Lawyer (Prosecutor) Regulatory Supervision

Wilmslow, Cheshire

Starting salary: Expected to be in the range of £45,697 to £58,870

What role could you play in influencing the changing privacy and information rights landscape?

Our work as the UK’s privacy and information rights regulator has never been more important. We hold a unique position as a regulator across the whole of the private, public and third sectors.

We operate across the United Kingdom but have an international impact. For example, we work with data protection authorities across the world to share information and best practice as well as conduct joint investigations and enforcement actions.

About us

The ICO is an independent public body; we uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. We educate organisations, promote good practice and are involved with important issues from intrusive technology, nuisance calls/texts to the use of surveillance cameras.

We operate across the United Kingdom but have an international impact. For example, we work with data protection authorities across the world to share information and best practice as well as conduct joint investigations and enforcement actions.

The arrival of the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, has meant huge change for the regulator and we are currently strengthening and expanding our team to meet our new obligations and provide excellent public services under our increased regulatory remit.

About the role

The ICO is at the heart of so many issues of national importance and these are exciting and challenging times for information rights.

As Lawyer (Prosecutor) your role will include providing strategic, high quality legal advice on a variety of high profile queries and issues. Other duties include:

• Provide high quality, timely and risk based legal advice on legal queries received from across the ICO.
• Provide supervision to more junior in-house lawyers
• Provide instructions to external lawyers on key legal cases and legislative matters, and where appropriate manage that instruction on behalf of the ICO.
• Develop specialist knowledge of the range of work done and legal advice required across the ICO, which may be acquired by moving into other legal specialisms periodically, subject to business requirements and priorities.
• Effectively manage a caseload of on-going legal matters, cases and/or projects and ensure that they are dealt with in line with ICO standards, policy and regulatory priorities.
• Advise on guidance to be published by the ICO, to help ensure that it is legally accurate and reflects current legislation.
• Participate on behalf of the ICO at meetings, events and court/tribunal hearings, where representation is required, which may be nationally and internationally, depending on the particular role.

About you

You will have a recognised professional qualification as a Barrister or Solicitor, or as a Chartered Legal Executive in England and Wales. If you qualified outside of England and Wales, you must have an appropriate equivalent professional qualification.  If you are a Chartered Legal Executive you must have at least 2 years post qualification experience. If you qualified outside the UK you may be required to undertake the QLTT within a defined period.

You will also have significant experience of:

• Knowledge and practical experience of the Criminal Justice system and Criminal Courts including Magistrates & Crown Court proceedings
• Experience of preparing/conducting prosecution cases (although we would consider otherwise strong candidates with defence experience who are prepared and able to cross-over to prosecuting and learn quickly on the job)
• Experience of dealing with disclosure and unused material
• Experience of conducting own advocacy in front of a range of courts, appeals or tribunals
• Knowledge of the regulatory environment and of information law would be advantageous.

We would welcome candidates from private practice firms, in-house legal teams or from other public sector organisations.

How to apply

Please upload a copy of your CV along with a covering letter which explains both why you are attracted to this post and why you are the right person for us. Please limit your covering letter to no more than one page. For further information and to apply please visit: www.hays.co.uk/jobs/ico

For a confidential discussion contact:

Rebecca Large T: 0161 228 7770 

The closing date for applications is 12 noon, Wednesday 16th October, 2019