Freedom of Information Support Officer

Join our Legal Services and be part of the Freedom of Information Team as our Support Officer!

About the role

Within the Legal Services and Freedom of Information Team, you will work alongside our experienced Freedom of Information Officer (FOI) to ensure that Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulation  (EIR) requests are managed in a professional manner which upholds the University’s reputation and in line with legal requirements. 

Working with the FOI Officer, you'll act as the University’s operational point of contact to provide support for the core functions of Freedom of Information including:

• logging and acknowledging requests for information, 
• notifying colleagues about requests, collecting and organising information to assist with University responses,
• working with University colleagues to obtain and advise on information and respond to queries,
• collecting information for the University’s Publication Schedule

This is a busy and varied role involving daily communication with teams across the University to obtain information required to respond to requests within the statutory timescales. You will also have direct contact with members of the public as well as staff, and must be a confident communicator with a keen focus on delivering excellent customer service.

About you

You will:

• have excellent organisational skills, be able to demonstrate good use of initiative, and have the ability to multi-task and prioritise in supporting the University’s compliance with FOI/EIR.
• work well independently but also as part of the wider Legal Services and Freedom of Information Team.
• be motivated to expand your knowledge of the FOI/EIR legislation and requirements with support from the University (with external training provided as appropriate) and guidance from the Freedom of Information Officer.
• thrive in a collaborative environment and be able to build strong working relationships across academic departments and professional services.
• have strong organisational and analytical skills with the ability to assess complex information. 
• be detail oriented to apply accurate redactions to sensitive information.
• have the ability to manage competing priorities and work to strict deadlines.

The ideal candidate will also be an advocate for continuous improvement, committed to helping build a culture of transparency and compliance through training and awareness.

Further information

This is a part-time role, working 21.9 hours per week (0.6 FTE). 

As well as considering candidates with previous experience, this is also an exciting opportunity to develop into the role if you have no previous experience working as a Freedom of Information Officer.  

For an informal discussion about the role please contact:

Delia Bean, FOI Officer (db406@bath.ac.uk) or Joanna Madeley, Head of Legal Services (jm4227@bath.ac.uk).

However, please note that Joanna will not be available from 3 -7 August.

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

Further details:

• Job Description & Person Specification

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