plaintext

Principal FOI Officer Job Description

Who You Are

You are calm under pressure, politically aware, and excel at building trust. You have proven experience in handling FOIs, EIRs, and ICO complaints, including internal reviews. Your skills in coaching allow you to motivate and guide services, setting clear expectations and providing constructive feedback. With a proven track record of delivering projects on time and within budget, you are adept at planning and managing resources. You possess excellent stakeholder skills, and you are confident working across multiple service areas, such as Adults, Children’s, Housing, Regeneration, and Customer Services. High standards of customer service and professional, clear spoken English are essential when advising the public and colleagues.

What the Job Involves

• Owning the FOI/ICO relationship: overseeing internal reviews, coordinating investigations, and representing the Council in regulator engagements.
• Assuring quality: reviewing and signing off draft responses, providing robust advice on FOI, EIR, and the Data Protection Act.
• Championing transparency: leading actions to align with the Local Government Transparency Code and overseeing internal and external audits and follow-ups.
• Collaborating widely: working across Legal, Governance, Digital, Data Protection, and frontline services to ensure a coordinated information management approach.

Skills

• Experience with FOIs, EIRs, and ICO complaints
• Strong coaching and motivational skills
• Project delivery to time and budget
• Resource planning and management
• Excellent stakeholder engagement
• High standards of customer service
• Professional and clear spoken English