Vacancies

Data Governance Officer

Please Note: The application deadline for this job has now passed.

About the role

An opportunity has arisen to join Information Governance (IG) as part of a forward thinking and innovative team at an exciting time of information management development. We pride ourselves on providing high quality support to employees of the Council in all matters relating to Information Governance as well as upholding our resident’s data rights under GDPR.

Information Governance (IG) are a dedicated team who pride themselves on providing a high quality service to internal and external customers and requestors. The Data Governance section are offering a 6-month position (either fixed term or secondment) to support the existing team to deliver statutory responses to a range of data protections rights requests in all areas of the council.

Within this unique role, you will research, interpret and apply a range of complex IG legislation relating to Data Protection and Information Security, as well as helping to provide advice and guidance to support employees at all levels to understand and apply the legislation, various standards and official guidance appropriately and help ensure they remain legally compliant.

A core duty will be to support the council’s responses to subject access requests received from the public under the Data Protection legislation, assessing and advising on information risks, completing data protection impact assessments and investigating data breaches.

You will need a good working knowledge of data protection and related legislation. It would also be useful but not essential to have knowledge or experience of the Freedom of Information Act and responding to requests.

As well as bringing your own knowledge and experience to the IG Team, you will benefit from working alongside experienced Information Governance professionals who will always be available for support or collaboration.

What will you be doing?

As one of three full time staff dedicated to data protection within Information Governance service, you will be jointly responsible for logging new requests, collating the information from service leads, assessing whether the information is third party data and redacting where found, preparing responses, releasing information and closing the request.

The IG Service supports all West Northants Services including Adult Care, Education, Planning, Environmental Health and Revenues and Benefits, offering the widest experience imaginable to anyone interested in the field of Data Protection and providing an insight into West Northamptonshire that will be of value to you in any future role.

About you

You will be enthusiastic, a team player, and have great communication skills. You will be willing to learn and take up new challenges, be self-motivated and work with minimal supervision. You will also:

be able to maintain accurate records
prepare complex customer responses
have attention to detail and work to fixed timescales
be able to say no as well as yes
be a team player but be able to take the initiative and work independently and pro-actively
enjoy a challenge and working with a variety of customers, partners and stakeholders

In addition, the role includes providing support when necessary to the wider Information Governance team to ensure institutional compliance with information legislation, project support and management of access to information (FOI) requests.

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
Cycle to Work scheme.
Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
Car Lease scheme
Professional subscriptions / registration - if your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees
Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
Ongoing training and development opportunities.
A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

We're a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government reform in recent history. As a new authority, we're embarking on an exciting journey to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and communities.

Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from Anna Earnshaw, our Chief Executive, about working for West Northants Council: https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.

Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and challenges you in a positive way, every day.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.