Job summary
The Freedom of Information and Compliance Manager is a key member of the new Group Corporate Governance team. Reporting to the Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs , and accountable to the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, the post holder will be responsible for ensuring the Group champions and delivers best practice in the management of Freedom of Information (FOI). The post holder will be responsible for providing expert advice on the handling and management of FOIs to all staff and will provide relevant and accessible training to staff in the handling of FOI requests. The post holder will undertake day-to-day management of FOI requests received across the Group, triaging and allocating requests, providing guidance, advising on high profile and sensitive requests, and assessing and providing recommendations on the application of relevant exemptions. The post holder will also monitor FOI performance, identify areas of underperformance and develop improvement plans, and will draft performance and compliance reports to Board Committees, Group Executive, Site management and divisional management groups. They will be responsible for developing, updating and maintaining the Group's FOI policy framework and for maintaining other relevant policies and procedures. The post holder will manage the Group's disclosure logs and will ensure that the Trusts' websites and intranets contain accessible and informative information for the public and staff.
Main duties of the job
- Provision of expert advice to staff across the Group on all matters relating to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, including regarding the application of exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
- Day-to-day management of all FOI requests across the Group.
- Receive and log all requests for internal reviews into the Group's handling of FOI requests, and escalate these to the Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs who will undertake the internal review or, where necessary, appoint another suitable person to do so.
- Liaise with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on all complaints regarding the Group's handling of FOI requests received by the ICO, and alert the Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs to all incoming requests from the ICO.
- Monitor the Group's compliance - and the compliance of the two Trusts within the Group - in responding to FOI requests within the established statutory timeframe, and draft FOI performance and compliance reports for presentation to the Audit Committee, Group Executive, Site management teams, and divisional management teams.
About us
The St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group (GESH) is a recently-formed hospital group, comprising St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (SGUH) and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust (ESTH), which includes Sutton Health and Care Partnership and Surrey Downs Health and Care Partnership. Sharing a single Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive team, the GESH Group is one of the largest healthcare providers in the country, with a combined annual turnover of around £1.7 billion, 16,000 staff, and serving a population of approximately 3.5 million people across South West London, Surrey, Sussex and beyond. The GESH Group provides a full range of local hospital services across its sites at St George's Hospital in Tooting, Queen Mary Hospital in Roehampton, Epsom Hospital and St Helier Hospital, and provides a range of specialist services from St George's.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description for full details of the role and responsibilities.
- Provision of expert advice to staff across the Group on all matters relating to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, including regarding the application of exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
- Day-to-day management of all FOI requests across the Group.
- Receive and log all requests for internal reviews into the Groups handling of FOI requests, and escalate these to the Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs who will undertake the internal review or, where necessary, appoint another suitable person to do so.
- Liaise with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) on all complaints regarding the Groups handling of FOI requests received by the ICO, and alert the Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs to all incoming requests from the ICO.
- Monitor the Groups compliance and the compliance of the two Trusts within the Group in responding to FOI requests within the established statutory timeframe, and draft FOI performance and compliance reports for presentation to the Audit Committee, Group Executive, Site management teams, and divisional management teams.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description for full details of the role and responsibilities.
- Provision of expert advice to staff across the Group on all matters relating to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, including regarding the application of exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
- Day-to-day management of all FOI requests across the Group.
- Receive and log all requests for internal reviews into the Groups handling of FOI requests, and escalate these to the Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs who will undertake the internal review or, where necessary, appoint another suitable person to do so.
- Liaise with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) on all complaints regarding the Groups handling of FOI requests received by the ICO, and alert the Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs to all incoming requests from the ICO.
- Monitor the Groups compliance and the compliance of the two Trusts within the Group in responding to FOI requests within the established statutory timeframe, and draft FOI performance and compliance reports for presentation to the Audit Committee, Group Executive, Site management teams, and divisional management teams.
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
Essential
- Degree level qualification or equivalent relevant work experience / qualifications
- Freedom of Information Practitioner Certificate
Desirable
- Relevant information governance / information rights qualification
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience in managing FOI requests in a large and complex organisation
- Substantial experience of managing and reporting on compliance for a large and complex organisation
- Significant experience of drafting reports for the Board Committees and Executive management teams
- Experience of exercising strong judgement and astuteness in the management of FOI requests, including taking well considered and informed judgements on the application of exemptions under the FOIA and in relation to information that can and cannot be released into the public domain
- Demonstrable management experience within a large and complex organisation
- Demonstrable experience of projecting influence with staff at all levels
- Proven track record in problem solving and the provision of creative and innovative solutions to meet organisational requirements and motivate staff
Desirable
- Experience of project management
- Experience of working in an NHS setting in a corporate governance and compliance role
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Expert understanding of FOI legislation and ability to accurately interpret that legislation and apply it to the work of the Group
- Outstanding written and oral communication skills, including ability to write fluently and accurately
- Outstanding interpersonal skills, with ability to build and maintain strong relationships at all levels
- Excellent organisational skills
- Demonstrable ability to methodically and accurately maintain effective records and record keeping systems and processes
- Demonstrable ability to work independently, as well as part of a team
- Attention to detail in all aspects of organisation and drafting, including high levels of accuracy
- Excellent prioritising skills and ability to proactively manage own workload and meet multiple and sometimes competing deadlines
Autonomy
Essential
- Exercise a high level of initiative, judgement and discretion in deciding what information can be released into the public domain and what not to release, using the FOI exemption categories and within the framework of the Group's FOI policy.
- Ability to work on own initiative and prioritise work and meet deadlines.
- Ability to interpret and provide guidance on the application locally of national policy, legislation and guidance
Personal qualities
Essential
- Confident, articulate and presentable
- Strong customer service focus
- Personable with an ability to quickly build effective relationships with peers, colleagues, partners and stakeholders at all levels
- Personal resilience
- Results-oriented and high level of drive for performance and improvement
- Ability to be intellectually flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations, to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
Essential
- Degree level qualification or equivalent relevant work experience / qualifications
- Freedom of Information Practitioner Certificate
Desirable
- Relevant information governance / information rights qualification
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience in managing FOI requests in a large and complex organisation
- Substantial experience of managing and reporting on compliance for a large and complex organisation
- Significant experience of drafting reports for the Board Committees and Executive management teams
- Experience of exercising strong judgement and astuteness in the management of FOI requests, including taking well considered and informed judgements on the application of exemptions under the FOIA and in relation to information that can and cannot be released into the public domain
- Demonstrable management experience within a large and complex organisation
- Demonstrable experience of projecting influence with staff at all levels
- Proven track record in problem solving and the provision of creative and innovative solutions to meet organisational requirements and motivate staff
Desirable
- Experience of project management
- Experience of working in an NHS setting in a corporate governance and compliance role
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Expert understanding of FOI legislation and ability to accurately interpret that legislation and apply it to the work of the Group
- Outstanding written and oral communication skills, including ability to write fluently and accurately
- Outstanding interpersonal skills, with ability to build and maintain strong relationships at all levels
- Excellent organisational skills
- Demonstrable ability to methodically and accurately maintain effective records and record keeping systems and processes
- Demonstrable ability to work independently, as well as part of a team
- Attention to detail in all aspects of organisation and drafting, including high levels of accuracy
- Excellent prioritising skills and ability to proactively manage own workload and meet multiple and sometimes competing deadlines
Autonomy
Essential
- Exercise a high level of initiative, judgement and discretion in deciding what information can be released into the public domain and what not to release, using the FOI exemption categories and within the framework of the Group's FOI policy.
- Ability to work on own initiative and prioritise work and meet deadlines.
- Ability to interpret and provide guidance on the application locally of national policy, legislation and guidance
Personal qualities
Essential
- Confident, articulate and presentable
- Strong customer service focus
- Personable with an ability to quickly build effective relationships with peers, colleagues, partners and stakeholders at all levels
- Personal resilience
- Results-oriented and high level of drive for performance and improvement
- Ability to be intellectually flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations, to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
