About the job

Job summary

 

Head of Knowledge and Information Management (Data Protection Officer)

 

£63,386 - £69,444  (and London allowance of £3,566 where relevant)

Generous Civil Service defined benefit pension

London or Bristol

 

 

Play a key role in an organisation that’s shaping policy and regulation

 

About the OfS

 

Make a real difference to the lives of students by bringing your skills to the Office for Students (OfS). As the independent regulator of higher education in England, we ensure the best experience and the best value – for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. This is an opportunity to grow your expertise by working across our diverse and rapidly evolving organisation on a wide range of regulatory and corporate issues.

Job description

About the role

We now have an exciting vacancy for an experienced information governance professional to perform an important role within OfS’s broader legal function. Taking up a senior role, you will head up the OfS’s Knowledge and Information Management team, act as OfS’s Data Protection Officer and lead on knowledge management and information governance matters at the OfS.

Person specification

About you

 

You will either be an appropriately certified expert in the knowledge and information governance matters to which this role relates, or have equivalent experience (with a commitment to gain certification) and be able to demonstrate your ability to effectively apply this knowledge to the OfS. Experience managing others, building productive relationships with stakeholders and leading key projects with minimal supervision is crucial. You will, of course, have exemplary communication skills, and  be ready to exert influence and negotiate effectively in a variety of situations. A sophisticated, risk-based approach to information governance, which duly balances legislative requirements and organisational need will be critical.

While your career to date may have been in a different sector, you will have transferable experience across a range of different areas including:

• Data protection
• The Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004
• The retention, deletion and management of any information or records held, including but not limited to by reference to the Public Records Act 1958.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £63,386, Office for Students contributes £17,684 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

Working for us

 

The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do.

We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.

At the OfS, we recognise that flexibility can enable people to work more effectively. A set of organisation-wide principles shape our approach to flexible and hybrid working, which our teams then use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working and part time working apply to this role.

In addition, our Total Reward Framework offers a range of benefits to suit your way of life. These include comprehensive learning and development, annual leave starting at 25 days per year (plus public holidays), access to the highly regarded Civil Service pension scheme and a variety of health benefits.

Closing date for applications: Sunday 4 February

 

 

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.