Subject Access Request (SAR) Processing Officer - Casual Pool

Coventry City Council; Coventry; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government council in Coventry is seeking a dedicated officer for their Information Governance Team. This role focuses on responding to Subject Access Requests while ensuring compliance with data protection laws. Candidates should have experience in handling sensitive data, excellent redaction skills, and the ability to manage complex requests. The position offers flexibility in hours and responsibilities aimed at ensuring transparency and facilitating data subject rights in a supportive team environment.

Benefits

Inclusive workplace culture

Guaranteed interview scheme for eligible candidates

Comprehensive rewards and benefits package

Qualifications

• Experience with data protection and information law.
• Ability to handle sensitive information.
• Minimum one year of experience in redaction.

Responsibilities

• Prepare information for disclosure and apply redactions.
• Liaise with customers for complex requests.
• Organize workload to meet agreed timescales.

Skills

Data protection knowledge

Confidentiality

Redaction skills

Communication

Tools

Redaction software

Job description

The Information Governance Team plays a key role in the Council's corporate governance arrangements, helping the Council protect the personal data it holds and ensure compliance with its legal obligations. The busy team supports the Council in meeting the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and other legislation, protecting personal data and ensuring that information rights are upheld. The team works closely together providing support, advice and guidance to the Council through working with services across the organisation and in partner organisations. We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create an inclusive workplace culture, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

What is the role?

The Council has a small team of officers who play an important part in helping the Council meet its statutory responsibilities for information rights, responding to Subject Access Requests (SARs) from people for the personal data that the Council holds about them. Meeting this fundamental right and helping ensure openness and transparency is both rewarding and challenging. This role will join a small casual pool of officers to support the team during busy periods, with hours and timescales for each SAR to be agreed on a case‑by‑case basis according to service need and your availability. You will ensure appropriate information is prepared for disclosure, applying redactions and exemptions in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and liaising with customers and services to manage complex requests appropriately and within legal timescales. You will work closely with other team members and organise your own workload to meet agreed timescales.

Qualifications

You will have experience and a good understanding of data protection and information law, and be able to work to a high level of confidentiality and information security. You will have the ability to redact complex and extremely sensitive information, dealing with information that can be of a distressing nature. You will have a minimum of one year's experience in redaction using appropriate software tools and extensive experience dealing with the full lifecycle of SAR requests.

Values

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change. We are cutting‑edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse. At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things. To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities. If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long‑term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.