Group Director for Regulatory Assurance and Cyber

Information Commissioner's Office -
Manchester

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Job details

Permanent | Full-time
£119,930 - £171,248 a year
3 hours ago

Benefits

Additional leave
Annual leave
Company pension

Qualifications

Management
Presentation skills
Negotiation

Full job description

Details

Reference number

473391

Salary

£119,930 - £145,590

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Other

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

ICO - Assurance

Type of role

Digital

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information

Location

Manchester

About the job

Job summary

Group Director for Regulatory Assurance and Cyber

Full time / Part time

Salary: £119,930 - £145,590, with potential for further progression to £171,248 with our pay progression scheme.

Location: Hybrid

Contracted to our Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office

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 .

Join the Information Commissioners Office at a pivotal moment, where rapid technological change and the growing importance of data are reshaping the UKs economy and society. As Group Director for Regulatory Assurance and Cyber, youll take on a high-impact leadership role, steering the ICOs approach to assurance and cyber regulation.

Youll drive forward a risk-led, outcome-focused supervisory model, ensuring the UK maintains strong, trusted data protection frameworks that support innovation and public confidence. From delivering major regulatory programmes to shaping the ICOs response to new cyber legislation, youll lead expert teams to provide proactive assurance, targeted interventions and strategic oversight where it matters most.

This is a unique opportunity to influence national regulatory direction, strengthen cyber resilience, and play a critical role in enabling a secure, data-driven future.

The Information Commissioners 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

Reporting to the Executive Director for Regulatory Risk and Innovation, the role provides focused leadership and capacity in a high‑risk, fast‑evolving regulatory area. You will work closely with Executive Directors and senior leaders across the organisation to ensure coherence between assurance, supervision, investigations and enforcement activity, and to support clear prioritisation and measurable regulatory impact.

As a senior leader, you will be expected to make a significant contribution to the development and delivery of the ICOs strategic plans, policies and initiatives. You will also promote and safeguard the good corporate reputation of the ICO, raise awareness of information rights and obligations and provide leadership to the organisation and its people.

Key Responsibilities

Work collaboratively with senior leader colleagues to develop and deliver the ICOs purpose and vision, role modelling our values at all times.
Provide direct leadership and line management for the Director of Regulatory Assurance, Director of Cyber, and two PACE product roles, bringing together assurance, cyber and product capability under a single senior leadership role. You will be responsible for ensuring all staff within the directorates are clear about standards expected and are empowered to achieve them.
Provide senior oversight of PACE product activity within scope, ensuring product delivery supports regulatory assurance and cyber priorities and is aligned to the ICOs strategy and Better Regulatory Interventions approach.
Lead delivery of the ICOs regulatory responsibilities arising from the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, ensuring readiness, capability and effective supervisory approaches are in place.
Ensure strategic risks and opportunities in all areas of responsibility are managed effectively. This means agreeing clear risk appetites, ensuring all risks are clearly articulated and actively managed, and that all controls and mitigating actions are effective and proportionate.
Overall budgetary and fiscal responsibility for Regulatory Assurance and Cyber functions, overseeing operational spend and leading on development of business cases where necessary.
Embed a supervisory approach to regulation, focused on earlier engagement, prevention of harm and delivery of clear, measurable regulatory outcomes.
Ensure assurance and cyber interventions are proportionate, evidence‑based and consistent with the ICOs Better Regulatory Interventions approach.
Work closely with Legal, Investigations and other regulatory functions to support effective escalation, enforcement decision‑making and end‑to‑end regulatory coherence.
Contribute to organisational horizon‑scanning and risk assessment, identifying emerging threats, opportunities and trends relevant to cyber resilience and assurance.
Establish and maintain effective internal and external relationships with government, public bodies, regulators, industry and other stakeholders to support delivery of regulatory objectives, regulatory coherence and effective risk management.
Support the Executive Director for Regulatory Risk and Innovation in business planning, performance management and reporting on assurance and cyber activity.
Engaging across the whole of the ICO, establishing close working relationships and taking responsibility for matrix management where necessary to ensure a connection across the organisation to achieve a successful and cohesive implementation of the relevant strategies.
Ensure that the ICO values diversity in its workforce and demonstrates equality of opportunity in its treatment of staff, customers and in all aspects of its business.
Seeking continuous improvement in all areas of responsibility and acting as a catalyst for efficiency, high performance, continuous improvement and innovation across the organisation.
Play a significant role in the leadership of the ICO and all relevant initiatives, taking personal responsibility for ad hoc projects or tasks agreed with the CEO and Executive Team.
Represent the ICO and personally advise the Executive Team wherever required.

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage:

Senior‑level experience demonstrating widely recognised expertise in cyber, regulatory assurance or closely related risk‑focused disciplines, gained in public, private or third‑sector settings.
Strong track record of leading complex cyber‑related, regulatory or assurance activity and delivering high‑quality outcomes in high‑risk or fast‑moving contexts.
Extensive experience of senior leadership and people management, including setting clear direction, motivating teams and sustaining delivery through change.
Experience operating effectively in high‑profile, high‑risk environments with significant reputational, public trust or wider system implications.
Substantial experience in senior representational and negotiating roles, building effective relationships with government, regulators, industry and other stakeholders to influence outcomes, manage risk and maintain public confidence.

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

Strong understanding of the principles of good regulation and their practical application within assurance and supervisory contexts.
Knowledge of cyber risk, resilience, assurance or related regulatory domains with the credibility to operate authoritatively at senior levels, or the demonstrable ability to develop and apply such expertise quickly.
Ability to champion and role model equality, diversity and inclusion, demonstrating strong personal integrity and a commitment to the ICOs values at both an organisational and team level.
The ability to exercise sound judgement in ambiguous or controversial circumstances.
Ability to lead cross‑functional and matrix working, influencing without line authority where required.
Experience of embedding outcome‑focused, proportionate regulatory interventions and measuring their effectiveness.
Good understanding of public sector governance, accountability and performance management.
Commercially and politically aware, with an understanding of how cyber risk, technological change and system resilience impact regulatory decision‑making and public trust.
Collaborative leadership style, with a commitment to empowering others and building high‑performing teams.
Strong written, verbal and communications skills, directed in particular at negotiating with and influencing a wide range of stakeholders including public speaking and media.
Resilient, adaptable and able to operate effectively under pressure.

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 ICOs commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme.

As part of the ICOs 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 [email protected]

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £119,930, Information Commissioner's Office contributes £34,743 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

Please visit ico.jobs for full details, including salary and benefits.

Things you need to know

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59, 16 August. 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 [email protected].

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.

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.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting .

See our vetting charter .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : [email protected]
Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

Email : [email protected]

Further information

https://ico.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ICO/details/Group-Director-Regulatory-Assurance-and-Cyber_JR782-1

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Details

Reference number

Salary

Job grade

Contract type

Business area

Type of role

Working pattern

Number of jobs available

Contents

Location

About the job

Job summary

Job description

Person specification

Benefits

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Selection process details

Security

Medical

Nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

Diversity and Inclusion

Apply and further information

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Recruitment team

Further information

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