Lead Communications Officer – Fixed term contract up to six months.

Full time/Part time

Salary: £33,273 - £37,692 per annum with potential for further progression to £42,439 with our pay progression scheme.

Location: Flexible

Contracted to our Wilmslow or London office, however, 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 need. Please note that from Autumn 2026 our Head Office will be relocating 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 24 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.

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.

Job Description

This role will handle complex media enquiries, recognising and mitigating reputational risks. The postholder will use their media awareness and monitoring skills to identify opportunities and risks and inform decision-making to brief senior staff for high profile, national print and broadcast interviews. They will need to cultivate and manage relationships with media stakeholders and recommend media strategies that enable us to make the most of opportunities and engage our audiences with the crucial work we do

The postholder will need to draw on excellent written communications skills to turn complex subject matter into engaging content; to create material and provide operational support for integrated communications campaigns

There will be a requirement for out of hours working including participation in the on-call rota.

Key Responsibilities

Provide a pro- and reactive print and broadcast media relations service, promoting and safeguarding the good reputation of the ICO and raising awareness and understanding of our work
Write, edit and advise on a wide range of communications materials
Provide briefings and advice for senior ICO staff about print and broadcast media, social media and general communications channels
Advise ICO staff on topical and reputation-sensitive issues and handle those issues; use news monitoring to ensure reputational risks and opportunities are spotted early and that action is taken swiftly to minimise or maximise impact
Deliver effective internal and external partnership working by fostering good working relationships with journalists, press officers, peers, suppliers and other stakeholders
Support speaking engagements for senior staff, identifying opportunities created, and prioritising media relations
Support wider corporate communications projects by making a creative communications contribution to their planning, design, implementation and evaluation

About you

Essential criteria assessed at application stage

Substantial experience relevant to the role requirements, as described in the role responsibilities, and accumulated through any combination of academic or vocational qualifications or experience
Broad knowledge of communication fields and how they interact (e.g. evaluation, digital, campaigns, print, broadcast and social media)
Excellent writing ability with style adaptable to suit different communications, tools and audiences; ability to take complex information and write clear copy.
In-depth knowledge and experience of in-house press office, ideally national, including pro and reactive media relations, distribution, monitoring, briefings, evaluation etc.
Up to date knowledge of corporate social media approaches and their role in the broader communications mix
Ability to use standard office IT packages.

Essential criteria assessed at interview stage

Ability to deal with a demanding workload and able to switch priorities at short notice
In-depth knowledge and experience of in-house press office, ideally national, including pro and reactive media relations, distribution, monitoring, briefings, evaluation etc.
Up to date knowledge of corporate social media approaches and their role in the broader communications mix
Excellent interpersonal skills with people at all levels – confident, persuasive, good negotiating skills
Political awareness and understanding, good judgement and decision making and ability to handle sensitive issues effectively.
Creativity and problem solving skills

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.

If you have a disability or impairment and have difficulty using our online application system, please email the HR team at recruitment@ico.org.uk who can arrange for you to submit an application via an alternative method.

Closing Date

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59 on Wednesday 3rd 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.