NDAO - Senior Records Manager

Police Digital Service; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 55,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

Police Digital Service is recruiting on behalf of the NPCC National Data & Analytics Office for a Senior Records Manager. This permanent, full-time role leads national records management across UK policing, ensuring compliant creation, retention and disposal of records.

Key duties include developing policies, driving training, and collaborating with national and local forces to embed records management across systems while safeguarding data privacy and security standards.

Qualifications

• Degree in data management, knowledge management, computer science, or equivalent.
• Professional certifications in records management or data governance are advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop, govern and maintain national records management policies across UK policing.
• Lead training and awareness to enable forces to adopt consistent lifecycle management.
• Provide leadership on creation, retention, archiving, and disposal of records.
• Collaborate with PDS, Home Office, and other stakeholders to embed requirements in systems.
• Provide assurance activities and escalate risks to force level.
• Support responses to SARs, FOI, and other statutory obligations.

Skills

Data management

Information governance

Project management

Data ethics

Security & compliance

Education

Degree in data management / related field

Job description

Police Digital Service (PDS) is recruiting on behalf of the NPCC National Data & Analytics Office - a dedicated national capability transforming data use in policing.

NDAO - Senior Records Manager. Permanent, Full time. Salary £65,000 per annum.

To lead the development, implementation, and assurance of robust national records management practices across UK policing on behalf of the NPCC Data & Analytics Office (NDAO) and lead NDAO internal records and knowledge management.

The role ensures that national and local force records, both digital and physical, are created, managed, stored, shared, retained, and disposed of in line with national policing standards, legislation, and the strategic objectives set by the National Police Data and Analytics Board (NPDAB).

Our Values are:

• We value People
• We do the right thing
• We are innovative
• We are one Team
• We are proud and passionate

You can find out more here:

Benefits - Police Digital Service (pds.police.uk)

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, govern and maintain national policies, standards, and procedures for records management across UK policing, ensuring alignment with MoPI, APP Information Management, DPA/GDPR, and NPDAB strategic direction. Deputising for the Head of Data Services when required on record management matters
• Develop and lead a communication, awareness and training programme to enable forces to adopt consistent lifecycle management practices by providing guidance, frameworks, self-assessment tools, and targeted improvement support to improve record management capability and culture across forces and national bodies.
• Provide national leadership on the creation, classification, retention, archiving, review, and disposal of police records, ensuring that processes reduce risk, support operational effectiveness, and align with statutory requirements.
• Work closely with PDS, Home Office programmes, and NDAO specialists to ensure records management requirements are embedded in national systems, data models, and digital capabilities.
• Provide expertise with national audit, assurance, and compliance activities relating to record management, identifying risks, gaps, and force level issues requiring escalation or targeted support.
• Ensure records management practices support efficient and accurate responses to SARs, FOI requests, legal disclosure, public inquiries, and other statutory obligations.
• Promote high standards of security, confidentiality, and integrity across all records, ensuring compliance with information assurance, security classification, and retention requirements.
• Credibly engage with forces, NPCC portfolios, NPDAB groups, PDS, Home Office, national inquiry teams and external partners to ensure national alignment and collective ownership of records management needs. Chairs the Records Managers Practitioners Group and ensures delivery to the RMPG's delivery plan.
• Work collaboratively with technology and data teams to embed records management principles into new digital systems, ensuring metadata, accessibility, and retention needs are met.

What you need to succeed in the role

• Qualifications: A relevant degree in data management, knowledge management, computer science, or a related field is preferred, or relevant work-related experience. Professional certifications in records management (e.g. professional qualification from and/or membership of a relevant professional body or association (e.g. ASLIB, Records Management Society, CILIP), project management (e.g., PRINCE2, Agile), or relevant data-related qualifications are advantageous.
• Data Strategy and Transformation: Comprehensive understanding of data-related transformation programs at a national level, including complex dependencies and external relationships. Ability to develop and deliver strategies that drive significant change in data capabilities.
• Legal Compliance: In-depth knowledge of relevant data-related legislation and legal compliance frameworks, , e.g., Freedom of Information (FOI Act 2000), Management of Police Information (MoPI), Investigatory Powers Act 2016 etc, ensuring adherence to data protection and privacy laws.
• Data Architecture and Security: Practical knowledge of data architecture, ensuring data is effectively organised, data assurance to maintain the accuracy, quality and reliability of data across its lifecycles. In addition, the jobholder must be knowledgeable about data ethics, and security frameworks that govern data management practices, in particular records management.
• Ethics and Proportionality: Understanding of ethical considerations regarding the use of data, advanced analytics, and data science within the policing and national security contexts. This includes recognising the importance of transparency, fairness, and accountability in data-driven decision-making and ensuring data practices respect individual rights and societal values

Diversity, equity and inclusion

We are committed to equal opportunities for all and will not discriminate on any grounds. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible span of experience. All applicants will be considered without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, nationality, neurodiversity or disability status.

Working Arrangements

This is a remote role with some national travel required to attend meetings.

All applicants must be eligible to undergo NPPV3 (Non Police Personnel Vetting Level 3) and SC vetting clearances. Successful applicants will require NPPV3 clearance to have been cleared before starting with PDS.