Information Rights and Correspondence Officer

Details

Reference number

272160

Salary

£23,450 - £32,320 London: £25,750 - £32,320 / Glasgow or Cardiff: £23,450 - £29,381

Job grade

Executive Officer Level 1B

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

OFGEM - Communications

Type of role

Administration / Corporate Support
Communications / Marketing
Environment and Sustainability

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

Location

About the job

Benefits

Things you need to know

Apply and further information

Location

Cardiff, Glasgow, London

About the job

Job summary

As the UK’s regulator for the energy industry, Ofgem works on behalf of energy consumers to ensure that every households in the UK can rely on a safe and environmentally sustainable energy supply.

The Information Rights and Correspondence Officer will play a key role in ensuring Ofgem is abiding by its legal responsibilities. You will monitor and respond to incoming requests for information, oversee FOI, EIR and SAR’s, and deal with a diversity of subject matters to guarantee compliance.

The successful candidate will build effective working relationships across all directorates, and work alongside a range of stakeholders - from lawyers to subject matter experts and policy teams.

We are looking for an individual with a strong awareness of the Information Rights Acts, and the ways in which they apply to Ofgem’s work. You’ll be able to demonstrate effective communication skills, responding to requests professionally, and in a timely and accessible manner, including sensitive and high-profile topics. You will also be confident in exercising clear judgment, and be aware of potential reputational risk around sensitive areas.

You will possess a proactive and adaptable mindset, capable of efficiently managing evolving workloads to meet unpredictable deadlines. In addition, you will provide valuable administrative support and offer expert advice and training across the whole of Ofgem.

This position presents an excellent opportunity to join a flexible team with a diverse range of responsibilities, where you will collaborate closely with the Parliamentary Correspondence team and other communications departments.

Ofgem provides a flexible work environment, enabling individuals to effectively balance their professional and personal commitments. We also offer exceptional opportunities for professional and personal development.

If you are an adaptable self-starter with strong interpersonal skills, and an understanding of information rights, then we’d love to hear from you.

Ofgem offers a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

Job description

You will be a key part of Ofgem’s correspondence unit, which is responsible for coordinating Ofgem’s responses to information rights requests from members of the public. You will help to ensure that Ofgem meets its legal responsibilities to provide accurate and prompt responses to FOI, EIR and SAR requests. When required, you will also assist the Parliamentary Correspondence team to process and respond to letters from elected representatives. As part of a flexible team, there will be opportunities to work in other parts of the communications team to meet business demands. This will require a degree of adaptability on behalf of the jobholder.

Key Responsibilities:

• Help to administer Ofgem’s information rights service, including handling Freedom of Information requests, Environmental Information Regulation requests, Subject Access Requests
• Respond to requests for information in a timely and accessible manner, ensuring Ofgem meets its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set out by the Cabinet Office
• Support the Parliamentary Correspondence Team as required, in processing and responding to letters from elected representatives
• Build up effective working relationships across all directorates to ensure Ofgem meets its statutory deadlines
• Help to provide advice and training to teams across Ofgem on how to handle information requests and ensure accurate, timely and well written responses are provided to the public
• Regularly monitor a dedicated inbox, ensuring cases are promptly picked up and accurately logged on the relevant system
• Monitor developments in Freedom of Information and data protection legislation
• Identify requests which are sensitive or high profile for Ofgem, escalating when needed
• Provide strong administrative support to the Information Rights and Correspondence team
• Support the wider communications team, as required

Person specification

The essential criteria for this role is:

• Can demonstrate an awareness of the information rights Acts and their requirements in the context of our organisation (LEAD)
• Ability to absorb complex information quickly and communicate it clearly, in writing and orally, to staff at all levels
• Excellent proofreading skills, attention to detail and able to identify what angles will be of interest to external audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to develop and nurture contacts across all teams within Ofgem.
• Self-starter with experience of prioritising a varied and complex workload, to ensure competing demands and unpredictable deadlines are met.

The desirable criteria for this role is:

• Experience of working with information rights requests, including applying exemptions

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Please refer to candidate pack for details.

Benefits

Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes; up to 30 days annual leave. Excellent training and development opportunities. The opportunity to join the Civil Service pension arrangements which include a valuable range of benefits. Flexible working hours and family friendly policies. Restaurant and subsidise gym (London only). Interest free season ticket loan.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘supporting statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the essential and desirable skills and capabilities.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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 Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

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.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window). Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : Cheryl Stobo Email : recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk

Recruitment team :

Email : recruitment@ofgem.gov.uk