Head of Information Compliance and Data Management - Legal Services - 48820 - Grade 8

Position Details

Legal Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £45,585 to £54,395 with potential progression once in post to £61,198

Grade: 8

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 29th September 2024

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

About the University

The University of Birmingham is a £890m turnover charity. We are one of the most ambitious higher education institutions in the UK, and are determined to be placed in the global top 50 universities. With more than 8,500 staff, 38,000 students and 350,000 alumni across the globe, we think, recruit, and compete worldwide. We are a proud member of the prestigious Russell Group, which consists of the UK’s foremost research-intensive universities. 

Our heritage as the original ‘redbrick’ University is combined with one of the most compelling and ambitious agendas in higher education. The University has been transformed in recent years, characterised by major investments in academic staffing, investment of £1 billion in campus facilities, strong and improving outcomes for our students, and annual growth in research performance.

About Legal Services

Legal Services is one of the University’s Professional Service departments, led by the Registrar and Secretary. We are a part of the University’s Executive Support Division, which is led by the Chief of Staff, and brings together the teams which support policy, planning, data analysis, governance, legal advice, and change management. 

Our in-house solicitors’ office provides high quality legal advice to both Academic and Professional Services departments on a complete range of the University’s activities. These include international projects, ground-breaking research, supporting an excellent experience for our students, the commercial arrangements which frame those activities, and a whole host of community, alumni, and sector-based initiatives underpinning the University’s strategic aims. 

Recent projects in which Legal Services have been involved include the creation of the UK’s only University Training Secondary School, the construction and establishment of the University’s Dubai, the Birmingham Health Innovation campuses, and the University’s involvement in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and World Blind Games 2023.

Legal Services also incorporates the University’s Data Protection and Freedom of Information Team, with whom the successful applicant will work closely. 

Role Summary

The role is primarily focussed on GDPR, FOIA, and records management, meaning that data protection compliance, and sound records management across the University, form the main elements of this role. You will therefore need to develop excellent, professional relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, understand the operations of the University, and draft, implement, and monitor compliance across the institution.  The role requires proactive compliance management and an eye for detail, along with an ability to handle and understand compliance data in the University context. Persuasion, collaboration, curiosity, and excellent organisational skills are all key parts of this role, in addition to excellent legal knowledge and practical application of the law in a university environment. 

Specifically, the successful applicant will be responsible for:

• overseeing, managing, monitoring, and ensuring consistently high levels of compliance of GDPR (including SAR), FOIA, and other relevant legislation relevant to personal and institutional data;
• providing high quality advice on GDPR/data protection and FOI compliance, including drafting and negotiating contracts involving the processing of personal data, and advising on the application of GDPR (including SAR), FOIA and other relevant legislation in a higher education context;
• embedding and continuously improving GDPR and FOIA compliance across the institution including for example, the University’s ROPA, DAR, Data Retention Policy, and related statutory requirements;
• working with Professional Services and Academic departments to provide expertise in the management of the University’s records, to ensure that the University’s data, records and information are appropriately managed, stored, accessible and retrievable, drafting and developing frameworks, policies, and procedures where necessary;
• developing and supporting regular training and knowledge dissemination in relation to good practice on data protection and records management, along with other legal areas, as the case may be.

The University welcomes applications from individuals with, and without, legal qualifications. If the successful applicant is a solicitor, barrister, or person with equivalent qualification they may also have the opportunity to be involved in the work undertaken by Legal Services more generally, spanning the full range of the University’s activities. Currently the Legal Services department drafts, negotiates, and advises on commercial contracts, procurement and construction projects, charity law, regulatory/compliance matters, data protection, research projects, safeguarding, equality issues, and student-related matters. 

The terms of employment are generous; with 40 days’ holiday each year (including Bank Holidays and University closed days), reduced membership fees for the University’s Sport & Fitness Centre on campus and, subject to eligibility, membership of the Universities Superannuation Pension Scheme, where the employer’s contribution is significant. There are also a range of employee benefits, cycle to work scheme, on-site nurseries, and a range of cultural and social activities.

The role is based on our beautiful Edgbaston campus, and we are happy to discuss options to work remotely / from home for some of the time in line with the University’s hybrid working policy. 

The successful applicant will report to the Director of Legal Services, who is also the University’s Data Protection Officer and Senior Child Protection Officer.

Main Duties

The successful applicant will be required to:

• draft, enhance, implement, monitor, and report on effective compliance practices in relation to GDPR, FOIA, and records management across the University, effectively collaborating with a broad range of stakeholders to promote and facilitate compliance across the University;
• negotiate and draft contracts in consultation with colleagues across Academic and Professional Services departments in order to fully support the teaching and research undertaken by the University;
• where appropriate, identify and solve both legal and practical problems associated with the University’s activities, and to be proactive in identifying methods to reduce potential risk or liability to the University; 
• join and contribute to University committees and/or larger, cross-discipline projects, providing legal (where appropriate) and practical advice where appropriate in the context of the role; 
• give clear and concise explanations of legal issues to non-legally qualified members of the University at all levels, and provide training on existing and new legal initiatives and areas of statutory compliance;
• where appropriate, prepare and issue instructions to external solicitors or Counsel in accordance with the University’s protocol;
• proactively manage and report on their own time and caseload, balancing competing priorities and taking appropriate action to keep matters on track, anticipating future requirements and acting always proactively, in good time, and in the best interests of the University; 
• effectively manage a small team in dealing with elements of compliance in this role;
• be willing to acquire new skills, and to cover for other members of the team as appropriate.

Person Specification

The successful applicant should possess:

• expert knowledge and understanding of Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation, policy, and guidance, and an ability to keep ahead and prepare for upcoming changes in the law;
• in-depth experience of the issues arising within and construction of data sharing agreements/data processing agreements; 
• proven ability to effectively collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders, translating the law clearly, in plain English, into a professional organisational environment;
• demonstrable skill in drafting, advising, and implementing legal and compliance requirements, particularly GDPR and records management, in a large/complex organisation; 
• demonstrable experience of successfully managing others and working collaboratively in a team;
• a willingness to acquire new skills and areas of expertise, and to learn about statutory compliance within the University. Additional training, if necessary, will be provided although the ability to carry out extensive independent study will also be essential;
• knowledge and experience of managing complex matters, including the ability to prioritise workloads, working accurately to timescales and budget;
• interpersonal skills with a proven ability to build effective and trusting partnerships, and work in a collaborative way;
• excellent communication and presentation skills, and confidence and presence in meetings with senior stakeholders;
• flexibility, pragmatism and resilience, with an ability to work effectively under pressure and deliver to targets; 
• a commitment to promote and adhere to the agreed values of the University and the Executive Support Division.

Informal enquiries to Nicola Cardenas Blanco, email: n.k.c.blanco@bham.ac.uk 

View our staff values and behaviours here 

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.