Senior Information Rights Officer

Job summary

Strategy, Policy and Programmes Group sets the strategic direction for UKHSA, supports the organisation to deliver the business plan and evaluates performance of delivery.

Positioned in the Strategy Directorate, the Parliamentary and Public Accountability team provides a centralised service working directly with requesters, regulators, Other Government Departments (OGDs), Ministers'/CEO offices, Parliament and members of the public in the delivery of UKHSA's obligations with respect to Parliament and the public. The team works collaboratively across the whole of UKHSA to provide a high-quality service to all our customers in line with UKHSA's values and our key performance indicators.

You will be working with a highly motivated and passionate group of people and will be working alongside them in an exciting and fast-paced environment with the opportunity to make your mark and influence government policy and delivery. In line with the UKHSA values, we are inclusive, insightful and impactful in our work.

The role will be responsible for providing expert advice, developing a high standard of quality assurance, including requests made in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Environmental Information Regulations and subject access requests under the General Data Protection Regulation, as well as Coroner's Investigations and briefings to deliver the service.

Main duties of the job

This is an excellent opportunity for staff wishing to join the Parliamentary and Public Accountability team and contribute to the delivery of UKHSA's centralised information rights service.

The post holder will be part of the Information Rights team within the Parliamentary and Public Accountability Team. Responsibilities will include:

Co-ordination and drafting of responses to requests made under FOIA, the Data Protection Act and other statutory information access schemes, ensuring responses comply with the relevant legislation. Provision of expert advice and guidance, developing a high standard of quality assurance, to support the business of the team in its centralised statutory information access service The postholder will help lead the team to undertaking activities relating to reporting, engagement, continuous improvement, learning and development and wellbeing In line with our work to increase cross-team working within the Parliamentary and Public Accountability Team, and to role model a one team ethos, the postholder may also be required to undertake projects outside their immediate area of responsibility to support parliamentary, complaints and enquiries team activity.

About us

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Please visit our careers site for more information

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will work closely with the Information Rights Lead in the delivery of full accountability to the public for the exercise of UKHSAs functions.

It is essential that members of the public have confidence in the health and social care system. UKHSAs Public Accountability team works to secure the trust and confidence of the public and ensure that the service we provide are consistent and seamless.

The postholder will be required to:

Co-ordinate UKHSAs responses to FOIA and other statutory information access requests to UKHSA with consistent and cleared responses and act as liaison point for any further clarification or queries. Assist the Information Rights Lead & Head of Public Accountability to ensure that UKHSA complies with the requirements under FOIA, the Data Protection Act and other statutory information access schemes, ensuring responses comply with the relevant legislation. Provide expert guidance and support for challenging cases and where escalation is required for more complex cases. Ensure there is a centralised service for the sensitive handling of material and correspondence from the Coroners Office. Develop the team and individuals, build capability and flexibility to support UKHSA as a whole Act as one of the primary points of contact for public accountability activity and respond to queries and issues raised from both staff and members of the public including lawyers and journalists. Quality assure and consistency check contributions including review of corporate lines received from contributors across UKHSA to ensure up to date lines on key topics feature in responses. Provide briefings to Chief Executive Office, Directors and staff across UKHSA on a wide range of UKHSAs issues raised under FOIA, Data Protection Act and other statutory information access schemes. Engage across the organisation and externally with other Government departments such as the Department of Health and Social Care and the Information Commissioners Office.

The post holder will work closely with the Information Rights Lead in the delivery of full accountability to the public for the exercise of UKHSAs functions.

It is essential that members of the public have confidence in the health and social care system. UKHSAs Public Accountability team works to secure the trust and confidence of the public and ensure that the service we provide are consistent and seamless.

The postholder will be required to:

Co-ordinate UKHSAs responses to FOIA and other statutory information access requests to UKHSA with consistent and cleared responses and act as liaison point for any further clarification or queries. Assist the Information Rights Lead & Head of Public Accountability to ensure that UKHSA complies with the requirements under FOIA, the Data Protection Act and other statutory information access schemes, ensuring responses comply with the relevant legislation. Provide expert guidance and support for challenging cases and where escalation is required for more complex cases. Ensure there is a centralised service for the sensitive handling of material and correspondence from the Coroners Office. Develop the team and individuals, build capability and flexibility to support UKHSA as a whole Act as one of the primary points of contact for public accountability activity and respond to queries and issues raised from both staff and members of the public including lawyers and journalists. Quality assure and consistency check contributions including review of corporate lines received from contributors across UKHSA to ensure up to date lines on key topics feature in responses. Provide briefings to Chief Executive Office, Directors and staff across UKHSA on a wide range of UKHSAs issues raised under FOIA, Data Protection Act and other statutory information access schemes. Engage across the organisation and externally with other Government departments such as the Department of Health and Social Care and the Information Commissioners Office.

The postholder will have regular contact with staff at all levels in UKHSA and to support delivery against targets, will also need to establish and maintain efficient and effective working relationships with members of the public, health care professionals and across government departments.

In ensuring that UKHSA's responses are timely and accurate, the postholder will work with the organisation's scientists, clinicians and technical staff and will be able to take complex scientific and technical information and be able to adapt it for a wide range of audiences. Strong communication and drafting skills are essential for this role.

As the role involves changing priorities, the successful candidate will need to demonstrate the ability to be flexible, adaptable, and resilient through uncertainty.

The post holder will have responsibilities within the team and across the organisation around engagement, reporting, continuous improvement, learning and development and well-being.

You will be assessed on the below 6 essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description

Essential Criteria

A sound practical knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and ability to guide others on the application of exemptions including conducting public interest tests Ability to deal with conflicting demands and pressures and able to solve complex problems, whilst remaining calm under pressure and demonstrating a high level of resilience Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and inspire colleagues at all levels, building trust with stakeholders to achieve goals An understanding of and commitment to diversity and inclusion and good working relationships Experience of supporting policy teams by the drafting of timely responses regularly reviewing with the team what worked well and what didnt, ensuring best practices are embedded and shared; Excellent IT skills Microsoft, Excel, Adobe

Desirable criteria BCS Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information and/or GDPR (or equivalent qualification) Staff management experience and leadership capability Ability to motivate and manage staff Experience of working within a correspondence or communications function in a fast-paced scientific or health setting with a primary role of communicating written information to the public. Demonstrate problem solving, negotiation, conflict resolution and facilitation skills

Selection ProcessDetails:

This vacancy is using SuccessProfiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Stage 1:Application& Sift

Success profiles

You willbe requiredto complete an application form. You will be assessed onthe above listedessentialcriteria,and this will be in the form ofa:

Application form(Employer/ Activity history section on the application)

1000 word Statement of Suitability.

This should outline how your skills,experience,andknowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

TheApplication form and Statement of Suitability will be marked separately,and you must to to move forward to interview.

Please do not exceed 1000 will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.

Behaviours will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

Managing a Quality Service Delivering at Pace Communicating and Influencing Working Together

Interviews will be held week commencing TBC. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

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

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates will require Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Location Clause Wording

This role is being offered as hybrid working. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London)

Person Specification

Application form

Essential

Application form

Statement of Suiability

Essential

Statement of Suitability

Behaviours

Essential

Managing a Quality Service Delivering at Pace Communicating and Influencing Working Together

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