Principal Lawyer

Principal Lawyer – Data Privacy Advice

Full time / Part time 

Salary:         £72,146- £81,952 pa, with potential for further progression to £92,273 with our pay progression scheme. 

Location:     Hybrid 

Contracted to our London, Wilmslow, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office.

Our Wilmslow office will be relocating to Manchester city centre from 28 September 2026. Once the move takes place your contracted office will be Circle Square, Manchester. 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 Principal Lawyer will be taking the role at a pivotal moment for the organisation and for the UK’s information rights framework. The ICO is becoming the Information Commission, reflecting our evolving role and responsibilities following the Data (Use and Access) Act, alongside the introduction of a new corporate strategy with refreshed priorities. The ICO Legal Service plays a central role in delivering this new strategic ambition.

The Principal Lawyer will work within the ICO Legal Service (Data Privacy Advice team) on some of the most high-profile data protection matters, involving cutting edge legal issues. This will include providing quality, timely and risk based legal advice in relation to the UK GDPR, DPA 2018, FOIA 2000 and PECR 2003. The post holder will forge partnerships with other areas of the organisation to achieve consistency of approach.

The Principal Lawyer will act in accordance with directions given by the Executive Team and Legal Directors, under the overall supervision of the ICO’s General Counsel.

As one of the ICO’s noted legal experts in their field, the Principal Lawyer will provide technical legal support to others across the organisation. They will manage and supervise other lawyers in the Legal team, and work with external lawyers where appropriate.

Post holders will work with their legal colleagues to ensure that learning and development across the ICO Legal Service is shared and developed collectively.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, high quality, timely and risk-based legal advice on legal queries received from across the ICO. This may include contentious matters, high priority engagement with external stakeholders and matters taken to litigation, as well as advising on policy development, guidance and legislative reform.

• Provide expert advice in areas of responsibility by being fully conversant with all relevant legislation (including data protection legislation) and ICO policies, as well as leading on developing strategy and thinking on novel and complex legal issues.

• Manage and develop lawyers in the Legal Service, provide supervision to other lawyers and, as appropriate, instruct external lawyers on key matters. Ensure that all supervised lawyers are continually developing and competent and undertaking sufficient development opportunities to maintain their practising certificate.
   
• Seek continuous improvement in all areas of responsibility, recommend changes, and manage and lead on 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 may be required.

• Identify opportunities and risks to the ICO’s operations and reputation and make recommendations for improving the ICO’s legal risk management of its own regulatory compliance as well as that of external sectors/organisations.

• Engage with colleagues across the organisation, media and other external stakeholders on important legal issues.

• Contribute to the development of colleagues in the ICO by preparing or delivering in-house training as required. 

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, in respect of 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 relevant to the role requirements, as described above, including experience advising on data protection law.
• Experience of managing own workload effectively, particularly in a pressurised environment.
• Experience of providing strategic legal advice in a regulatory environment including knowledge of public law principles and/or the ability to quickly develop skills in this area.
• Experience of supervising other lawyers. Some experience of managing others and/or the ability to quickly develop skills in this area.

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

• Excellent legal analytical skills.
• Ability to interpret and apply complex legislation to particular situations and to engage in debate about these issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Understanding of the regulatory environment and the public sector generally including the democratic, political and organisational framework of a regulator.
• Ability to seek out, manage and influence opportunities for continuous improvement and change
• Personally effective – excellent organisational skills, ability to prioritise and delegate

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 a cover letter detailing your suitability for the role by 23:59 on Thursday 28th May 2026

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.

Clearance Required for this role:

Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)