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Communications / Marketing
Environment and Sustainability
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About the job
Job summary
As the UK’s regulator for the energy industry, Ofgem works on behalf of energy consumers to ensure that every households in the UK can rely on a safe and environmentally sustainable energy supply.
The Information Rights and Correspondence Officer will play a key role in ensuring Ofgem is abiding by its legal responsibilities. You will monitor and respond to incoming requests for information, oversee FOI, EIR and SAR’s, and deal with a diversity of subject matters to guarantee compliance.
The successful candidate will build effective working relationships across all directorates, and work alongside a range of stakeholders - from lawyers to subject matter experts and policy teams.
We are looking for an individual with a strong awareness of the Information Rights Acts, and the ways in which they apply to Ofgem’s work. You’ll be able to demonstrate effective communication skills, responding to requests professionally, and in a timely and accessible manner, including sensitive and high-profile topics. You will also be confident in exercising clear judgment, and be aware of potential reputational risk around sensitive areas.
You will possess a proactive and adaptable mindset, capable of efficiently managing evolving workloads to meet unpredictable deadlines. In addition, you will provide valuable administrative support and offer expert advice and training across the whole of Ofgem.
This position presents an excellent opportunity to join a flexible team with a diverse range of responsibilities, where you will collaborate closely with the Parliamentary Correspondence team and other communications departments.
Ofgem provides a flexible work environment, enabling individuals to effectively balance their professional and personal commitments. We also offer exceptional opportunities for professional and personal development.
If you are an adaptable self-starter with strong interpersonal skills, and an understanding of information rights, then we’d love to hear from you.
Ofgem offers a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.
Job description
You will be a key part of Ofgem’s correspondence unit, which is responsible for coordinating Ofgem’s responses to information rights requests from members of the public. You will help to ensure that Ofgem meets its legal responsibilities to provide accurate and prompt responses to FOI, EIR and SAR requests. When required, you will also assist the Parliamentary Correspondence team to process and respond to letters from elected representatives. As part of a flexible team, there will be opportunities to work in other parts of the communications team to meet business demands. This will require a degree of adaptability on behalf of the jobholder.
Key Responsibilities:
- Help to administer Ofgem’s information rights service, including handling Freedom of Information requests, Environmental Information Regulation requests, Subject Access Requests
- Respond to requests for information in a timely and accessible manner, ensuring Ofgem meets its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set out by the Cabinet Office
- Support the Parliamentary Correspondence Team as required, in processing and responding to letters from elected representatives
- Build up effective working relationships across all directorates to ensure Ofgem meets its statutory deadlines
- Help to provide advice and training to teams across Ofgem on how to handle information requests and ensure accurate, timely and well written responses are provided to the public
- Regularly monitor a dedicated inbox, ensuring cases are promptly picked up and accurately logged on the relevant system
- Monitor developments in Freedom of Information and data protection legislation
- Identify requests which are sensitive or high profile for Ofgem, escalating when needed
- Provide strong administrative support to the Information Rights and Correspondence team
- Support the wider communications team, as required
Person specification
The essential criteria for this role is:
- Can demonstrate an awareness of the information rights Acts and their requirements in the context of our organisation (LEAD)
- Ability to absorb complex information quickly and communicate it clearly, in writing and orally, to staff at all levels
- Excellent proofreading skills, attention to detail and able to identify what angles will be of interest to external audiences.
- Excellent interpersonal skills to develop and nurture contacts across all teams within Ofgem.
- Self-starter with experience of prioritising a varied and complex workload, to ensure competing demands and unpredictable deadlines are met.
The desirable criteria for this role is:
- Experience of working with information rights requests, including applying exemptions
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Please refer to candidate pack for details.
Benefits
Things you need to know
Selection process details
You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘supporting statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the essential and desirable skills and capabilities.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
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).
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