About the job

Job summary

From energy to security, health to human rights, we help the Government deliver life changing law for citizens.

The Government Legal Department is the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. Our work includes:

• Developing and drafting legislation
• Providing legal advice on policies
• Securing our economic and trade relationships
• Ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds
• Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice

We are at the heart of delivering the Government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department, sponsored by the Attorney General. We are headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary and employ nearly 3000 people, including over 2000 legal professionals. Our offices include London, Leeds, Bristol, Croydon and Manchester as well as overseas. We provide specialist legal services including Litigation, Employment and Commercial Law as well as advising most Government Departments on the policies and services they deliver.

GLD also depends on a range of vital corporate services. These are essential to the smooth and efficient running of the Department and provide the foundation to enable GLD to deliver outstanding legal services. Our corporate functions include Strategy, HR, Finance, Digital, Data and Technology, Communications, Security, Commercial and Project delivery. 

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.  

To find out more about what we do visit the Government Legal Department’s webpage or have a look at this short film which showcases the breadth of work government lawyers and legal trainees are involved in.

Job description

About the Finance, Operations and Digital Directorate

Finance Operations and Digital Directorate provide a range of services in support of GLD. The teams within our Directorate are wide-ranging and include all aspects of Finance (planning, procurement, and financial management), ICT and Operations (Security, business resilience, health & safety, records management & facilities management, future accommodation, and data protection). Whilst the work we do is varied we share a common aim, to provide the support necessary to enable GLD to be the best in the business. In the Finance Operations and Digital Directorate, we get things done and will always aim to provide a professional and efficient service.

From managing day to day services to delivering key projects, the Operations Division is a key component that enables GLD to fulfil its wider role in providing legal advice to Government. You will be joining a division rich in diversity and specialist skills, whose wide-ranging portfolio includes Accommodation, Business Continuity & Resilience, Data, and Information Protection to Security.

Some of our key achievements in recent months have included the delivery of GLD’s long-term accommodation strategy by expanding outside of London and moving into state-of-the-art facilities across the regions, working to create and adopt the first ever Sustainability Strategy as part of the “Greening Government” commitments, to working alongside Cabinet Office in adapting security frameworks amidst emerging conflicts and threats.

Our colleagues are the core of what we do and who we are. We off several training packages and development plans in order to equip our staff with both specialist and transferable skills that will enrich their careers, whether within GLD or the wider Civil Service.

We look forward to receiving your application and onboarding you soon.

Nick PRICE (CBE),

Operations Director

The Role

Reporting to the Information Governance Manager, the successful candidate will be responsible for leading the Department’s information disclosures service (FOI/SAR/EIRs). The Senior Information Disclosure and Governance Officer will also support a range of activities relating to supporting GLD’s information governance framework.

The successful candidate will be an experienced Information Disclosures and Governance, or Knowledge and Information Management professional.

The post holder will be expected to work independently in a manner capable of applying critical thinking and prioritisation in their management of complex and varied caseloads.

Key responsibilities:

1. Lead the Freedom of Information requests service, applying exemptions where appropriate. Ensuring the responses are properly co-ordinated and issued within statutory timeframes
2. Lead the handling of individual rights requests (including Subject Access Requests) under GDPR/DPA, escalating issues and complaints appropriately
3. Report on the Department’s compliance with data protection and freedom of information legislation in accordance with ICO and Cabinet Office requirements
4. Act as a champion for information disclosure and governance, best practices and awareness through provision of training sessions and other support services
5. Where required, respond to personal data breach incidents and take up tasks relating to the Information Governance Framework such as; writing, reviewing and amending policies and processes, and supporting GLD’s transparency publication regime.
6. Potential line management opportunities
7. Any other duties and tasks as may be required, appropriate to the level of the post

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role.

You will be expected to provide evidence to show how you meet the criteria at interview and/or selection stage.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership (Lead behaviour)
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Experience (Essential)

• Strong experience of processing Freedom of Information requests
• Strong experience of processing Individual Rights requests (inc SAR)
• Demonstrable experience of stakeholder engagement across an organisation and at varying levels of seniority
• Experience of using Microsoft Office packages, case management systems and bespoke databases

Experience (Desirable)

• Track record of engaging, advising, influencing and communicating across an organisation whilst projecting credibility and self assurance – ideally in field of Freedom of Information and, or Information Disclosures
• Experience of Information Governance; policy writing, development and implementation within the discipline

Technical (Essential)

• Expertise in the Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Expertise in the Environmental Information Regulations 2004
• Working knowledge of the Data Protection Act 2018
• Working knowledge of the UK General Data Protection Regulations Act 2018

Qualifications – Minimum Eligibility Criteria (Desirable)

Professional qualification or certification (or equivalent) in Information Disclosures – e.g.

• PC.FOI
• ActNow qualifications
• Any other similar or relevant qualifications

Civil Service Code

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of you and other civil servants. These are based on the core values which are set out in legislation. As a civil servant, you are expected to carry out your role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values of:

• ‘integrity’ is putting the obligations of public service above your own personal interests
• ‘honesty’ is being truthful and open
• ‘objectivity’ is basing your advice and decisions on rigorous analysis of the evidence
• ‘impartiality’ is acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving equally well governments of different political persuasions

These core values support good government and ensures the achievement of the highest possible standards in all that the Civil Service does.

For further information about Civil Service recruitment processes and Success profiles, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,728, Government Legal Department contributes £10,726 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, Strengths and Experience.

Application

Applicants must apply online via CS Jobs by the 12:00 Midday 15th July 2024. Interested candidates are asked to submit:

• A CV outlining job history, experience, technical skills and qualifications which will be submitted online to be assessed and scored.
• 250-word statements demonstrating the below behaviours following the success profiles format:
•  - Leadership (Lead Behaviour)
•  - Making Effective Decisions
•  - Communicating and influencing
•  - Managing a Quality Service
  

Your application should demonstrate how you meet the above essential criteria for the post, with relevant examples. It will not be sufficient to reiterate the criteria; you are expected to illustrate how you have met the requirements

Your application will be sifted by a GLD panel. Should we receive a high number of applications then we may only sift on the lead behaviour and CV. If your application progresses to a full sift, the other behaviours will also be considered.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours and experience outlined in the person specification.

Interview

Should you be successful in being invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in all essential criteria as listed in the Person Specification, alongside scenario-based exercises and strength-based questions.

Candidates invited to interview will be given further information on the day and time to prepare.

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Experience

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Interviews will probably take place remotely via video conference, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.] The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

Offer

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible after the final interview.

We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list for up to 12 months.  We then may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

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.