Information Governance Officer

This position has been classed as anywhere worker but has an expectation that the successful candidate will attend the office, in Chelmsford, around 1 day per month, with the remaining time allowing for remote working if desired. The Opportunity The role of Information Governance and Transparency is to deliver effective and high- quality information governance, data protection and sharing, records management and information rights advice, to manage and report on data breaches, undertake impact assessments, respond to complaints, and handle access to information requests. The Information Governance Officer operates at the core of the council and requires tact, they also need to have good interpersonal skills. The role is integral to the successful delivery of services to our traded information governance service, ensuring our customers remain compliant under the relevant legislation. The role will be required to provide legislative guidance and advice to customers, including schools and other public bodies, partners, and other stakeholders. Therefore, the ability to be diplomatic and understand the context of the situation is crucial to the success of this role. Accountabilities

• Responsible for providing Information Governance advice and guidance to officers, customers, partners and others on the current data protection and information legislation.
• Carries out compliance audits for customers, providing audit recommendations and action plan.
• Ensures all information rights requests are dealt with in an efficient and timely manner within legislative timescales, which may include reading, redacting, and preparing responses.
• Maintains and updates the CRM with business activities.
• Supports and advises on the investigation of data breaches, preparing reports and issuing guidance, as necessary.
• Supports the creation, development, and maintenance of an Information Governance framework for customers to ensure compliance with all regulations and legislation including, the UK General Data Protection Regulation 2016, Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), the Freedom of Information Act 2000, The Computer Misuse Act 1990, Environmental Information Regulations 2004, and the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.
• Responsible for investigating and responding to complaints, including those to the DPO, from the ICO and FOI internal reviews.
• Responsible for promotion of data protection awareness through preparation and delivery of communications and training to customers.
• Contribute to project activities to support timely delivery., Responsible for providing Information Governance advice and guidance to officers, schools, partners and others on the current data protection and information legislation
• Ensures all information rights requests are dealt with in an efficient and timely manner within legislative timescales, this includes reading, redacting, and preparing responses.
• Maintains and updates the reporting dashboards and reports including preparing commentary to support the information.
• Undertakes the investigation of security incidents, preparing reports and issuing guidance as necessary.
Desirable:
• Makes updates to existing policies and assists in the drafting of new or revised policies and guidance.
• Supports the creation, development, and maintenance of an Information Governance framework for the Council to ensure compliance with all regulations and legislation including, the General Data Protection Regulation 2016, Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), the Freedom of Information Act 2000, The Computer Misuse Act 1990, Environmental Information Regulations 2004, and the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.
• Responsible for investigating and responding to complaints, including those to the DPO, from the ICO and FOI reviews.
• Responsible for promotion of data protection awareness through preparation and delivery of communications and training and ensuring intranet and internet pages are updated and maintained in line with policies and guidance.
  
  As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service