Information Officer

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is seeking an Information Officer within its Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) team, part of the Digital directorate. The KIM team is responsible for managing the department’s knowledge and information, including ensuring compliance with the Public Records Act and other information rights legislation. We are looking for a dedicated and proactive individual who is committed to excellence in both service delivery and continuous improvement. You will have KIM experience and excellent digital literacy and will enjoy working independently and with a range of people. You will be enthusiastic about the benefits of KIM and able to actively promote good practice. You will work with a team of committed professionals to achieve clear, positive and ongoing improvements to our services and to the department’s information management culture. You will also contribute to projects, both within the KIM team and providing KIM input to wider departmental projects. We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work., As the Information Officer you’ll be responsible for: + service delivery and improvement: Support the Head of Information Governance with the implementation of deliverables from our KIM service review, specifically improving handling of enquiries received by the KIM team from business areas across the department for KIM support and advice. Proactively look for ways to improve service delivery, and work with relevant parties to suggest and introduce improvements + enquiry management: Responsible for the daily operation of the KIM enquiry service, reviewing and managing the enquiry queue and mailbox, ensuring efficient triage and prioritisation of enquiries. As the central point of contact for all enquiries to the team, you will develop processes to ensure that enquiries are handled efficiently, effectively, and accurately. Upholding the department’s Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) policies and guidance, you will make decisions on responding to ensure the right people get the right information in a timely manner + guidance improvement: Work with experts across the team to establish standard responses and guidance for FAQs, building consistency in advice given by the team. Taking a user-centred approach to enable self-service + guidance ownership: Establish an update schedule for KIM guidance and manage internal process to ensure guidance currently hosted on our intranet and within SharePoint reflects best practice and remains up to date + content creation: Producing clear, concise content and guidance for a range of audiences, including technical and business stakeholders. Using evidence and experience, drawing on cross-government guidance and policy, changes in legislation and stakeholder input + stakeholder liaison: Co-ordinate with expert stakeholders in related fields to ensure guidance aligns with requirements and priorities of other teams, Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise). CV and Cover Letter Declaration We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called anonymous recruitment. Please remove references to your: + name/title + educational institutions + age + gender + email address + postal address + phone number + nationality/immigration status You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter. Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that your application would be viewed by different assessors. In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead sift question listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to interview. Lead sift question (Communicating and Influencing): In no more than 250 words, please tell us about a time when you communicated complex technical information to a non-technical person. At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing, Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions. Benefits Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018: Any move to MHCLG from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. For further information about the benefits available to MHCLG employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack. Geographical Location: + Darlington

• + Manchester + Wolverhampton There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.
• Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service. This role is based at MHCLG and we will be joined on the campus by:
+ HM Treasury + Department for International Trade + Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy + Office for National Statistics + Department for Education For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack. Sift and Interview dates Sifting is envisaged to take place from Thursday 14/01/2025 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. Reserve List In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@communities.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list. SC (Security Check): Important note Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete. Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the Security Check – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years. Please refer to the MHCLG Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Security Check (SC). Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by MHCLG Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database. Candidate Pack Information Please see attached Candidate pack for further information. Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the MHCLG candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules Internal Fraud Database The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to MHCLG as a participating government organisations. MHCLG then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented. For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

+ excellent communication skills, with the ability to produce clear and concise content + strong organisational skills and attention to detail + the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team + knowledge of KIM policies and best practices + proficiency in managing and prioritising multiple tasks and enquiries + strong understanding of information governance and KIM principles + proven ability to manage enquiries and provide accurate, timely responses + good working knowledge of Microsoft 365, especially SharePoint and Teams, + Communicating and Influencing + Working Together + Managing a Quality Service

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives. Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities we’re all part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda. We have ambitious and far-reaching outcomes to achieve this year and, if you’re thinking of joining us, there’s never been a more exciting time. We have over 3,500 staff who are based in 20 offices across the UK.

Alongside your salary of £33,787, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £9,788 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. + Learning and development tailored to your role + An environment with flexible working options + A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity + A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%, The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements: Behaviour: Working Together, Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service Experience Technical In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements: Experience: Experience will be tested at sift and through interview questions which will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the person specification Technical: Technical will be tested at sift and through interview questions which will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the person specification Behaviours: Working Together, Communicating and Influencing (Lead sift question also), Managing a Quality Service We do not consider direct CV applications – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs: Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign. HEO salary + The salary for this role is £37,170 - £43,155 (London) or £33,787 - £39,508 (National).