Information Rights Technical Adviser - Cardiff Regional Centre - Ty William Morgan

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HMRC's Information Rights Unit (IRU) oversees the department's obligations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and Data Protection Act Subject Access Requests (SARs). The Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 regulates how HMRC processes information relating to individuals. The Act gives individuals the right to request personal information about themselves. This is known as a SAR. The FOIA gives people a right of access to information held by public authorities. We aim to make the department more open and accountable. We also help the public understand better how we carry out our duties, why we make the decisions we do and how we spend public money. The EIR operates in a similar way to the FOIA although they relate specifically to official environmental information. HMRC currently deals with about 3,000 FOIA requests and over 100,000 SARs each year. How we handle them can have a significant impact on the department's reputation and each has a strict deadline within which to respond. The IRU manages the departmental process for FOIA requests and SARs and provides advice to business areas across HMRC on handling this correspondence.

The Information Rights Technical Adviser will act as a subject matter expert on the application of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Data Protection Act (DPA) legislation within HMRC. They will manage a caseload of complex requests across both regimes, including FOI/SAR internal reviews and Information Commissioners Office (ICO) complaints, ensuring compliance with statutory deadlines and high-quality responses. The postholder will provide technical advice and escalation support to Information Rights Advisers, lead on complex redaction tasks, and deliver training on FOIA and DPA legislation and processes across HMRC.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Expertise and Advice
  • Act as a technical expert on FOIA and DPA legislation and its application within HMRC.
  • Provide advice and guidance to Information Rights Advisers on complex cases and technical queries.
• Case Management
  • Actively manage a caseload of FOIA requests and SARs, ensuring processes are followed and statutory deadlines met.
  • Take ownership of complex cases, including FOIA/SAR internal reviews and ICO complaints, working with information owners across HMRC.
• Redaction and Compliance
  • Undertake complex redaction tasks for FOIA and SAR cases across HMRC.
  • Ensure compliance with legislation and internal policies in all case handling.
• Training and Guidance
  • Lead training sessions on FOIA and SAR processes and legislation within the IRU and across HMRC.
  • Keep guidance documents updated, working with Business Support colleagues for administrative support.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Identify opportunities to improve technical processes and share best practice across the unit.
• Quality assurance
  • Conduct quality checks on HO advisers' work to ensure compliance and accuracy.
  • Work with G7 and G6 leads to develop the Quality Assurance framework within the IRU.

Essential Criteria:

• In-depth knowledge of FOIA and DPA legislation and its practical application.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills for handling complex cases.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for drafting responses and delivering training.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet statutory deadlines.
• Proven experience providing technical advice and guidance to colleagues, supported by evidence of tangible positive outcomes or improved organisational practice.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience managing FOIA/SAR internal reviews and ICO complaints.
• Familiarity with case management systems and redaction tools.
• Previous experience delivering training or guidance in a technical area.

Additional Security Information

Please note that if you are appointed to 100 Parliament Street, as a condition of working in this location you will be required to obtain Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) level clearance. To obtain this level of clearance, you will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period, which for CTC is 3 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. You may not be able to start in the location until clearance is granted.

Behaviours

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

• 15-minute technical presentation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 45,544, HM Revenue and Customs contributes 13,194 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs. We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV including your job history and key achievements from your career which reflects key responsibilities of the role. Provide specific instances from your career detailing successes where you can.
• A 750-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience from your career reflect the essential criteria of the role, using specific examples from your career where you can.

Please evidence any Desirable Criteria where applicable (up to 250 words max). This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at interview.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your CV. Those who pass will have their full application reviewed. At full sift, your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

Interview

The interview will be 1 hour in duration and will be held by a 3-person panel. During the panel interview, you will be asked two behaviour-based questions, behaviours outlined below, and one experience-based question. You will also be required to deliver a 15-minute technical presentation which will include follow up questions. You will be given details of the presentation if you are invited to interview.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - Please re-open my application - (insert vacancy ref) vacancy closing date (insert date).

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard 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)
• 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.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 Commissions recruitment principles. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.