Economic Analyst - Fixed term contract up to 12 months

Job summary

Economic Analyst – Fixed term contract up to 12 months

This secondment offers a unique chance to contribute to high-impact, significant work at the forefront of data and privacy regulation. As an Economic Analyst at the ICO, you’ll apply your skills to real-world challenge, shaping policy, evaluating regulatory interventions, and exploring the intersection of data protection with innovation, competition, and economic growth. You’ll work in a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment, gain exposure to cutting-edge topics like AI and biometrics, and benefit from structured development within the Government Economic Service.

Full time/Part time.

Salary: £44,297 per annum

Location: Flexible hybrid working across the UK

Contracted to our Wilmslow, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast 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.

About us

The ICO is the UK’s independent regulator for information rights, promoting data privacy for individuals and openness in public bodies. We regulate under a wide range of legislation, including responsibilities for data protection and freedom of information.

With economists located across the UK (Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Wilmslow), we offer an inclusive environment and provide flexible working conditions and a range of training and development opportunities. This includes:

• a structured economics profession including targeted learning and development opportunities, and visibility of career development pathways;
• membership of the Government Economic Service (GES);
• structured pay progression framework that provides tangible rewards for sustained progress and contribution;
• networking opportunities and a mechanism for social learning, sharing insight and good practice; and
• opportunities to do work to enhance diversity and inclusion within economics.

The ICO’s work is interesting and immensely rewarding – it is of national importance and increasingly in the public eye, covering areas such as AI, online tracking, and all the facets of the digital economy. We hold a unique position as a regulator across the whole of the private, public and third sectors.

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. We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to pursue a fulfilling and engaging career, able to acquire new skills and enjoy a supportive working environment.

Job description

Do you want to be part of the team that produces economic analysis and research to support decision making, via options appraisal, impact assessment, ex-post evaluation, and other analytics (eg geospatial mapping)?

We have an opportunity for an Economic Analyst to join us on secondment. This would be related to understanding, measuring and driving regulatory intervention and policy impact, including the interaction of data protection with economic growth, competition, and innovation. The team’s work includes:

• supporting policy development by aiding understanding of the impact of our policies, programmes and projects using approved models and methods following principles from the Green and Magenta Books aligned with the ICO’s impact frameworks;
• supporting the provision of advice to clarify the economic, social and public costs, benefits, and trade-offs of our policy decisions;
• engaging and collaborating across the organisation to provide expert guidance, research and analysis on economic matters. Examples include scoping the market for biometric technologies, or understanding how artificial intelligence could impact the labour market;
• providing learning resources and training across the organisation to ensure there is awareness and common understanding of appraisal, impact assessment, evaluation, and related areas of economic thinking;
• engaging and developing relevant external stakeholder networks, via interaction with UK and international regulatory counterparts and government, academia, conference attendance, etc.

Whether the issue is understanding how we enable businesses in the UK economy, the interaction of privacy and competition or the impact of measures to protect children’s privacy online, economics is vital to our understanding of data and privacy issues. As an Economic Analyst you will support the ICO’s work across the full range of our responsibilities, ensuring that our actions are underpinned with high quality economic analysis.

Reporting to a Principal Economist you will provide high quality economic analysis, collaborating with other experts in multidisciplinary teams. You will work flexibly across a range of projects, identifying the key economic issues, analysing data and other evidence to support your arguments, and communicating them effectively to a range of audiences.

Person specification

To succeed in this role, you will need experience in economic analysis and be able to demonstrate the application of economics and analysis techniques in a range of circumstances. You will be a problem solver and an effective written and oral communicator, able to take responsibility for a range of tasks, and managing conflicting demands on your time.

Essential criteria assessed at application stage

• A degree in economics with around 2+ years’ experience in an economic analysis role (or equivalent post graduate academic experience).
• Knowledge of the principles of the HMT Green and Magenta Books (experience of practical application is desirable but not essential).
• Experience in carrying out economic analysis, using a range of tools (eg statistical).
• Analyses and synthesises complex information and data, drawing on knowledge and applying it to questions of interest for the department, while being aware of the limitations/risks of economic analysis and the available data.
• Able to interpret requirements and present data in a clear and compelling way, using data visualisations techniques and tools.
• Drafts analysis for different stakeholders and understands the differences in communicating to them. Actively seeks out new, insightful, and more inclusive ways to present and communicate findings.

Essential criteria assessed at interview stage

• Reviews, syntheses, and is able to critique and quality assure own analysis and of others to ensure it is of high quality.
• Continually develops and evaluates the quality of analysis to ensure that the department is producing robust economic analysis which can stand up to scrutiny.

• Develops a good understanding of how economic models can inform analysis, and of their limitations. This may include advising on appropriate data sources.

• Works effectively in multidisciplinary teams and with others, maintaining effective professional working relationships both internally and externally across organisations.
• The ability to deal with a demanding workload which may include conflicting demands on time.
• Develops oneself as a professional economist/analyst by continuing to seek out training, teaching and coaching opportunities as well as promoting economics that enables confident delivery.
• Knowledge of the principles of the HMT Green and Magenta Books (experience of practical application is desirable but not essential).
• Drafts and presents analysis for different stakeholders and understands the differences in communicating to them. Actively seeks out new, insightful, and more inclusive ways to present and communicate findings

Benefits

Please visit ico.jobs for full details, including salary and benefits.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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.

To apply

Please submit your CV and cover letter by 23:59 on Wednesday 21st January 2026. Your cover letter should be no more than 1,000 words and should clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. To ensure your application is considered, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact us at recruitment@ico.org.uk.

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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment@ico.org.uk
• Email : recruitment@ico.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ico.org.uk