Freedom of Information/IG Admin Co-ordinator

NHS; Manchester; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cancer center in Manchester is seeking an experienced Freedom of Information Officer. The role involves managing FOI requests, providing guidance on legislation, and ensuring compliance across the organization. The ideal candidate will have a degree, strong communication skills, and experience in information governance. This is a full-time, permanent position offering a salary between £31,049 and £37,796 per annum.

Qualifications

• Communicating on complex information and administrative matters.
• Experience analyzing and presenting complex information.
• Experience providing guidance on Information Governance topics.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Trust's Freedom of Information requests.
• Support proactive release of relevant data sets.
• Ensure compliance with FOI legislation.

Skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

IT skills

Ability to work on own initiative

Education

Degree level qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Job description

Job Summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, knowledgeable Freedom of Information Officer at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The right person will have an eye for details and an ambitious approach to proactive release of information to the public, with dual aim to reduce impact of FOI requests on services. This role will play an important part in continuing to drive forward compliance with FOI (and Data Protection) legislation and provide visible professional expertise that motivates and engages teams across the organisation in openness and transparency.

Main duties

• Overall management and performance of the Trust’s Freedom of Information requests.
• Support the development and prioritisation of proactive release of relevant data sets, embedding a refresh programme of work to maintain accuracy of published data sets.
• Act as subject matter expert in application of exemptions (or not) against specific data sets from across the organisation.
• Participate in patient confidentiality programmes of work, taking a patient‑centred approach to delivery of care with use of and sharing of related data sets.
• Ensure staff receive appropriate and adequate training in FOI and confidentiality. Where necessary support incident and audit work within the sphere of work.
• Support the Trust’s publication scheme in line with FOI expectations and data protection expectations.

About Us

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15 % of patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world‑first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early‑clinical‑trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Details

Posted: 27 October 2025
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: 5
Salary: £31,049 to £37,796 per annum, pro‑rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full‑time
Location: IT Digital Services Assurance – E00385, Manchester, M20 4BX
Reference: 413‑99977‑FB‑AK

Job responsibilities

• Receive, acknowledge and log all FOI requests; liaise with appropriate staff and ensure staff are aware of duties and applicable exemptions.
• Coordinate responses from various teams to provide a full and comprehensive reply.
• Communicate directly with requestors and staff by telephone, email or MS Teams.
• Maintain an accurate administration system for recording, processing and fulfilling FOI requests; run queries and create statistical reports.
• Provide advice and support to requestors, negotiate revised requests where appropriate and inform of delays.
• Identify whether requests should be routed differently (e.g., subject‑access request) and articulate this to requestors.
• Maintain specialist knowledge of FOI legislation, exemptions and case law; make judgements on use of exemptions.
• Provide guidance to managers on response language and structure when exemptions apply.
• Ensure all responses include mandatory information required under the FOIA (e.g., appeals process, ICO contact).
• Implement and maintain processes that support statutory FOI timelines and manage internal reviews when responses are challenged.
• Consult with external third parties (e.g., suppliers) where information may affect commercial interests.
• Carry out redaction of exempt information from Trust documents.
• Research complex requests, monitor guidance from information commissioners and maintain compliance statistics.
• Maintain current online FOI disclosure log and support the Trust’s online publication scheme.
• Provide administrative support to the Information Governance team, including meetings, performance reporting and audit coordination.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications

• Degree level qualification or equivalent.
• Evidence of relevant continuous personal and professional development.

Desirable Qualifications

• Formal Freedom of Information qualification.
• Senior administration experience.
• Audit/Compliance qualifications.

Essential Experience

• Communicating on complex information and administrative matters, requiring developed interpersonal and oral/written communication skills.
• Problem‑solving and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
• Experience of analysing, interpreting and presenting complex, often sensitive information.
• Experience of providing staff at all levels with best‑practice and legal guidance on Information Governance topics (Data Protection and Caldicott).

Desirable Experience

• Understanding of NHS structure/procedures.
• Experience developing and managing data request tracker systems.
• Experience developing and maintaining policies and procedures.

Essential Skills

• Ability to assess, interpret and lead on responses to requests for information from a wide variety of applicants (media, government, commercial entities, public, etc.).
• Ability to work on own initiative, organise workload with minimal supervision and meet tight timescales.
• Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills required to build relationships with staff and external stakeholders from varied backgrounds.
• Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to interact tactfully and diplomatically with staff at all levels to gain agreement and cooperation regarding FOI processing.

Desirable Skills

• Ability to respond clearly to FOI requests involving complex, sensitive or contentious information.
• Ability to translate expert knowledge into easily understood information suitable for colleagues and the public domain.

Essential Knowledge

• Strong IT skills in Microsoft Office.
• Specialist knowledge and awareness of confidentiality issues relating to the Data Protection Act/UK GDPR.
• Detailed knowledge of the principles and application of the FOI Act 2000.

Desirable Knowledge

• Strong Excel skills.
• Ability to apply recognised audit methodologies including audit planning, terms of reference, audit field work, report writing and monitoring.
• Knowledge of risk identification, control mitigations and action planning.

Values

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours.

Other

• The ability to positively challenge colleagues and provide advice and guidance as necessary.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and will require a submission for Disclosure and Barring Service (previously CRB) check to confirm absence of criminal convictions.

Employer details

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
IT Digital Services Assurance – E00385
Manchester, M20 4BX
Website: https://www.christie.nhs.uk/