SCS1 Deputy Director Data Protection Officer *Deadline extended*
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 30th September 2024
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About the job
Job summary
The Deputy Director Data Protection Officer is part of the senior leadership team in the Security and Data Protection Directorate of Finance Group. It is a role required by law and the DPO has a responsibility not just to the Executive Team and Permanent Secretary within DWP to advise on issues relating to data protection risk and compliance but also to play a key part in enabling delivery of the Department’s future strategy by ensuring that new initiatives are legally compliant and appropriately protect the privacy of our customers and employees as well as enhance trust.
The DPO leads a team of Information Rights specialists, who provide advice and guidance on data protection issues to colleagues and customers and monitor the Department’s compliance and risk. The team conducts over 300 Data Protection Impact Assessments a year, often involving complex and cutting-edge data protection issues.
A key part of the role is forming a constructive working relationship with senior stakeholders within DWP and the Information Commissioner’s Office. Communication skills are key here and the postholder will often have to exercise excellent judgement as to how to present often difficult issues in the clearest and most helpful way.
In DWP the post holder will also have responsibility for the central Information Management Team, responsible for the Department’s compliance with the Public Records Act and the central Freedom of Information Team, who look after monthly FOI performance and ensure DWP’s performance meets ICO expectations despite the very large volume of FOI requests the Department receives.
Job description
What are my responsibilities?
- To provide the Department advice with its obligations under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
- To independently monitor the Department’s compliance with those obligations and raise issues, risks and concerns.
- To act as the first point of contact for DWP’s customers (over 20 million) and employees (approximately 90,000) for Data Protection matters.
- To provide advice on Freedom of Information requests (approx. 3,000 pa), and oversee DWP’s overall FOI performance.
- To be the point of contact between DWP and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in relation to Data Protection and FOI matters.
- To lead a team of some 40 Information Rights specialists (including the Departmental Information Management Team).
- As part of the Security and Resilience SLT to provide leadership and support to the Directorate and SLT colleagues and to ensure integration between our teams.
Person specification
Essential Criteria for the role which will be used to assess your application, alongside Success Profiles as mentioned on the next slide:
- Hold a recognised Data Protection qualification.
- Experience of operating within a data protection profession in an organisation which processes a significant amount of personal data, delivering a high quality, efficient and cost-effective service by considering a broad range of methods for delivery, ensuring adherence to legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery.
- A proven track record of delivering timely quality outcomes, through providing the right resources to do the job, reviewing and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success. Experience of monitoring the effectiveness of own and team communications and take action to improve where necessary.
- Experience of being an excellent leader, with the ability to coordinate the activities of others and inspire and motivate teams to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role.
- Be confident in encouraging, recognising and sharing innovative ideas from a diverse range of colleagues and stakeholders and create an environment where people feel safe to challenge and know their voice will be heard.
- Have excellent communicating and influencing skills, building and maintaining a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on shared objectives, build strong interpersonal relationships and show genuine care for colleagues.
- Be confident in stakeholder management, communicating with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust, and explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand.
Desirable Criteria:
- A recognised Freedom of Information (FOI) qualification.
- A law degree or professional legal qualification.
- A postgraduate qualification in Information Rights.
- Experience of leading an FOI function.
- Awareness of the legal and regulatory framework in which a large organisation operates.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
Alongside your salary, the Department for Work and Pensions contributes 28.97% towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process outlined below:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years;
- Three statements (maximum 500 words each) answering the 3 pre-defined questions (below), explaining why you want to work for DWP in this role and how you consider your skills and experience make you suitable for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
- How would you approach communicating the challenges a significant data protection risk brings to internal (including senior) stakeholders within a large organisation to ensure that organisation complies with its legal obligations? How would you handle this with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)?
- How have you developed and sustained complex and influential relationships to support and drive change to achieve a delivery outcome or strategy, and how you have made a difference.
- High-performing organisations usually have senior leaders who are drivers of continuous improvement. Give us a specific example of how you have motivated employees to achieve excellence.
For more information about this role and the selection process, please see the candidate pack attached to the advert.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
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Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Recruitment Team
- Email : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk
