Information officer

Permanent

£36,024 to £44,263 per annum

Northwest England

ASAP

Sue Hill Recruitment are excited to be working with this HE located in Northwest England. The ideal candidate will operate and maintain the function, responsibility and regulatory requirement for all matters relating to Data Protection, Records Management and Freedom of Information across its national and international sphere of academic and business operations and to ensure compliance with respective data protection law(s) and regulation(s), including its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In particular, the Information Officer will help foster a culture of compliance by working to develop and deliver increased awareness and understanding of information security matters.

The post holder is required to ensure they are up to date with the latest knowledge and regulatory changes that are applicable to the role and responsibilities. A key aspect of the role is to contribute to ad-hoc programmes, projects and initiatives which advance the Data Protection, Information Security, Records Management and Freedom of Information disciplines.

The Information Officer may be responsible for the efficient and accurate handling of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act, together with the contribution to the development, improvement and maintenance of associated tools and processes. This responsibility will be throughout the request lifecycle, from logging the query, liaising with appropriate staff throughout the University to obtain related documents, monitoring staff time expended upon the request, providing the appropriate response, and processing any complaints. Under the guidance of the Head of Data Protection, information must be scrutinised, and if necessary, redactions applied to ensure compliance with the relevant data protection and freedom of information law.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

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•       Contributing to the development and implementation of procedures, processes and tools

to ensure compliance with and in the performance of data protection, freedom of

·        information and records management. Participating in a programme of work to develop

greater understanding and awareness of information security and information compliance.

•       Administer records surveys to identify, classify and collate records and their meta-data and contribute to the production of a records retention and disposal schedule.

Collaborate with stakeholders, including e.g.: Legal, Compliance & Risk, Senior Information Risk Officer (SIRO), archivist, Security Operations Centre.

•       Provide expert, accurate advice and guidance to academic and professional staff within

Faculties, Schools, Institutes, Library, Cultural Institutions and Professional Support Services functions.

•       Assist with training and support to the Information Governance Guardians and Coordinator organisation in preparing guidance, helping administer online information security and data protection training s.

•       Assist with information governance training and awareness across the organisation in preparing guidance, helping administer online materials and provide appropriate management information to report on compliance including taking an active part in the implementation and monitoring of compliance with training requirements.

•       Assist with audits which require Data Protection and information security support and identify observations and recommendations to ensure compliance with relevant regulation. Assist with the review and action of potential related incidents and engage with stakeholders.

•       Assist with Privacy Impact Assessments and other information security risk assessments where appropriate on systems processing personal data and/or highly restricted information and ensure that all new systems implement privacy by design.

•       Process Data Subject Access Requests accurately and respond to queries from Data Subjects in accordance with the regulatory timelines. Provide analysis of data for reporting purposes.

•       Provide support and assist with the recording, review, analysis and resolution of Data Protection and information security incidents through consultation, investigation and reporting.

•       Respond to Freedom of Information requests, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and maintain the publication scheme. Record the query and liaise with appropriate staff throughout the organisation to obtain related documents, track time spent and cost for possible charging. Process any complaints in a timely manner.

•       Work with appropriate University governance groups and committees to ensure that data protection compliance and records management disciplines are implemented into all new systems, policies and procedures.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

•       Experience of Data protection compliance and operations within the Higher Education

business sector, or within a medium to large organisation.

•       An understanding of data protection requirements and awareness of the key components

of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018

•       Understanding of systems and processes involved in gathering, storing, transferring and

collecting data in a national and international context.

•       Experience of Records Management operations within the Higher Education business

sector, or within a medium to large organisation.

•       Practical experience of Incident Management in all rated categories, associated processes and stakeholder engagement.

•       Good organisation skills and able to run multiple initiatives in parallel.

•       Able to engage and collaborate with stakeholders and staff.

•       Ability to research and quickly digest new and emerging Data Protection, Records

Management, Freedom of Information requirements / rules and provide practical advice on their implications.

•       An understanding of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, its processes and the

•       operational experiences required to administer and comply.

•       A professional / recognised qualification / training / certification in data protection,

•       Records Management and Freedom of Information, or equivalent experience.