Head of Enterprise

Head of Enterprise

Fixed term until 31 March 2027

Full time / Part time

Salary : £69,371 - £79,372 with potential for further progression to £89,369 with our pay progression scheme.

Location : Hybrid

Contracted to our Wilmslow, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office, however, 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 need. Please note, from Autumn 2026 our head office will relocate from Wilmslow to Manchester city centre.

This role is open to secondment opportunities. If you are interested in a secondment with the ICO please email .

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
• 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 .

Job summary

The Enterprise Department sits within the ICO’s Technology, Innovation and Enterprise Directorate, charged with influencing the most significant firms in the digital economy to demonstrate high standards of data protection across their full range of products and activities. The Department’s work is high-profile and high-impact, shaping the experience of digital services for people across the UK.

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 Head of Enterprise, you will lead the department and forge productive relationships at the highest level in both industry and government to drive forward the ICO’s goals. You will grow and develop a high-performing team that shares your ability to rapidly scrutinise emerging policy and product developments and take effective decisions on how to respond to these. You will be results-driven, ensuring that your team focuses on the most significant issues of the day and drives forward meaningful change in industry, including through regulatory action where appropriate.

You will do so in partnership with the UK’s other major digital regulators such as Ofcom, the Competition and Markets Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority, maximising the synergies between our respective regimes in order to deliver impact. You will lead the ICO’s interface with the new online safety and digital markets regulatory regimes and shape the debate about how privacy should be reconciled with other regulatory goals on issues from online advertising to end-to-end encryption. You will lead the ICO’s contribution to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum, ensuring that this delivers real benefits for our customers and stakeholders.

Key responsibilities :

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage :

Essential criteria assessed during interview :

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 k

Closing Date

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23 : 59, 23 November . 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 .

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.