Job summary
Please refer to Job Description
Job description
Head of Offender Subject Access Request (SAR) Team
Band:� SEO
Business Group:��COO
Directorate:��Security and Information Group
Team:��Branston Operations
Location:��Branston, Burton-Upon Trent
Purpose
Do you have excellent leadership and collaboration skills? Are you approachable, enthusiastic and want to deliver a quality service to the Department and its customers by embracing new technology?
This is an exciting time for the team as we are seeking to make significant changes and improvements to many aspects of how we work and the service we provide, especially investigating the new technology available and how this can increase efficiencies.� This role requires strong leadership skills to support the team through change and the challenges that come with it, whilst maintaining business as usual performance.
Excellent information and records management is knowing what information you have across an organisation and having the right information available, at the right time, to those who need it. Being successful at this is vital for any organisation as information plays an integral role in delivering day to day business, underpins policy and operational delivery, ensures legal obligations are met and safeguards the corporate record for use by civil servants in the future and the need for transparency with the public.�
Branston Operations, encompassing the offender subject access request (SAR) and record management teams, is based in the Information Services Division, within the Ministry of Justice�s (MoJ�s) Security & Information Group. �
Our purpose is that we disclose the right information, to the right people, at the right time, by responding to offender SARs and records retrieval.
The team is responsible for processing approximately 6,000 SARs per annum,�liaising with its agencies to retrieve personal information held on the requestor and then prepare it for release in compliance with�tight legislative timelines.
We aim to put users at the centre of what we do and strive to continually improve our systems and processes in response to feedback. �We are moving forward with a programme of transformation to ensure that we deliver a high-quality service, to the appropriate standard and timescales, whilst supporting staff wellbeing and development. �This is an ambitious programme of change over the coming years and the role is critical in shaping its success.
The team works collaboratively with His Majesty�s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) and His Majesty�s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) as key partners in delivery and stakeholder engagement,�so the ability and expertise to build strong professional relationships on both an individual and team basis is very important. Close liaison with individual prison establishments and probation offices are vital to meeting our performance indicators, with an opportunity to develop this further. The role is important as it ensures that offenders are supported through their sentence and rehabilitation by having access to the right information, at the right time, by responding to requests in full and within statutory timescales.
The successful candidate will play a key role in influencing our stakeholders, both within the MoJ and externally. This will be an opportunity to hone and develop your negotiating skills. You will need to grasp and resolve a wide range of complex problems and be able to use your own judgment and analysis to bring them to a successful conclusion and manage any information risks.
This is a dynamic, high-profile role that requires the post holder to have excellent communication skills, analytical skills and attention to detail enabling them to provide succinct submissions and verbal briefings to senior managers in the Department. There is also a need for clear and courteous communications with our external customers and the Information Commissioner�s Office (ICO), including taking forward any litigation cases.
This is an interesting, varied and stimulating role, leading a large team through work that is varied and challenging. There is also the potential for exposure and participation in cross government working.�
You will be joining the Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) profession at a very exciting time as this transformation is underway in MoJ and across government.�
Responsibilities and Main Activities
The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Lead, direct and motivate the staff in the Offender SAR team, setting achievable stretch targets to ensure requests are completed lawfully, within the statutory timeframe, and in line with policy.
2. Develop delivery plans and reporting structures, ensuring they are robust, closely monitoring them and instigating proactive and reactive adjustments, as and when needed, to ensure achievement.
3. Identify improvements in processes and procedures within the team. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading the team�s operations and increasing efficiencies, through drawing out improvements and embedding changes, so that the team becomes more dynamic and innovative in its approach, delivering value for money. �Leading continuous improvement is a vital part of the role.
4. Collaborate with the transformation team to implement more digital ways of working.
5. Recruit, train and develop staff to have the skills, competencies and experience needed to deliver a high-quality service to requestors.
6. Performance reporting, including the use of MI, to identify emerging issues and corrective action.
7. Overseeing the office and its functions, ensuring that the team is embedded in both the site and Information Services Division.
8. You will demonstrate and encourage behaviours which support the MoJ and Civil Service values.
9. The successful candidate will be required to work in a flexible way, undertaking any other duties reasonably requested, to support the wider SIG team and senior leaders, commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.
10. Lead local and divisional employee engagement activities and encourage/ support staff to take part in Learning and Development opportunities to maintain good working relationships with staff and improve staff morale and motivation.
11. Oversee the unit�s business support team, ensuring that operational delivery is supported.
12. Travel to other offices, as required, to complete their role.
Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours
Essential Criteria:
13. Effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills
14. Operational delivery leadership experience.
15. Experience of building, influencing and maintaining stakeholder relationships.
16. Experience of delivering customer service excellence in an operational processing environment.
17. Proven track record of identifying and delivering improvements in a service, producing efficiencies and value for money.
18. Demonstrable inspirational leadership with proven ability to lead and develop teams through significant change.
Desirable skills:
19. Working knowledge of the DPA and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
20. Experience of leading a team in a digital environment.
Application Process
This vacancy will be using Success Profiles to assess Behaviours and Strengths.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a panel interview.
To apply for this role, please submit evidence of the following Civil Service Behaviours:
21. Leadership
22. Changing and Improving
23. Communicating and Influencing
24. Managing a quality service
Evidence should be provided against all behaviours listed.�All applicants that progress to the interview will be assessed on all the behaviours and some strengths.
Person specification
Please refer to Job Description
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
25. Leadership
26. Changing and Improving
27. Communicating and Influencing
28. Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
Alongside your salary of �39,868, Ministry of Justice contributes �10,804 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
29. Access to learning and development
30. A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
31. A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
32. A with an average employer contribution of 27%
33. Annual Leave
34. Public Holidays
35. Season Ticket Advance
For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.
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