Information Governance Co-Ordinator

We are looking for two Information Governance Coordinators to join the University's Information Governance Team on 18-month fixed-term contracts.

The Information Governance Team is a specialist central function with a broad reach across the University, supporting colleagues across all Faculties and Professional Services. We help ensure the University meets its obligations in relation to data protection, Freedom of Information (FOI), Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and wider information governance requirements.

As a member of the team, you will act as a first point of contact for colleagues seeking advice on information rights matters, including Freedom of Information, Environmental Information Regulations and Data Subject Access Requests. Working with stakeholders across the University, you will help promote compliance with legislation and best practice in information governance.

The role combines casework, investigation, stakeholder engagement and continuous improvement. You will support the University's response to information rights requests, maintain governance records, contribute to compliance reporting and help identify opportunities to improve information governance practices and processes.

Key Accountabilities:

- Administering the Information Governance inbox and dealing with common enquiries received by the team.
- Help the University maintain and improve compliance with its legal, regulatory and contractual information governance obligations; including but not limited to FOI, EIR and UK GDPR/DPA.
- Maintain the information risk register.
- Manage FOI requests and DSARs, liaising with colleagues across the University to ensure requests are responded to within the legislative timescales.
- Assist in the preparation of statistics for compliance reporting to various University committees and groups.
- Develop the team's approach to data and workflow management.
- Identify new opportunities for information governance improvements throughout the University.
- Maintain the University's Information Governance web presence.
- Other duties may be allocated to support the smooth running of the team.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required:

- Awareness of relevant legislation.
- The ability to solve problems based upon past experience and conduct independent investigative analysis.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with good attention to detail.
- Excellent negotiation and diplomacy skills.
- Extensive experience in a similar or related customer-facing role.
- Extensive knowledge and experience of data protection principles and managing organisational DPA, FOI and EIR practices and policies.
- Confident in making difficult decisions, relying on expert knowledge of subject matter; occasionally dealing with conflict.
- Experience of reaching pragmatic solutions to complex problems.

Attributes and Behaviour:

Thinking Strategically: Able to create a vision for own area and explain how it fits in with the overall strategic vision of the University. Develops objectives, plans and performance measures to ensure that graduate outcomes objectives are achieved.

Planning and Organising: Establishes effective planning and management control systems. Actively engages in organisational resource planning.

Embracing Change: Takes the initiative to ensure continuous improvement by presenting new ideas and approaches. Promotes and actively drives change at organisational level.

Team-Working: Plays a significant role in creating opportunities for teamwork across departments and functions in order to deliver organisational improvements and to develop people.

Influencing: Builds relationships with key players both internally and externally in order to build support for change and to instill a culture of continuous improvement.

Qualifications:

Education to at least A level standard (minimum grade C in English and Maths at GCSE) or possess substantial and broad vocational experience acquired through a combination of job related vocational training and on the job experience.

Benefits:

Newcastle University offers a generous holiday package plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives. The University holds a Gold Athena Swan award, Race Equality Charter Bronze award, and is a Disability Confident employer.