Information Rights Case Officer

Job introduction

Do you have great attention to detail? Do you have excellent organisational skills? Do you have a talent for critical thinking? Are you looking for a new challenge in Information Rights / Information Governance? 

If so, these roles in our friendly Information Rights Team might interest you! 

As an Information Rights Case Officer, you will join a busy team to help members of the public who are seeking to exercise their rights to information involving both personal and / or public information.  

Posts Available:  

We have 1 full time equivalent (fte) vacancy.  

We welcome full and part-time applications as this role is open to job share.  

This role is fixed term for 12 months. 

Interview date: 19th - 21st April   

For an informal discussion or more information about the role please contact 

Kat Pantlin, Information Rights Development Manager, kat.pantlin@brighton-hove.gov.uk 

About the role

We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated and committed Information Rights Case Officer who will play an active role in supporting a small and friendly team.  

The Information Rights Case Officer will be responsible for ensuring all Information Rights Requests received by the Council are dealt with effectively and in accordance with their relevant legislation and associated codes of practice. These areas are Subject Access Requests (SAR), Freedom of Information Requests (FOI) , Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and Data Protection Requests which include Data Breaches, Right to Objection / Erasure/ Rectification and Disclosures. 

This is an opportunity to move into or develop within the Information Rights / Information Governance world and you will help promote an excellent Information Rights culture within the organisation. 

The team consists of Information Rights Lead, Information Rights Development Managers and Information Rights Case Officers. Each Information Rights Development  Manager is a lead within one of the below areas. 

You will support the Information Rights Team in some of the below functions: 

•  Processing Freedom of Information Requests (FOIs) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIRS) which includes logging, allocating, investigating, collating, drafting and sending responses, maintaining internal database in relation to new and existing FOIs.   

• Processing Corporate Subject Access Requests which will include logging, allocating and maintaining internal database in relations to new and existing SARs.    

• Processing Children's Social Work Services (CSWS) Subject Access Requests which includes end to end processing of requests involving collating, investigating, redacting information and sending responses, as well as maintaining internal database in relations to new and existing CSWS SARs.    

• Processing Data Protection requests which include logging, allocating, maintaining internal databases in relations to new and existing Disclosures, Data Breaches and Rights to Erasure, Objection and Rectification.   

All the above functions involve providing specialist support and advice across council services. You will be working will colleagues of all levels of seniority from officers to Heads of Service and Directors, as well as members, partners, and stakeholder groups. 

This is a great opportunity to develop a greater understanding of Information Rights legislation and the wide range of services that the Council provides.  Knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and General Data Protection Act (GDPR), is an advantage. On the job training will be provided and continuous personal development is available. 

You will provide professional support and advice to departments and ensure that the council and its directorates meet the statutory legal requirements associated with the relevant legislation.  

You will have experience of working in a busy office or administrative environment, with the ability to prioritise your workload around the demands of the service. Working accurately while still managing to meet strict deadlines is paramount.  

You will have first-rate customer service experience to be able to apply strategies for dealing with demanding customers who have differing levels of needs and support. You will also have experience of working with or in a confidential environment and conducting sensitive case work. 

You will have excellent communication skills and will provide specialist support to members of the public by phone and in writing to aid them when formulating and submitting their rights requests. 

You will be a team player who has a flexible and adaptable approach to work with ability to multitask effectively according to business priorities. You will have excellent organisational skills due to the volume of requests handled and the multi-function service that we provide. The ability to work independently or as part of a team is essential. Each team member at present works across 2 of the 4 functions listed above. 

You will need good technical skills and be comfortable using a wide range of Microsoft office packages including word and excel.  

A full training plan will be provided on induction. 

Job Location: 

Our permanent office is based at Hove Town Hall. At present our team is working in a hybrid way i.e. a combination of working from home and in office. Please note that expectation is to be in the office as per service needs. If the successful candidate wishes to work full time from office, office accommodation will be provided. 

Our offer to Information Rights Case Officers: 

- Career average pension scheme 

- 25 pro rata days leave a year 

- Flexible working scheme 

- Annual leave purchase scheme  

- 1-2-1 support from the Information Rights Development Manager  

- A program of learning and development opportunities through our Learning Zone 

- Peer support from other Information Rights Case Officer colleagues across the service 

- Benefits such as : MYStaffShop, bus ticket and cycle loans, Employee Assistance Programme 

Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to upload your CV and answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (CV guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) and Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

Work Permits: This role does not meet the requirement for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Points-based Immigration System. Successful candidates will need to evidence that they have the Right to Work in the UK.

We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining.

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.