Information Requests Officer

Gloucestershire County Council; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible and agile working

25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5

LGPS

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Cycle to Work scheme

Job summary

Gloucestershire County Council is recruiting an Information Request Officer on a two-year fixed-term contract to join the Information Management Service. You will coordinate and process information rights requests, applying GDPR, FOI and EIR rules, and ensure responses are accurate and timely.

The role involves advising colleagues and external partners on information governance and maintaining high standards of compliance.

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating information rights requests.
• Ability to apply UK GDPR exemptions and information governance rules.
• Good written and verbal communication across teams and with the public.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and process information rights requests received by the Council.
• Assess requests, review information and apply exemptions as required.
• Ensure responses are accurate, comprehensive and issued within statutory timescales.
• Provide guidance on data protection and information management matters to colleagues and external stakeholders.

Skills

Data protection

FOI knowledge

Information governance

Communication

Tools

Microsoft Office

Case management tools

Job description

Request Management are looking for two effective and efficient individuals for a fixed term of two years to join our busy team in the role of Information Request Officer. The Request Management Team sits within the Information Management Service and plays a vital role in ensuring Gloucestershire County Council meets its statutory obligations under information rights legislation. The team manages requests made under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018, Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Working closely with services across the Council, the team provides expert advice, supports compliance with legal requirements, promotes good information governance practices and helps ensure openness, transparency and the protection of individuals' information rights. About the role The Information Requests Officer is responsible for coordinating and processing information rights requests received by the Council. The role involves assessing requests, reviewing information, applying relevant legislation and exemptions, and ensuring responses are accurate, comprehensive and issued within statutory timescales. The post holder acts as a key source of advice on data protection, freedom of information and information management matters, working with colleagues across the organisation, external stakeholders and regulatory bodies. The role also supports the development of effective processes, reporting, training and service improvements to help maintain high standards of compliance and customer service. You will be responsible for dealing with requests from people wanting to access their personal data. They may have a complex personal story, involving foster or residential placements, with people coming into their lives for brief periods. This right of access can help to fill in significant gaps in their stories and help with unanswered questions, providing information that may have been missing or inaccessible to them previously. Working within a dynamic team, you will also be managing other types of information compliance requests, ensuring they are responded to within the requirements of the law.

The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates will need to have right to work that enables them to commit to at least 6 months' employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer. We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire's diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential. It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a 'customer facing role' must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English. Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for many of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.

Joining us could mean access to these great benefits:

• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service
• An option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff)
• Family friendly employer offering benefits to help support you and your family
• Career development and qualification opportunities
• Supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for
• employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
• An in-house Occupational Health service
• Employee discount scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme (Eligibility criteria and T&Cs apply)
• Green Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme (Eligibility criteria and T&Cs apply)
• Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network and the Young Employees Network.