About the job

Summary

About the Division

The Strategy, Policy and Climate Directorate (SPoCC) is responsible within UKEF for contributing and responding to HMG strategy and policy developments, oversight of corporate strategy and planning, setting policy, central responsibility for UKEF’s approach to Climate Change matters and Sustainable Development Goals, and engaging internationally in UKEF’s capacity as an ECA.

Within the Strategy, Policy and Climate Directorate, the Information and Governance division leads on three major areas:

1) Governance structure;

2) Knowledge and Information Management; and

3) Information Access.

Job description

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Knowledge and Information Management, the Information Officer will be responsible for recording, co-ordinating, drafting, clearing and responding to requests for information from external parties under FOI/EIR legislation, ensuring that they are produced efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner to the standards required. In doing so the Information Officer will need to consult with colleagues across the department to source information, review that information for consistency and produce draft responses for review by the Head of Knoweldge and Information Management and/or senior UKEF staff.

The role is also responsible for providing a high-quality secretariat service to one of UKEF’s executive committee and to sub-committees of UKEF’s Board, as required. The role holder will have a dotted management line and be supported by UKEF’s Head of Governance and Information in performing these activities.

Responsibilities

Main Activities

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR)

• Maintaining a full understanding of the scope of FOIA and EIR and their applicability when considering requests for information.

• Co-ordination of UKEF’s responses to requests made under FOIA, EIR, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA) within deadlines by: monitoring the Information Access mailbox on a daily basis; liaising as necessary with the Legal Division (LD) (and ensuring LD clearance) on the responses; seeking relevant input from other divisions within UKEF, other government departments and other third parties (e.g., exporters); drafting submissions (including to the “qualified person”) on exemptions to be applied, and ensuring other clearances are obtained).

• Co-ordination of UKEF’s responses to internal review cases, cases at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Information Tribunal within deadlines, in liaison with LD (and ensuring LD clearance), the ICO and other relevant parties (e.g., the internal reviewer). Actively manage relationships with key stakeholders, such as the Cabinet Office, keeping them up-to-date, responding in a timely manner to Cabinet Office requests for any data or other information, and maintaining a network of contacts with the Cabinet Office and other government departments to learn and share experience.

[Parliamentary matters

• Co-ordinating and drafting answers to Parliamentary Questions (PQs), taking account of standards and non-negotiable deadlines and ensuring answers are signed off in good time. Compiling submission of UKEF evidence and other matters related to Select Committees, other Parliamentary enquiries and related Ministerial briefings and submissions. Acting as a contact point for stakeholders across government regarding Parliamentary issues, notably within DIT, BEIS, HMT and FCO and dealing with urgent information requests.

• Ensuring that the quality is of the highest standard and produced to deadlines. ]

Knowledge and Information Management (KIM)

• Ensuring that adequate processes are in place in UK Export Finance to create, keep and manage records, and provide assurance that ways of working conform to legal requirements. Liaising with relevant stakeholders to ensure that all divisions are implementing agreed information management processes while ensuring that adequate support is available for this.

• Contributing to the formulation of policies in respect of knowledge and information management and undertaking gap analysis, risk assessments and policy reviews as necessary. Establishing and maintaining an information management hub on the department’s intranet as a point of access for relevant documents.

• Consolidating and building on work already done in respect of the department’s requirements under GDPR to ensure that UK Export Finance is complying fully with legislative requirements and aligning with Government and UKEF policies on the use and retention of personal data. This will include: providing assurance that controls which manage risks associated with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR are adequately designed and implemented; maintaining the department’s data compliance actions list and liaising with relevant stakeholders to ensure that actions are fulfilled adequately and on time.

• Co-ordination of the department’s transparency returns to ensure UK Export Finance remains consistent with Government guidelines on the publication of transparency data. This will include liaising with the Cabinet Office to deliver returns, address relevant issues and ascertain requirements; engaging with relevant divisions to ensure that processes are aligned with transparency requirements and that returns are completed accurately and on time; updating and maintaining as necessary the department’s publication scheme.

• Supporting the development of training and guidance to the department of data protection and guidance and wider records management to improve culture and awareness of knowledge and information management.

• Liaising with other Government departments and the Government KIM Professional Hub to maintain familiarity with Government Information Management policies and protocols and to understand best practice.

Secretariat

• Acting as secretary to one of UKEF’s executive committees, to ad hoc committees and boards, and to sub-committees of the Board (namely the Audit and Risk Committees) as required. Provide cover for others in SPoCC who provide secretariat, for example to the Security and Information Management Committee or Export Guarantees Advisory Council (EGAC).

• Provide a responsive, efficient and high-quality secretariat support. Ensure the maintenance of up to date terms of reference and operating frameworks; managing the timely circulation of papers; ensuring the production of consistently high- quality papers: and ensure the alignment of agendas with other committees and boards.

This list is not exhaustive and you may be required to carry out additional duties according to business need.

Qualifications

• Degree level qualification/ equivalent level qualification or equivalent work experience.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• A short presentation (this will be on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance).

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role

• An environment with flexible working options

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

• A Civil Service pension