Office jobs in United Kingdom

We are recruiting for three Investigation Officers for up to 12 months fixed term. Investigation Officers are responsible for leading investigations referred under the legislation the ICO regulates. They will deliver the ICO's Better Regulatory Interventions by working with flexibility and choosing the right regulatory interventions to have the greatest impact in order to address compliance failures.

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.

As an Investigation Officer you are responsible for investigating serious and complex breaches of data protection legislation by identifying the appropriate scope and developing lines of enquiry, as well as gathering relevant evidence and recommending the most appropriate outcome from a range of regulatory tools.

You will work collaboratively and lead multi‑disciplinary teams as part of your case work, engaging with stakeholders across the ICO to ensure that we provide the most appropriate and proportionate regulatory outcome.

You will manage and maintain positive and professional relationships with external stakeholders, including other regulatory bodies and the organisations we regulate.

You will lead enquiries and investigations into complex cases relating to the ICO's strategic causes and regulatory objectives, cases arising from mandatory breach reports and intelligence‑led proactive inquiries.

• Handle cases in line with the ICO's Better Regulatory Interventions, the strategic causes and regulatory priorities.
• Ensure cases are progressed in a timely manner utilising a project management methodology.
• Make sound, evidence‑based recommendations about the most appropriate course of action through the lifecycle of a case to managers and senior leaders.
• Prioritise and manage time effectively while handling complex workloads.
• Negotiate with organisations to achieve compliance with the relevant legislation.
• Provide good customer service to all parties, managing expectations sensitively and communicating clearly, regularly and at an appropriate level, both verbally and in writing.
• Proactively develop legislative expertise, keeping abreast of developments in the legislation and regulations that the ICO oversees.
• Develop and maintain relationships with any relevant internal/external stakeholders as appropriate.
• Attend internal meetings and external meetings and events, giving presentations where necessary.
• Provide briefing or guidance material for more senior members of staff and present case overviews to colleagues where necessary.

• Experience relevant to the role requirements, as described in the role responsibilities and person specification, and accumulated through any combination of academic or vocational qualifications or experience.
• Ability to work on own initiative and as a member of a team.
• Ability to lead meetings and make presentations to small groups.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels.
• Good intellectual and analytical ability in order to apply complex legislation to a variety of circumstances.
• Excellent standard of literacy and effective written communication skills for writing letters, reports and meeting notes.
• Ability to deal with a demanding workload which may include considerable correspondence and to prioritise accordingly.
• Effective negotiation skills.
• Ability to use standard office IT packages.

Equality, diversity and inclusion, 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 to 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. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

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.

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.

• 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.

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, alongside your salary of £33,273, Information Commissioner's Office contributes £9,639 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.