Senior Information Request Officer

London Borough of Hounslow; Hounslow; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

London Borough of Hounslow is seeking an experienced Senior Information Request Officer to join our Information Request Team. You will help lead and drive effective and efficient processes for FOI, EIR, SAR and GDPR requests, providing expert guidance and proactive training to services across the council.

You will work in a multi-functional Digital, IT & Resilience service, ensuring compliance with data protection legislation while promoting transparency and best-practice in handling inquiries

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of FOI/EIR/Data Subject Rights under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Responsibilities

• Lead and drive effective FOI/EIR/SAR requests processing.
• Provide advice, guidance and training to services on information requests.
• Promote best practice and drive service improvements across the information request team.

Skills

FOI knowledge

People leadership

Training delivery

Stakeholder comms

Job description

About us at Hounslow

We'd love you to join us at the London Borough of Hounslow! Our people are deeply committed to providing excellent services to our residents, doing all we can to make lives as good as they can be.

We are an outstanding council, serving an outstanding borough. With brilliant, visionary leadership, a dynamic Cabinet and a can-do culture, we've built strong partnerships which have transformed how we serve one of London's most diverse boroughs. Hounslow is the world in one place and full of potential. We are stepping up for our residents like never before.

About our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We live by five core values: Lead with Heart, Do New, Pass on the Power, Harness the Mix and Be a Rock. All our work has equality, diversity and inclusion at its very heart, best articulated in "Harness the Mix". It's about breaking down barriers between our parts and people and unlocking the problem-solving power of our amazing mix of minds. We serve a diverse community, we have a diverse workforce and we are committed to being an inclusive employer.

We work hard to create representation across our workforce and leadership community, we have thriving employee network groups and our learning and development programmes help us lead, model and breathe ways of working that eliminate inequality, inequity, injustice and bias.

As part of this and under our commitments as a Disability Confident Employer, we make reasonable adjustments to accommodate our candidates. There's space for you to tell us what you need within our application form.

Our Benefits

If you join us, you'll have access to a range of employee benefits. Read more about these here.

About The Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Information Request Officer to join our Information Request Team. In this role you will be helping to lead and drive effective and efficient process, sharing advice, support and training to services on Freedom of Information (FOI), Environmental Information Requests (EIR), Subject Access Requests (SAR) and General Data Protection requests (GDPR).

About The Team You'll Be Working In

You will be an active member of the Digital, IT & Resilience service, with specific responsibilities within the information request area helping to promote the value of feedback and lessons learned to drive service improvements.

You'll be working in a multi-functional team, embracing new approaches and empowering our residents in line with our customer and staff charters and the Councils values and behaviours whilst ensuring adherence to data protection legislation in relation to handling these requests.

You’ll proactively ensure that the council adopts a strategic and corporate approach to the implementation of all policies relating to dealing with FOI, EIR, and SAR.

About You

• You have experience working in an Information Request/FOI response team, can demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the law and practice relating to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Data Subject Rights under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, ideally in a local government setting.
• You understand what communication is required for internal and external stakeholders, are familiar with customer care issues with experience of dealing confidently and effectively with external agencies and members of the public as well as colleagues and senior stakeholders.
• You have experience of providing advice, including maintaining guidance materials, and delivering training courses and presentations.
• You will be able to manage people with confidence, providing leadership to your team and always acting as a role model.
• You will have excellent communication skills and be used to dealing with enquires from both internal and external customers across multiple channels.
• You understand the importance of transparency and can convey this importance to your stakeholders and colleagues across the organisation.

Read more about the work you'll be doing in the Role Profile.

When Interviews Will Be Held And Who To Contact

The key information you need about the role should be in the Role Profile, but if you have any further questions about the role, please contact the Recruitment Team via [e-mail]

Interviews dates to be confirmed.