Subject Access Request (SAR) Processing Officer - Casual Pool

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

The Information Governance Team plays a key role in the Council’s corporate governance arrangements, helping the Council to protect the personal data that the organisation holds and making sure it meets its legal obligations. The busy team supports the Council in meeting the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and other legislation, protecting personal data and ensuring that information rights are upheld. The team works closely together providing support, advice and guidance to the Council through working with services across the organisation and in partner organisations. 

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

The Council has a small team of officers who play an important part in helping the Council meet its statutory responsibilities for information rights, responding to Subject Access Requests (SARs) from people for the personal data that the Council holds about them. Meeting this fundamental right and helping ensure openness and transparency is both rewarding and challenging.  

This role is part will help us form a small casual pool of officers to support the team during busy periods, with hours and timescales for each SAR to be agreed on a case-by-case basis according to service need and your availability.   

You will ensure appropriate information is prepared for disclosure, applying redactions and exemptions in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and liaising with customers and services to manage complex requests appropriately and within legal timescales. 

You will have experience and a good understanding of data protection and information law and be able to work to a high level of confidentiality and information security. You will have the ability to redact complex and extremely sensitive information, dealing with information that can be of a distressing nature. You will have a minimum of one year’s experience in redaction using appropriate software tools and extensive experience dealing with the full lifecycle of SAR requests.  

You will work closely with other team members and organise your own workload to meet agreed timescales.  

If you want to discuss this role, please contact Preeti Mistry on 024 7697 1736 or Rebecca Newstead on 024 7697 5408. 

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you. 

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date: 5 June 2025

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies