at meetings and events where senior representation is required, some travel including overseas maybe required.
- Participate actively in relevant corporate initiatives, including the business planning process, and undertake a senior management role.
- Identify opportunities and risks to the organisations operations, reputation and make recommendations for improving the legal risk management of its own regulatory and compliance issues as well as those of external sectors/organisations.
- Engage with media and other external stakeholders on important legal issues related to the Information Commission’s practices.
- Effectively and independently manage a caseload of complex legal matters to ensure that operational matters are handled in line with our standards, policies and regulatory priorities. Adding value to the wider operation and influence of the organisation by leading or supporting strategic projects and providing advice on the creation of policies, procedures and guidance.
- Contribute to the development of colleagues in the organisation by preparing or delivering in-house training as required.
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Person specification
Essential Criteria Assessed At Application Stage:
- Applicants must be qualified to practise as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales.
- Or applicants qualified in a jurisdiction outside of England and Wales, must have an appropriate equivalent professional qualification and may be required to undertake the Solicitors’ Qualifying Examinations (or apply and be granted an exemption of one or both parts) within a defined period.
- Substantial experience of contract law, including advising, drafting and negotiating contracts.
- Experience of procurement law and/or the ability to quickly develop skills in this area.
- Experience of data protection law and public law and/or the ability to quickly develop skills in this area.
- Experience of providing strategic legal advice in a regulatory environment and/or the ability to quickly develop skills in this area
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Essential Criteria Assessed During Interview:
- Experience of supervising other lawyers. Some experience of managing others and/or the ability to quickly develop skills in this area.
- Experience of liaising with and instructing external lawyers and other organisations.
- Understanding of the regulatory environment and the public sector generally including the democratic, political and organisational framework of a regulator.
- Ability to draft, negotiate and advise on a range of contracts, procurement law queries and other commercial law matters.
- Excellent legal analytical skills.
- Ability to seek out, manage and influence opportunities for continuous improvement and change.
Alongside your salary of £72,146, Information Commissioner's Office contributes £20,900 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
Please visit ico.jobs for full details, including salary and benefits.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
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 declare they identify as belonging from an ethnic minority background and who meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy
If you are disabled or have an impairment and require an alternative application method, please email the HR team at recruitment@ico.org.uk
Closing Date
Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59 on Monday 12th October 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. 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 at recruitment@ico.org.uk.
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 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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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