IG Officer
Job summary
The Privacy, Transparency & Trust (PTT) Sub-directorate is a sub-directorate of the Technology, Digital and Data Directorate. The mission of the PTT Sub-directorate is to enable NHS England to drive innovation and improve lives through greater use of data and technology and to be a well-run organisation.
The PTT Sub-directorate enables and promotes public trust in NHS England's custodianship of staff, workforce and patient data, aligning with NHS England's legal duty to respect and promote the privacy of patients and uphold the principles that underpin NHS England as a safe haven for patient data.
The Information Governance Officer role provides essential support to the work and mission of the PTT Sub-directorate and sits within one of the PTT Information Governance delivery teams.
Main duties of the job
The Information Governance Officer will provide operational support and professional input to the delivery of Information Governance activity within the PTT Sub-directorate.
The post holder will support colleagues to ensure NHS England meets its statutory, regulatory and policy obligations relating to information governance, data protection and records management. The role requires the provision of clear, practical and timely IG advice, carried out in collaboration with colleagues across NHS England and external partners where appropriate.
The post holder will work within a fast-paced environment, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement, high quality service delivery and effective risk management.
About us
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.
If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
SecondmentsApplicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Graduate level qualification / equivalent experience: Educated to Graduate degree level (in a relevant subject) or equivalent relevant experience within a professional working environment.
- Post-Graduate level qualification / equivalent experience: Educated to Post-Graduate degree level (in a relevant subject) or equivalent relevant experience within a professional working environment.
- IG accredited qualification: Accredited IG specific qualification e.g. (but not limited to) BCS, ISEB, PDP, IAPP.
- Other relevant accredited qualification: Accredited qualifications which would materially benefit the performance of your role such as qualifications in project management (e.g. Agile, Prince II), technology (such as advanced level user of Microsoft Office365), security, communications, or leadership.
Knowledge
- The role requires knowledge of the following laws and legal frameworks: Data protection law: Understanding key principles and concepts of data protection law set out in the UK GDPR, DPA 2018, Human Rights Act 1998. Understanding how IG assurance is achieved within NHS organisations, including the requirements of the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit / Cyber Assurance Framework. NHS legal framework: Understanding the statutory functions of NHS England, and NHS England's use of personal data.
Experience
- Experience working in an information governance / privacy / data protection role.
- Experience in identifying IG, compliance and operational risks and issues and escalating where appropriate.
- Experience working collaboratively across team, function, and organisational boundaries, to achieve the best outcomes for the organisation. Engaging and contributing to a team culture of continuous improvement and excellent service delivery. Developing yourself and others to operate a "one team" respectful and inclusive culture.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
NHS England
Address
Any NHS England Office
Nationally
LS1 4AP
Employer's website
https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/