Head of Legal Service

Head of Legal Service

Full time / Part Time

Salary:          £66,068 – £75,592 per annum, with potential for further progression to £85,113 pa with our pay progression scheme.

Location:     Flexible

This role can be based at any of our Wilmslow, London or Edinburgh offices.  Through hybrid working 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 needs. 

Why work for the ICO?

• 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 26.6%).
• 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.

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.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the ICO Legal Service. The Head of Legal Service will work on some of the most high-profile data protection matters,  involving cutting edge legal issues. The work is varied and interesting, and the post holder can make a meaningful impact on individuals’ privacy rights while working in the complex and ever-evolving landscape of data protection law.

The Head of Legal Service operates in one of the ICO’s five legal directorates, reporting into a Legal Director.

The ICO is recruiting for two Heads of Legal positions: one in our Policy & Advice Directorate and one in our Regulatory Enforcement Directorate. Applicants will be considered for both posts, unless they indicate that they wish to apply for one role only.

Post holders provide expert legal advice on all legal issues within their area of operation (which will primarily relate to data protection), 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 ICO.

Heads of Legal Service will act in accordance with directions given by the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners and/or Deputy CEO. They will help determine the appropriate legal lines to take, including providing advice about taking forward cases for action which may include enforcement, prosecution or litigation depending on the nature of the case.

As noted legal experts in their field, the Heads of Legal Service provide technical and line management support to groups of lawyers who are deployed in operational departments.

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.

The post holder will:

• 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 legal cases 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 relevant legislation (including relating to data protection) and procedural rules and lead 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 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, recommending changes, and managing and leading on projects and initiatives ensuring that implementation is achieved on time and in budget.
• Ensure that effective and appropriate policies and procedures are in place to drive operational performance, which meet legal requirements, best practice and organisational objectives.
• Participate on behalf of the Commissioner/ICO as directed at meetings and events where senior representation is required.
• Participate actively in relevant corporate initiatives, including the business planning process, and undertake a senior management role. .
• Identify opportunities and risks to ICO reputation, and make recommendations for improving information rights practice in targeted sectors/organisations; brief the media / do media interviews etc on legal cases and interventions and other issues.

About you

We will be looking to see evidence of the below in your CV, including a personal statement (within the same document) of up to 1000 words. Please ensure this is clear when submitting your application.

• 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 relevant to the role, preferably including experience of advising on data protection law and managing and/or supervising other lawyers.
• Experience of managing own workload effectively, particularly in a pressurised environment.
• Experience of liaising with external lawyers and other organisations.
• Experience of running significant litigation and/or enforcement cases and, supervising those run by others.
• Excellent legal analytical skills.
• Experience of interpreting and applying complex legislation to particular situations and the ability to engage in debate about these issues.
• Knowledge of the regulatory environment in which the ICO operates and the public sector generally. Including the democratic, political and organisational framework that applies to the ICO and its duties and responsibilities as a public body.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Personally Effective – excellent organisational skills, ability to prioritise and delegate.
• Ability to seek out, manage and influence opportunities for continuous improvement and change.
• Ability to analyse complex operational / statistical information and produce accurate / intelligent forecasts and plans.

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment@ico.org.uk
• Email : recruitment@ico.org.uk
• Telephone : recruitment@ico.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ico.org.uk