Head of Information Governance

The Bbc; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media organization based in City of Westminster is seeking an experienced legal professional to lead the Information Rights team. This role involves overseeing legal compliance related to Freedom of Information and providing pre-transmission advice on media law issues. The ideal candidate will have at least 7 years of PQE experience as a solicitor or barrister, strong analytical skills, and the ability to manage a team while effectively supporting BBC journalism. This position offers the potential for hybrid working arrangements.

Benefits

Flexible working policies

Supportive working environment

Qualifications

• Significant experience in advising on complex Freedom of Information matters.
• Qualified as a solicitor or barrister in a leading law firm or chambers.
• Strong academic background with excellent problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage the FOI legal and compliance teams.
• Provide pre-transmission advice on defamation, privacy, and contempt.
• Support BBC journalism by challenging reporting restrictions.

Skills

Advising on complex Freedom of Information matters

Defamation, privacy and contempt law

Team management

Interpersonal skills

Analytical skills

Education

Qualified solicitor or barrister (minimum 7 years PQE)

Job description

Join the BBC Legal team for this exciting new role in Information Rights. We are looking for an experiencedlawyertotake management responsibilityfor the Information Rights team. You will also act as a legal adviser on content matters as part of the Programme Legal Advice team : spending approximately 50 per cent of time with each team. In this role you will have overall management responsibility for the teams providing legal advice and compliance in relation to Freedom of Information and SARs. You will also undertake pre transmission legal advisory work on BBC content. This will include supporting journalists gain access to information and potentially participating in a news duty roster including out of usual business hours as experience is gained. WHY JOIN THE TEAM The FOI legal and compliance teams areresponsible for responding to approximately 1800 FOI requests received by the BBC each year as well as Subject Access Requests. They alsoadvise on the BBCs obligations under the Freedom of Information Actincluding conducting internal reviews responding to ICO complaints or tribunal proceedings or occasionally proceedings in the High Court and beyond. The roles sits within theBBC LegalDivision which is responsible for providing legal advice and assistance acrossthe BBC and for developing and implementing the BBCs legal strategy. The Legal Division is led by the BBCs General Counsel. It is made up of the following departments : General Counsels Office Litigation and Information Rights Intellectual Property Employment ProgrammeLegal Advice Commercial Data Protection and Technology Distributionand Competition and Regulatory Law. Our overall structure is similar to that found in private practice firms and we provide advice and support on a wide range of matters. Whilst this means the work can be challenging and fast-paced at times we are open to hybrid ways of working to support our staff where appropriate and in line with our flexible working policies., If you want to find out more about us

Responsibilities

• Manage the FOI legal and compliance teams
• Supervise the provision of advice on FOI and Sarsat all levels across the BBC Group including the conduct of appeals to the ICO and Information tribunal
• Work effectively with other team members within the Litigationand Information RightsDepartment and the wider legal team to provide a first class legal service.
• Working in the Programme Legal Advice team you will provide pre-transmission advice on defamation contempt privacy and other aspects of media law to journalists and content producers across the BBC. This will potentially include occasional participation in our duty lawyer service providing 24 / 7 support for BBC News outlets.
• Support BBC journalism by challenging reporting restrictions and applying to courts and other bodies seeking access to and the right to report information.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in advising on complex Freedom of information matters including up to Tribunallevel as well as experience in advising pre-publication on defamation privacy and contempt.
• Qualified as a solicitor or barrister in a leading law firm or chambers with a minimum of 7 yearsPQE and possess a strong academic background and excellent problemsolving and analytical skills.
• Line Management - you will have the skills required to manage a team and great interpersonal skills.
• Proven experience of advising clients directly and in sometimes urgent circumstances.
• The ability to understand the varied needs of clients across the BBC and to advise and communicate with them on legal and other matters.