Principal Technology Adviser - Identity and Trust

Principal Technology Adviser – Online trust

Full time / Part time Salary: £57,815- £65,021, with potential for further progression to £73,211 with our pay progression scheme.

Location:

Hybrid Contracted to our Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office. Through hybrid working we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities and there will be times when you will be expected to attend the office to collaborate with colleagues or travel due to business need.

• 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.

Shape the future of digital trust. Join the ICO’s Technology Department, where cutting-edge technology meets impactful regulation. As a Principal Technology Adviser, you'll help shape how identity, trust and authority are established online, influencing policy and regulatory approaches to areas of public digital infrastructure such as trust services and digital verification services. Whether you're an experienced specialist or an emerging expert with strong technical foundations, this is a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of technology, public policy and innovation.

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.

Successful applicants to this role must have a solid technical understanding of public key infrastructure (PKI), and the cryptographic concepts that underpin online trust, and security and digital identity systems. Experience of working with technical standards, specifications or trust frameworks relating to identity verification, authentication, credential issuance, digital credentials, trust services, or secure data exchange would be advantageous. Applications are welcomed from candidates with familiarity with standards and specifications that underpin the emerging online trust ecosystem such as the ETSI trust services framework, and standards and specifications supporting digital credentials and wallets (ISO 18103 mdoc, Open , W3C verifiable credentials and related technologies).

We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate strong analytical capability, curiosity, sound technical judgement, and the potential to develop specialist expertise in online trust. The successful candidate will work alongside experienced colleagues on real-world regulatory, technical and standards-related issues. Structured learning and development will be available to help build practical expertise in trust services, technical standards, conformity assessment and regulatory analysis.

You will enjoy substantial autonomy, often working directly with senior colleagues, including members of the ICO Executive and Senior Leadership Teams. You will contribute to internal briefings, policy development, technical assessments and external engagement with industry, academia and standards bodies. The ICO provides flexibility in ways of working, with multiple locations and remote…