About the job

Job summary

Background:
Forestry England is the body responsible for managing the Nation’s Forests.  The largest single landholding in the country, comprising over 1500 separate sites.  Forestry England manages a wide range of forested and open land, housing, commercial property and various recreation/leisure businesses receiving over 200 million visits a year.

It is an exciting time to join Corporate Affairs Division (CAD).  We have a leading role to play in growing and developing Forestry England as it continues to evolve as the land management and delivery arm of the Forestry Commission. The functions CAD leads are vital to ensuring Forestry England’s operations are viewed as trusted, robust, transparent and compliant.  The corporate functions within the team includes the CEO office, organisational strategy, natural capital,  policy, governance, risk, compliance, performance, insight and knowledge information.

Knowledge and information management provides a key expertise recognising the critical role information plays in Forestry England and across the whole Forestry Commission.  The function has a dual focus and leads on cross-Forestry Commission information strategy and policy as well as having operational responsibility in Forestry England for implementing information management, information rights and information security.

Purpose of the Job: 
The role of Information and Data Protection Manager provides a unique and exciting opportunity for an individual interested in influencing the evolution of a knowledge and information service providing the opportunity to work with a wide range of individuals and teams based in locations across England. 

We are looking for an experienced and self-motivated information and data protection professional. This role will provide expert advice and guidance to the organisation on data protection and information rights, to both ensure compliance and be a key enabler for new and expanded activities, particularly in the commercial and marketing spheres. The post holder will use their data protection and information rights experience and knowledge to support the KIM Lead in ensuring information rights are understood, communicated and considered in system implementations.  The role will work closely and collaboratively with the Forestry Commissioner’s Office, Forestry England’s Executive Team and across the districts to develop and embed a working strategy for managing information in an effective and compliant way. 

The post holder will have operational responsibility for information management and data protection compliance across Forestry England helping to ensure obligations under information rights and data protection laws are met. 

The post holder will have key leadership responsibilities across the team.

Job description

Key work areas:

General: 
• Provide expert technical advice and guidance on all areas of information governance including data protection, records management, information rights legislation including Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and subject access requests. 
• Support the Knowledge and Information Management Lead in the development of a KIM Strategy and associated work programme for Forestry England. 
• Work collaboratively with the Forestry Commission Commissioner’s office and wider CAD team to provide assurances that Forestry England is meeting its obligations under relevant data protection and information legislation and regulations. 
• Line manage the Forestry England Information and Records Officer, delegating work as appropriate to build resilience and encourage career development. 

Data Protection, information rights and information risk: 
• Support the delivery of a comprehensive Data Protection programme to support compliance with EU GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, including the development of policies, procedures and guidance. 
• Work with the Governance Risk team, Security Risk Management Forum and KIM Lead to support the approach to information risk management and reduction. 
• Support Forestry England Information Asset Owners in meeting their responsibilities 
• Coordinate the development and maintenance of Forestry England Information Asset Registers and Personal Data Register of Processing 
• Work with the Forestry England KIM Lead and key stakeholders across the Forestry Commission and Forestry England to develop a data breach management plan to ensure an effective and appropriate response to information security incidents. 

Information request handling: 
• Operational management of Forestry England’s data protection and information rights work. 
• Develop processes and procedures for handling information requests and monitoring requests that can demonstrate compliance with statutory timeframes. 
• Co-ordinate Forestry England’s responses to FOI, EIR and data protection requests liaising with the Information Commissioner’s Office and Forestry Commission DPO as required 

Communication, training and awareness: 
• Work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders to implement the KIM Strategy, develop policies and embed consistent KIM practices across the business. 
• Support the provision of advice to Forestry England’s Chief Exec and Executive Team on their obligations under data protection legislation.
• Support the KIM Lead in developing training and awareness to improve the information governance and risk culture including data protection, privacy, information rights, information risk awareness and information request handling.
• Support the promotion and awareness of data literacy and implementation of the data strategy in the organisation.
• Develop an enquiry service for all staff, providing response to queries on data protection, information rights, records management and wider information management issues. 

Person specification

Experience and Professional/Technical Expertise: 

Essential

• Educated to degree level or have substantial experience in the field of knowledge and information management. 
• Practitioner certificate in FoI management or willingness to obtain it within 3 months of beginning role.
  
• Experience of setting up information rights and records management systems and processes to support effective governance and risk management.
  
• Experience of supporting the development and successful delivery of strategies, policies and practice to drive and deliver change. 
  
• Experience of supporting the delivery of programmes of work in an environment of organisational transition and change. 
  
• Demonstrate a track record of developing successful working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. 
  
• Willingness to travel in the UK and some overnight stays will be required.

Please clearly demonstrate how the above applies to you throughout your application. Failure to do so will mean that your application is automatically sifted out.
 

Desirable

• Experience and knowledge of SharePoint. 
  
• Understanding of Government Security Classification System. 
  
• Analysis of Information Risks. 
  
• Understanding of cyber and information security skills. 
  
• Experience in delivering information management training solutions. 
  
• Programme/Project management. 
• Knowledge and experience of Public Records Act, Copyright and Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations
• Hold a related professional qualification, e.g. Data Protection Practitioner, ARA Accredited Records Management or similar. 
  
• Demonstration of commitment to continuous professional development. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,485, Forestry Commission contributes £10,121 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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process, you will complete the following: 

1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A Personal Statement – in no more than 750 words please provide details of how you meet the Essential relevant experience and criteria as set out in the person specification.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement.  Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Interview Stage 
 
For candidates successful for interview, we will be assessing you on Experience, Technical skills and Behaviours.

We will be conducting interviews in person at our Bristol office and there will be a presentation at interview stage.

Sift - W/C 15th April 2024

Interview - W/C 6th May 2024

The above dates are subject to change.

Further Information 

A reserve list may be held for a period of 9 months from which further appointments can be made. 

Any move to Forestry Commission 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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. 

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 
Contact Government Recruitment Service via fcerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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.