Information Access and Compliance Assessor

Job summary

This post enables The National Archives to remain compliant with information rights legislation – the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act – by undertaking work on Reclosure and Takedown at The National Archives. Reclosure occurs when information in open records may be subsequently closed by The National Archives. Takedown applies to material on The National Archives’ website and those of our commercial partners (where the content has come from The National Archives), as well as to webpages preserved in the UK Government Web Archive. The circumstances in which Reclosure or Takedown are required are outlined in our Takedown and Reclosure Policy.

An important part of this role involves managing Reclosure and Takedown requests relating to digital records and information, including those transferred to The National Archives by Public Inquiries and other short-term bodies such as Independent Inquiries. As a result, this work will also include providing advice and assistance on the work of Inquiry bodies, to ensure that the correct access decisions are made ahead of the transfer of Inquiry records to The National Archives.

This role will report to the Reclosure Panel, who are responsible for the reclosure of records, and the Takedown Panel, who oversee Takedown decisions. These are internal Panels composed of staff with expertise in Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Protection, along with records and catalogue specialists from across The National Archives. Reclosure and Takedown cases need careful handling, with balanced and considered recommendations submitted to the Reclosure and Takedown Panels, to ensure that appropriate action is taken in a timely manner. An important part of this role therefore is to keep those involved with Reclosure and Takedown regularly informed of progress; you will need to judge when to escalate concerns to senior management, to ensure not just compliance, but to maintain a level of good customer service, while safeguarding TNA’s reputation.

Job description

Full job description attached (see below).

Person specification

This role is based within the FOI Centre, to ensure that there is a consistency of approach towards Reclosure, Takedown, and compliance. Using your knowledge of information rights legislation, you will undertake research, review information flagged for Reclosure or Takedown, and support access decisions for these records. You will also be expected to carry out research into closed records in response to FOI requests, assess whether exemptions apply to those records, and correspond with requesters. As a result, you will develop expert knowledge regarding the application of the FOI Act and related information rights legislation. Working to tight deadlines, the role requires strong decision making and communication skills, as well as the ability to organise a heavy workload.

This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department.

A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.
Application Process

• Interview: Interviews will be held on-site in June 2026.

• Personal Statement: We ask all applicants to submit work history details and a personal statement, not exceeding 1200 words.

Selection for interview will be based on the ‘essential’ requirements in the job description so please ensure that your statement demonstrates in detail how you meet these requirements.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please visit the Civil Service Careers website where you can find further information on the use of AI in the application guidance section.

SC clearance/willingness to obtain SC clearance will be required for this role. This requires candidates to have been resident in the UK for at least the past three years. Please do not apply if you have been resident in the UK for less than three years as your application will be rejected.

Essential criteria:

• Demonstrable ability to carry out research into records, assimilate lots of information, analyse textual content, and summarise findings clearly and concisely.
• High standard of communication, both written and verbal.
• Confident and able to negotiate at a senior level across government departments
• Strong team-working skills, coupled with the ability to work on own initiative
• Demonstrate ability to make decisions, using sound judgement, escalating issues as required.
• Commitment to providing a professional service to the public and/or to other government departments.
• Ability to work to deadlines, work well under pressure, and work flexibly in approach to prioritise/balance demanding workloads and targets.

Desirable criteria:

• Knowledge of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Data Protection Act 2018 and related legislation.
• High level of IT literacy, including strong knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, and SharePoint.
• Use of case management/tracking systems.
• Project management experience.

Sponsorship:

We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,784, The National Archives contributes £9,787 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development.

Any move to The National Archives from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk;

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Reasonable adjustments:

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.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional

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 (opens in a new window).

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

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• 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) (opens in a new window)
• 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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : The Talent Acquisition Team
• Email : careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk
• Telephone : 02039855979

Recruitment team

• Email : careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact The National Archives via email: careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

nationalarchives.gov.uk

Attachments

Job Description - Information Access and Compliance Assessor Opens in new window (docx, 39kB)