Information Governance Officer

Information Governance Officer

Department: Department for Infrastructure
Branch: FCAD
Salary: £47,304
Hours of work: 37 hours per week

About the Role

AFBI is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Information Governance Officer to join our Finance and Corporate Affairs Division. Reporting to the Head of Governance & Performance, the successful candidate will play a critical role in shaping, implementing and maintaining AFBI's organisation-wide information governance framework.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of policies and systems that support compliance, strengthen organisational governance, and ensure the responsible management of information across a large and complex organisation.

Key Responsibilities

The main duties of the role include:

Information Governance

• Contribute to the development of AFBI's information governance strategies and policies and lead on implementation activities.
• Implement robust records management practices, including undertaking information audits.
• Develop and maintain AFBI's retention and disposal schedules.
• Design and deliver an organisational file plan and records management requirements for future electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS).
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, including:
  • Data Protection Act
  • Freedom of Information Act
  • Environmental Information Regulations
  • UK GDPR
• Provide expert advice to AFBI staff and engage with stakeholders to support effective and compliant data sharing.
• Establish and embed information management and assurance policies.
• Lead AFBI's information management activities, promote organisational understanding, and deliver governance awareness sessions, presentations, workshops, and internal communications via the intranet.
• Act as AFBI's Freedom of Information Officer, managing and responding to all statutory information requests, including:
  • Freedom of Information (FOI)
  • Subject Access Requests (SAR)
  • Environmental Information Regulations (EIR)
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of best practice and legislative developments.

This list is not exhaustive, and the successful candidate may be required to carry out other duties as allocated by management.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet one of the qualification and experience routes below by the closing date:

Route 1a

Level 3 qualification* AND 5 years' demonstrable experience**

Route 1b

Level 4 qualification* AND 4 years' demonstrable experience**

Route 1c

Level 5 qualification* AND 3 years' demonstrable experience**

Route 1d

IG/GDPR Practitioner Diploma or recognised information governance, data protection, or records management certification (e.g., BCS Practitioner Certificate) AND 3 years' demonstrable experience**

Demonstrable Experience Must Include:

• Developing and implementing an effective information governance framework in a large and complex organisation (minimum 100 employees, £20m budget).
• Managing, investigating and responding to information requests under FOI, Data Protection, and EIR in a large and complex organisation.
• Managing staff in an information governance, data protection or records management capacity.
• Systems administrator or power user experience with an EDRMS (e.g., TRIM, HP Records Manager, Meridio, DOX, SharePoint) and strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Producing reports and delivering presentations to senior management.

Relevant and Equivalent Qualifications

Qualifications equivalent to those listed above may be considered. Applicants should provide comprehensive information on qualification content, modules studied, and grading to support assessment.

Why Join AFBI?

AFBI offers a supportive and collaborative working environment where you can make a real impact on the development and capability of one of Northern Ireland's leading scientific organisations. You'll have the opportunity to grow your learning and development career while contributing to AFBI's mission to deliver excellence in agri-food science and innovation.

Apply Now!
Take the next step in your career and join a rewarding role with AFBI. Apply today or contact Hannah Fitzsimons at [email protected]

To be shortlisted for this role all applicants MUST meet the essential criteria. Please note that these roles may be filled quickly but your CV will be kept on file for future similar roles. As there are so many applications, unsuccessful candidates may not be contacted.

Successful candidates may need to apply for an Access NI Certificate with Staffline regardless if you already have a valid certificate. It will be a cost of between £16 - £32 depending on clearance level.