***Internal Applicants Only***

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: SO1 £38,256 - £39,276

Contract Type: Full-time Permanent

Working hours per week: 36

Application Deadline: 31/07/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): TBC

Reference: 2206

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

About the role:

We are seeking a highly organised and detail‑focused SAR Administrator to join our Information Governance and Complaints service. This is a specialist role responsible for managing Subject Access Requests (SARs) and other statutory information rights requests, ensuring compliance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and associated legislation. You will play a vital role in safeguarding personal data while ensuring individuals receive timely, accurate, and transparent access to their information.

In this role, you will manage requests end‑to‑end—from initial receipt and identity verification through to information retrieval, redaction, and final disclosure. You will handle complex and sensitive cases, including those within Children’s Social Care, requiring sound judgement, resilience, and a strong understanding of data protection principles. Working closely with internal teams and external partners, you will coordinate responses across services, manage deadlines, and ensure high‑quality, lawful outcomes are delivered.

You will also be responsible for reviewing large volumes of sensitive information, applying appropriate exemptions, and ensuring that disclosures are accurate, proportionate, and secure. As a key point of contact for requesters, you will provide clear and compassionate communication, helping to build trust and minimise escalations or complaints. Your ability to manage competing priorities and maintain high standards under pressure will be essential to success.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with extensive experience in SAR case handling who is looking to develop their expertise in a dynamic and high‑impact environment. If you have strong analytical skills, excellent attention to detail, and a commitment to compliance and customer service, we would welcome your application.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:

Manage Subject Access Requests end‑to‑end
Handle SARs and other information rights requests from receipt through to disclosure, ensuring all actions are completed within statutory deadlines.
Casework and workflow management
Log, triage, allocate, and monitor requests, proactively tracking progress and escalating risks to ensure timely delivery.
Information gathering and records management
Retrieve and review information from multiple systems and sources, including large volumes of complex and sensitive records.
Identity verification and compliance
Confirm identity, consent, and legal authority prior to releasing information, ensuring full compliance with GDPR and data protection legislation.
Redaction and application of exemptions
Accurately redact personal, sensitive, and third‑party data and apply appropriate legal exemptions in line with ICO guidance.
Coordinate responses across services
Work with internal teams and external partners to manage complex or multi‑service SARs, ensuring consistent and consolidated responses.
Customer communication
Act as the main point of contact for requesters, providing clear, professional, and empathetic updates throughout the process.
Maintain accurate records and reporting
Keep detailed audit trails and support performance monitoring, data quality, and reporting requirements.
Support complaints, reviews, and investigations
Provide evidence and case records for internal reviews, complaints, and regulatory or Ombudsman enquiries.
Continuous improvement and teamwork
Contribute to improving processes, templates, and guidance, while supporting team resilience and service delivery during peak demand.

Qualifications and Requirements:

Education and professional qualifications
- GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths
- A relevant professional qualification in information governance, data protection, or a related field (desirable) [SARS Admin...le Profile | PDF]
Knowledge and experience
- Strong knowledge of UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and ICO guidance
- Experience of handling Subject Access Requests, including complex or sensitive cases
- Understanding of information governance principles and statutory compliance requirements
Skills and abilities
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly
- High attention to detail and strong analytical skills, particularly when reviewing large volumes of data
- Ability to manage a high workload, prioritise effectively, and meet strict statutory deadlines
Technical skills
- Experience using case management systems (e.g. iCasework) and records systems (e.g. Mosaic)
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and collaboration tools such as Teams
Personal attributes
- Professional judgement and integrity when handling sensitive and confidential information
- Resilient and able to work with complex, emotive, or high‑risk cases
- Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across services and with external partners

Terms and conditions:

Satisfactory employment references
Satisfactory declaration of interest
Satisfactory DBS check;
As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Jo Tanner, Interim Head of Complaints at jo.tanner@walthamforest.gov.uk or 07817 953939

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.

Fraud Awareness Notice
The London Borough of Waltham Forest only advertises vacancies via our official website and approved recruitment platforms (e.g. Jobsgopublic).

We will never ask for payment or request sensitive personal or financial information as part of our recruitment process.

If you are contacted by a third party claiming to represent the Council, please verify the vacancy via our official careers website before sharing any information.

If you have concerns about a job advert or communication, please report it to:
fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk