Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer - Braintree District Council

Job description

Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer - Braintree District Concil

Braintree District Concil

Permanent, Fll Time

£3,319 p to £36,9 per annm

Location: Braintree

Closing Date: 11th October 6

Essex Conty Concil (ECC) are delighted to be spporting Braintree Concil to recrit this FOI Officer role.

To apply please click here:https://ce144li.webitrent.com/ce144li_webrecritment/wrd/rn/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=889743G1EE&VACANCY_ID=1644OO6m or visit https://www.braintree.gov.k/join-or-team. Please DO NOT click the Apply btton on the left - all applications mst be completed on the Braintree District Concil website.

The Opportnity:

Are yo passionate abot transparency, pblic service and helping people access the information they are entitled to? We are looking for a proactive, organised and detail-focsed FOI Officer to help the Concil respond to Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Reglations (EIR) reqests accrately, clearly and within stattory deadlines.

Abot the Role

The role sits within or Performance and Improvement Team and plays an important part in spporting openness, transparency and good information governance across the Concil. Yo will co-ordinate and manage FOI and EIR reqests from receipt throgh to response, inclding those that may be complex or sensitive in natre, working with services to gather and verify information, review material for disclosre, prepare clear correspondence and ensre reqests are progressed in line with stattory timescales.

Yo will also provide practical advice, gidance and training to colleages, and work closely with the Concil's Governance Team on matters sch as exemptions, exceptions, personal data, confidentiality, commercial sensitivity and pblic interest considerations.

Job Accontabilities

Receive, assess, and co-ordinate Freedom of Information (FOI) reqests, and Environmental Information Reglations (EIR) reqests, in line with the Concils procedres and case management system, ensring they are handled within stattory timescales.

Act as a point of contact for FOI and EIR enqiries, liaising with reqesters, internal officers and services, and external stakeholders where appropriate to ensre reqests are clearly nderstood and progressed effectively.

Work proactively with services across the Concil to identify, gather, review and verify information reqired to respond to reqests, ensring responses are accrate, complete, clear and issed within stattory deadlines.

Review information prior to disclosre, identifying material that may reqire redaction or frther consideration.

Liaise with the Governance Team where advice is reqired on exemptions, exceptions, personal data, confidentiality, commercial sensitivity or pblic interest considerations.

Prepare clear, professional and robst response correspondence, ensring complex information and legislative reasoning is explained in a way that is accessible and appropriate for the reqester.

Maintain accrate and p-to-date records of FOI and EIR reqests, decisions, deadlines, correspondence, redactions and disclosres sing the Concil's case management system.

Monitor the progress of reqests, manage competing deadlines and escalate risks, delays, complex isses or sensitive matters promptly to the Senior Performance and Information Officer and/or Governance Team as appropriate.

Provide practical advice, gidance and spport to colleages across the Concil on FOI and EIR reqirements, helping services to nderstand their responsibilities to enable them to respond effectively.

Spport the development and delivery of training, gidance materials and awareness-raising activity to improve organisational nderstanding of FOI/EIR obligations and good information handling practice.

Monitor and report on FOI and EIR performance, inclding volmes, timeliness, themes, risks and areas for improvement.

Spport the maintenance and review of the Concil's pblication scheme and relevant website information, ensring information is accrate, accessible and kept nder review in line with stattory reqirements.

Maintain awareness of relevant legislation, Information Commissioner's Office gidance and good practice relating to FOI, EIR, data protection and transparency.

Handle information appropriately and secrely, ensring compliance with K GDPR, the Data Protection Act 18, FOI, EIR and the Concil's policies and procedres.

Experience

We are looking for someone who can bring the relevant experience, sond jdgement and a clear nderstanding of information access, data protection or compliance processes. Yo may already be working in an FOI, information governance, data protection or compliance role, or yo may have transferable experience that demonstrates the reqired skills. Yo will need to be organised, confident in managing competing deadlines, able to interpret information careflly, and comfortable working with colleages across different services to ensre accrate and timely responses.

In retrn, we offer a spportive and collaborative working environment, opportnities for professional development and a chance to be part of a forward-thinking organisation.

Why choose Braintree District Concil?
Braintree is an ambitios and dynamic Concil and is becoming one of the fastest growing Districts in the East of England with three growing towns, London jst 45 mintes away and the District located directly between the international transport centres of Stansted Airport and Harwich and Felixstowe International Ports. We have a deserved track record for delivering and a strong reptation within the bsiness commnity.

Braintree District Concil is a great place to work. We pride orselves on or creative and innovative approach, which is led by or employees, and are committed to having an engaged workforce who nderstand or strategy and how they can help deliver it. Or people see the difference they make and how the work they do actively contribtes to and encorages positive change in the local commnity.

We also offer some great benefits, inclding:

*Competitive pay and benefits

*Flexible working

*Local Government Pension Scheme Defined Benefit Scheme

*Free Car Parking

*Learning and development for all staff

*Staff Disconts

*Employee Assistance Programme

*Staff recognition schemes

*Extensive health and wellbeing programme, inclding disconted gym membership

To apply please click here:https://ce144li.webitrent.com/ce144li_webrecritment/wrd/rn/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=889743G1EE&VACANCY_ID=1644OO6m or visit https://www.braintree.gov.k/join-or-team. Please DO NOT click the Apply btton on the left - all applications mst be completed on the Braintree District Concil website.

Closing date for receipt of applications: Snday 11th October 6.

Interviews will take place dring the week commencing 19th October 6.

Please Note - Essex Conty Concil is advertising this role on behalf of Braintree District Concil and if sccessfl yo will be employed by Braintree District Concil.