Despatch Team Member

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Job Title / Group / Directorate

Despatch Team Member

Reports To

DPA Manager, Offender Subject Access Request Team

Location & Terms of appointment

This is a permanent post based in Branston, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

Salary and Grade

This post is Band F (AA, Administration Assistant, equivalent).

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.

Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.

Background

The Offender Subject Access Request team sits within the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) Communications and Information Directorate, which has a broad range of responsibilities including corporate communications through to information management and records compliance. As part of the Directorate’s Information Services Division, our aim is to ensure the MoJ holds information in compliance with legislation; that all information is correctly stored, accessible and shared appropriately; and our information is protected and the risks managed. We believe that knowing what information and records we have and having the right information available at the right time by those who need it or request it, is at the heart of an excellent justice system.

The Offender Subject Access Request team manage and process subject access requests (SARs) on behalf of the MoJ, liaising with its agencies to retrieve personal information held on the requestor and then prepare is for release in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). The team receives in excess of 5,000 requests per annum.

The team is predominantly based in Branston, Burton-on-Trent with a small team in Birmingham and the remainder of the Division located in Petty France, London. This role a vital part of the function of the team in ensuring the Department’s compliance with DPA and GDPR.

Role Purpose

Do you have strong customer service and administrative skills; an ability to plan your workload effectively and follow standard procedures and security protocols? Are you approachable, enthusiastic and want to deliver a quality service to the Department and its customers by embracing new technology?

This is an exciting time for the team as we are seeking to make significant changes and improvements to many aspects of how we work and the service we provide, especially investigating new technology available and how this can increase efficiencies. You will also be joining the team as it prepares for an increase in work following the Probation Reform Programme.

You will be joining an expanding team who provide a dedicated and expert function in processing all offender SARs. The team have a strong customer service culture, providing a key service across Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) so the ability and expertise to build strong professional relationships on both an individual and team basis is very important. Close liaison with individual prison establishments and probation offices are vital to meeting our performance indicators and there will be opportunity to develop this further. The role is important as it ensures that offenders are supported through their sentence and rehabilitation by having access to the right information at the right time, by responding to requests in full and within statutory timescales.

The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring the Department’s compliance with DPA by dispatching cases within their statutory deadlines.

Main Activities / Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

Photocopy large volumes of sensitive personal information, ensuring all information that has been identified as exempt from disclosure is not disclosedSecurely package and despatch completed cases, along with template response letterUpdate case management systemOpen and sort post, distributing to relevant areas within the teamFiling correspondence and completed casesReview and destroy closed cases in accordance with their retention scheduleGeneral ad hoc office duties, including some manual handlingDemonstrate and encourage behaviours which support the MoJ and Civil Service values.

Behaviours

Making Effective DecisionsManaging a Quality ServiceWorking TogetherDelivering at Pace

Essential experience

Experience of using Microsoft applications (Word, Excel and Outlook).

Desirable Experience

Experience of working with and an understanding of the Data Protection Act 2028 (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).Experience of working in or with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS).Experience of working in a digital environment and delivering good quality services that provide value for money.