Director for AI and Biometrics

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO); London; Hybrid; GBP 115,000; Full time

Job summary

A regulatory body for information rights is seeking a Director for AI and Biometrics to lead its strategic response to AI and biometric technologies. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in technology, strong leadership skills, and excellent stakeholder engagement abilities. The role offers a salary range of £88,403 - £101,223, hybrid working arrangements, and excellent benefits, including a pay progression scheme and substantial holiday allowances.

Benefits

25 days paid holiday per year

Flexi leave (up to 26 additional days)

Pension with employer contribution of around 28.9%

Health Cash Plan

Online discount scheme

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in technology and information rights.
• Experience in managing resources including budgets.
• Ability to influence and engage with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead ICO's response to AI and biometrics challenges.
• Maximize resource efficiency within PACE teams.
• Advise the Commissioner on AI and biometrics.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Resource management

Innovation

Communication

Education

Relevant academic or vocational qualifications

Job description

Director for AI and Biometrics (PACE)

Fixed term until March 2027

Full time / Part time

Salary: £88,403 - £101,223 with potential for further progression to £114,042 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.

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 summary

Artificial intelligence and biometric technologies are transforming how services are delivered, how decisions are made, and how people interact with the world. They bring opportunities for innovation and growth, but also create risks of bias, discrimination, loss of transparency and erosion of trust. Regulators around the world are under pressure to respond with clarity and confidence.

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

The Director for AI and Biometrics (PACE) will lead the ICO\'s response to these challenges, with accountability for the cross-cutting programme to deliver its AI and Biometrics Strategy. Working through a matrix-managed team drawn from policy, technology, legal and supervisory colleagues, the role ensures the ICO anticipates emerging risks, provides organisations with certainty, and safeguards people from harm.

This is a high-profile leadership role at the intersection of technology, law and society. You will set direction, bring coherence across complex workstreams, and represent the ICO with authority at the highest levels of government, industry and civil society. You will have the opportunity to shape how AI and biometric technologies are governed in the UK and to influence international debates on responsible AI for years to come.

Key responsibilities

• Provide leadership to PACE teams within the ICO on key priority issues to scope the issue; identify what a good outcome would look like; assess how we deploy the available interventions most effectively to deliver this; and oversee effective delivery in a timely manner.
• Ensure proper governance, quality and ethical standards are met during the course of PACE team activity.
• Maximise resource efficiency within PACE teams and deliver value for money. This will involve the continual review of activities and their contribution to the ICO\'s strategic priorities and deciding when change is necessary to re-align activity to meet the ICO\'s objectives.
• Take responsibility and be accountable for achieving the ICO\'s strategic priorities, translating these into clear and deliverable objectives for the resources within the PACE teams and providing the energy and drive to achieve them.
• Make effective, confident and timely decisions, involving relevant Heads of Department, technical experts and consulting others where needed, articulating options and making recommendations for preferred courses of action.
• Provide advice and support at all levels within the PACE teams, providing challenge and technical input where appropriate.
• Promote team working, knowledge sharing and resource co-ordination across directorate functions, working with other senior leaders to achieve these outcomes more widely across the ICO.
• Champion the development of staff, creating an inclusive environment which values diversity, encourages learning and development and identifies and acts where capabilities need to be improved.
• Use initiative, be innovative and seek opportunities for strategic change to deliver world class services. Seek, encourage and recognise ideas and have the courage to take risks and change how things are done, challenging the status quo appropriately where required.
• Coordinate cross-office delivery, aligning contributions from multiple functions to deliver coherent, impactful and timely outcomes.
• Represent the ICO externally, building senior partnerships across government, regulators, industry, civil society, academia and international bodies, and influencing global debates on trustworthy AI.
• Advise the Commissioner and Executive Team, providing authoritative insight on AI and biometrics risks, opportunities and regulatory responses.
• Lead people across boundaries, motivating and developing a matrix-managed team and embedding a culture of inclusion, wellbeing and high performance.
• Contribute to corporate leadership, supporting Senior Leadership Team decision-making and championing organisational change.

Person specification

Essential criteria assessed at application stage:

• Substantial experience relevant to the role requirements, as described in the role responsibilities and person specification, including in engaging with the interaction between information rights and technology and/or innovation and accumulated through any combination of academic or vocational qualifications or experience. (Also assessed during interview)
• Experience of engaging and negotiating with senior external stakeholders. (Also assessed during interview)
• Substantial experience of the management and deployment of resources, including budgets. (Also assessed during interview)
• Ability to seek out, manage and influence. (Also assessed during interview)

Essential criteria assessed during interview:

• Deep familiarity with the use of technology to process personal data, and the promotion of, and engagement with, innovation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation and presentation skills
• Inclusive and supportive staff leadership skills
• 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 [e-mail]

Closing Date

Please submit your CV and cover letter detailing your suitability to the role by 23:59, 28 September 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before this date should we receive sufficient applications. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.

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.