About the job

Job summary

We are currently looking for a Freedom of Information Manager to join our Customer Experience Centre Team within the Communications and Engagement group.

This is a full-time opportunity, on a fixed term contract until 30th September 2024. The role will be based in 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU.  Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.  

Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.

We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 4 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 8 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly.

 

Who are we? 

 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhance and improve the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.  

 

The MHRA Communications & Engagement group is a multi-award-winning team that has a consistent track-record of achievement and providing value for money. Our focus is to support the Agency to deliver its business outcomes by putting patients and the public at the centre of all our work. We are organised in the following teams: News & Media, Communications, Patient and Public Stakeholder Engagement and Customer Experience

This role is in our Customer Experience Centre (CEC) team. The purpose of the team is to offer a single advice and information centre which can resolve enquiries, whenever possible, at first point of contact, providing consistently good quality customer experience through a variety of channels and services. We have close working relationships across the Communications & Engagement group, the wider Agency and others in the healthcare family and we use these relationships to support enhancements to the service we provide to our customers.

Job description

This role offers the opportunity to be at the forefront in managing a growing team of FOI advisors and lead the handling of Freedom of Information requests, Internal Reviews and liaison with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

 

Key responsibilities: 

• Develop and deliver a refreshed agency-wide approach to the handling of Freedom of Information requests.
• Carry out effective evaluation and measurement of the handling of requests, understanding response timeframes, subject areas, exemptions applied and the proportion of requests which reach an Internal Review and which in turn then reach the ICO. The post holder will be responsible for ensuring deadlines are met for replies to initial requests, internal reviews and information requested by the ICO.
• Ensure the new case management system is used correctly by all business areas and includes a central repository of previous responses, categorised for searchability by topic / subject area.
•  Prepare training materials and lead training which range from a high-level overview of the Act to more detailed training on request handling and the application of specific exemptions, with the agency context and past experience included within this.
•  Develop and maintain effective working relationships with senior managers and expert staff across the agency and with relevant external stakeholders, including the ICO.

Person specification

Our successful candidate will: 

• Minimum of 2-3 years’ experience of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs).
• Proven ability to analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources to support decisions. Must be able to demonstrate the ability to present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex and sometimes incomplete evidence.
• Ability to make decisions confidently even when details are unclear or if they prove to be unpopular 
• Good planning, project and time management skills, with the ability to work to own initiative whilst overseeing delivery across a team. Demonstrating the ability to support others, prioritise, coordinate and support the wider, changing needs of the business.  
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to provide clear and concise answers and to adapt delivery to suit the customer in question.
• Use initiative to investigate issues, identify solutions and problem-solve to enable decisive action to be taken.  

 

 

If you would like to find out more about this fantastic opportunity, please read our Job Description and Person Specification! 

 

Please note: The job description may not open in some internet browsers. Please use Chrome or Microsoft Edge. If you have any issue viewing the job description, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,353, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £15,215 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

We use the Civil Service Success Profiles to assess our candidates, find out more here. 

• Online application form, including a statement of suitability, attached as a PDF of no more than 1000 words demonstrating how you meet the person specification. Our applications are CV blind, and our Hiring Managers will not be able to access your CV when reviewing your application. Please ensure not to include any personal identifying information on your supporting information.
• Assessment/Test, further information will be supplied when you reach this stage  
• Interview, which can include questions based on the Behaviour, Experience, Technical and Strengths Success Profiles. 

Applicants are assessed on whether they meet any mandatory requirements as well as the necessary skills and experience for the role. Applications are scored based on the statement of suitability provided. You can view the criteria for this role in the job description.

Applicants must ensure that anything submitted must be factually accurate and truthful. Plagiarism ‘can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

 

 

If you require any disability related adjustments at any point during the process, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk as soon as possible. 

  

Closing date: 21st April 2024

Shortlisting date: from 20th April 2024

Interview date: week commencing 29th April 2024

Candidates will be contacted within a week of the sift and the interviews completed to inform them of the outcome.

 

If you need assistance applying for this role or have any other questions, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk 

 

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here. 

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check as well as animal rights and pro-life activism checks. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Any move to the MHRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here.

 

Successful candidates may be subject to annual Occupational Health reviews dependent on role requirements. If you have any queries, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk.

 

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should firstly contact Mira Mepa, Head of Recruitment and Operations, Mira.Mepa@mhra.gov.uk.  

 

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk 

 

info@csc.gov.uk 

Civil Service Commission 

Room G/8 

1 Horse Guards Road 

London 

SW1A 2HQ 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.