Subject Access Request Officer

Our local authority client based in Berkshire are urgently seeking an experienced Subject Access Request Officer.

*£21.48 an hour Umbrella

* Work from home for the majority

Service Purpose

A Subject Access Request (SAR) refers to the right of an individual to receive personal data that is held by an organisation about them, or the individual they are representing. Under Article 15 of the UK GDPR, the right of access gives individuals the right to obtain a copy of their (or the person they are representing’s) personal data, as well as other supplementary information.

This is a fundamental right for individuals and helps them understand how and why we are using their data, who it is shared with and to check that we are doing it lawfully. Officers within this service are therefore obligated to collate and prepare data for release to the subject in compliance with the legislation set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Purpose of the role

The purpose of the Subject Access Request Officer role is to provide individuals, upon request, their personal data held by the council in an accurate, timely, and confidential manner that they are legally entitled to. They will also be expected to issue refusal notices where the applicant is not lawfully entitled to information with explanations as to why. This is to ensure both compliance with statutory legislation and an excellent customer experience for all who come into contact with the council.

Main Accountabilities

 1. Logging new requests into the council’s SAR system to enable them to be tracked throughout the process. Communicating with other service areas within the Council to provide advice and guidance to Officers in relation to requests/contacts that they get directly and how to process a Subject Access appropriately.

 2. Communicating with the applicant to verify their identity and clarify exactly what information they are looking for, where necessary.

 3. Confirming whether Wokingham Borough Council holds the information being requested, and that the individual is entitled to it. If not, the job holder will be responsible for directing the applicant to the appropriate local authority / organization, and/or issuing a refusal notice with explanations, as necessary.

 4. Collating all relevant information (in a logical order) from various sources which include but are not limited to:
Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, in person file locations, Systems, etc. This will include making independent judgements as to the relevance of information to the applicant’s request.

 5. Redacting documents to ensure that all third-party information is removed and any data that pertains to an exemption so that the applicant only receives the information they are legally entitled to.

Please apply with your updated CV ensuring that any gaps in employment are explained.

At this point, may we take this opportunity to thank you for the interest you have shown in this role. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications that we receive, it is not always possible to respond to everyone. Therefore, unless you hear from us within the next 7 days, your application for this vacancy will have been unsuccessful