Data Compliance Officer

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is a new arm’s-length body set up, at unprecedented pace, to administer compensation to people whose lives have been impacted by the infected blood scandal.

IBCA will ensure payment is made in recognition of the wrongs experienced by those who have been infected by HIV, Hepatitis B or C, as well as those who love and care for them. They have been frustrated and distressed by the delays in achieving proper recognition, and we must help put this right.

We are committed to putting the infected and affected blood community at the centre of every decision we make and every step we take to build our organisation to deliver compensation payments.

IBCA employees will be public servants. If successful in this role you will be appointed directly into IBCA, on IBCA terms and conditions as a public servant.

Successful applicants will join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be fully operational for a period of approximately up to 5 years, after which IBCA will become a smaller residual service. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is a recently established organisation which has been set up to pay compensation to those who have been infected and affected by the infected blood scandal. The IBCA Data Governance team sits within the Strategy and Governance Directorate, and is staffed by leads for Data Protection, Knowledge and Information Management (KIM), and Disclosure Operations.

The Data Protection strand will enable IBCA to process personal data while assuring compliance with data protection legislation, and is led by IBCA’s Data Protection Officer.

The KIM strand focuses on the information lifecycle within the organisation to provide effective oversight of the creation, organisation, storage, disposal and exploitation of available data, and is led by the Head of Knowledge and Information Management.

The Disclosure Operations strand leads on providing responses to FOI requests, Subject Access Requests, and related correspondence relating to data subject rights and requests for information. This is led by the Information Rights and Disclosure Lead., Successful candidates will be appointed as a Data Compliance Officer within the Information Rights and Disclosure Operations section.

The three functions, however, collaborate to provide effective data governance for IBCA, with an expectation that work will also flow between the strands as circumstances and business needs require.

This role requires you to be in the Newcastle office at least 60% of your working time.

As a Data Compliance Officer, you will take end-to-end ownership of rights of access requests under both Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation. You will effectively manage cases from initial receipt through to final disclosure, ensuring strict compliance with legislative timelines, regulatory guidance and internal policies. Utilising your depth of knowledge, you will independently evaluate and service standard requests without the need for management escalation, accurately applying complex legislative exemptions and provisioning clear legally sound justifications where necessary.

Beyond casework, you will serve as a vital advisory resource, providing expert compliance guidance to colleagues at all levels of the organisation. You will collaborate closely with directors and Senior Managers across various directorates to smoothly progress applications and align practices. Additionally, you will be responsible for proactively identifying and evaluating potential data risks to the authority, partners and individuals, ensuring appropriate mitigations and exemptions are applied to keep the organisation’s information sharing practices secure and legally robust., If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes., A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to IBCA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website)

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the IBCA if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

PLEASE NOTE: IBCA employees are public servants, therefore the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNR) do not apply. Candidates who do not meet the CSNR are welcome to apply and applications will not be rejected: successful candidates however will be subject to a Right to Work check to work within the UK. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks., * UK nationals

• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Do you have experience in Presentation skills?, • Maintain an exceptional level of accuracy and attention to detail.

• Dynamically manage your own workload and conflicting priorities.

• Handle highly sensitive information with the utmost confidentiality, tact and discretion.

• Proactively problem solve and develop practical strategies to overcome operational issues.

• Balance independent working with active teamwork., • Knowledge and experience of dealing with Data Protection or Freedom of Information requests, and related correspondence relating to requests for information.

• Outstanding ability to identify risk relating to organisational and individual impact specific to both Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislative practices.

• Ability to identify sources of information both internally and externally.

• Proficient computer skills, including Word and Excel.

• Working without direct supervision.

• Must have a flexible approach to tasking and have the ability to recognise changing priorities.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of working successfully with Partner Agencies.

• Ability to assimilate bespoke databases.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Technical skills

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Knowledge and application of data protection and freedom of information legislation and guidance., Recent changes in skilled worker visa eligibility mean that a Skilled Worker must have a job offer in an eligible skilled occupation from a Home Office-approved sponsor. From 22 July 2025, the job must normally be skilled to level 6 (graduate level) on the Regulated Qualifications Framework for England and Northern Ireland, or the equivalent level in Wales or Scotland, or be included on either the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Please be aware that if the role is not eligible for a skilled worker visa that we will be unable to provide sponsorship.

Pulled from the full job description

• Childcare
• Annual leave
• Company pension
• UK visa sponsorship
• Enhanced maternity leave
• Enhanced paternity leave, Alongside your salary of £38,105, Infected Blood Compensation Authority contributes £11,039 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
• Premium allowance paid monthly after probation
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%
• 32.5 days of paid annual leave plus 8 bank holidays
• Family friendly policies to support you and your everyday responsibilities
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave, up to 12 months shared parental leave