Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Apprentice (Salary - £30,283)
Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIAHE) · Reading
Law and legalHigher Level 4On-siteEmployee wellbeingLarge organisationFlexibilityValue focused
The role is based in the Insight and Outreach team, line managed by the Insight Manager, and reporting up to the Head of Team who has strategic responsibility for data protection. The role is highly collaborative in nature and will involve working with colleagues across OIA casework, data and technology, analytical and People & Culture roles.
Main Responsibilities:
- Respond to people exercising their data protections rights, particularly the rights of access, rectification and erasure. Work with colleagues to identify and collate information that should be supplied. Ensure that requests are answered within the relevant deadlines. Maintain and improve systems for tracking how we are responding to data subject rights requests.
- Act as the first responder to reports of suspected data breaches. Carry out initial fact finding and make recommendations about how to address any breaches, including whether a report should be made to ICO and/or the data subject informed. Maintain and improve systems for recording data breaches or suspected breaches. Ensure learning from breaches is fed into operational practice.
- Respond to people who have a complaint about how we have handled their personal data. Carry out initial fact finding and make recommendations about how to respond to the complaint.
- Support colleagues to complete core documentation that helps the OIA demonstrate compliance with the data protection regime including
- The Record of Processing Activities (ROPA)
- Data Privacy Impact Assessments (DPIAs)
- Legitimate Interest Assessments (LIAs)
- Appropriate Policy Documents (APDs)
- Maintain a regular review cycle to ensure that documentation is up to date and accurate and that risks are monitored.
- Prepare privacy notifications that explain what we are doing with personal data in different contexts
- With support from Communications colleagues, prepare additional information for internal colleagues and external stakeholders (e.g. students who have complained to the OIA) about our approach to personal data
- Develop and deliver engaging and informative training to colleagues to ensure that everyone maintains an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding about how to handle personal data appropriately within the OIA
- Provide advice and guidance to all colleagues about handling personal data, covering casework activities (personal data of individuals within complaints files) as well as wider organizational activities (e.g. personal data of our staff or other stakeholders)
- From time to time, look at how organisations we may partner with meet their responsibilities towards personal data. Help to prepare any necessary data sharing agreements.
- Keep up to date with legislative changes and best practice guidance from ICO and other relevant professional sources. Flag any developments that may affect how the OIA goes about our work.
- Champion excellent information management practice within the OIA. Model excellent practice in creating, storing, sharing and deleting information in accordance with records management policy
- Contribute to the continuous development of records management policies, including retention policies. Monitor compliance with the records management policy, and support colleagues in developing good records management habits
Company Benefits:
- 28 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays (full time) rising 1 day per year of service with a maximum of 33 days.
- Flexi-time
- Contribution towards a gym membership upon passing probation.
- A generous defined benefit pension scheme
- Options to join the cycle to work scheme
- Employee discounts
Skills required
- Excellent reading comprehension skills . Aptitude to understand and summarise legal documents written in formal English and identify the sections that are most relevant to a particular task
- Good time management skills. Able to balance training commitments with day to day work. Meets the deadlines set by the law
- Strong communication skills, in person and in writing. Able to explain complicated ideas in simple ways
- Able to show good judgment about when to handle something alone and when to seek help
- Gets job satisfaction from completing work accurately with a high level of attention to detail
- Comfortable with technology and with the ability to learn to use new IT systems and processes. Enthusiastic about the use of technology to enable colleagues to achieve organisational goals
Qualifications required
- A minimum of 5 x GCSEs which must include both English and maths at grade 4/C or above
- 3 x A-Levels at grade A*- C (or the equivalent)
Training you'll get
Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Level 4 apprenticeship standard
The essentials
Hours, commitment and the dates that matter.
Hours
35 hours per week
Duration
19 months (Fixed Term)
Roles available
1
Posted
05 Aug 2026
Starts
Oct 2026
Apply by
23 Aug 2026
Training provider
Damar Training
Delivers the training for this role and manages your application.
Where you'd be based
RG1 1AX© OpenStreetMap contributors
