About this role
Job summary We are looking for an experienced manager to lead our Information Governance and Complaints team. This role is responsible for overseeing a team with a range of responsibilities and experience levels, ensuring work is delivered to a high standard, supporting staff development, and managing team performance and priorities. Strong line management experience is essential, as the postholder will play a key role in creating an effective, well-supported team.
Alongside team leadership, the role is responsible for managing complaints, Freedom of Information requests, data protection matters and wider information governance activities. The successful candidate will be comfortable handling complex and sensitive issues, working with colleagues at all levels, and helping to improve processes and services across the organisation.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who combines strong people management skills with practical experience in complaints handling and information governance.
Main duties of the job
Lead, manage and develop the Information Governance and Complaints team, ensuring workloads are prioritised and delivered to a high standard and to regulatory timeframes. Manage and investigate complaints relating to HRA services, procedures and research activity, ensuring they are handled fairly and within agreed timescales. Oversee the organisation's response to Freedom of Information requests and Data Subject Rights Requests, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements. Support the delivery of the HRA's information governance framework, including records management and data protection activities. Monitor and manage information governance breaches, providing advice and escalating issues where required. Build effective relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders, providing guidance, training and support on complaints and information governance matters. Produce reports, identify opportunities for service improvement, and help shape policies and processes across the organisation.
About us
At the HRA, we are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive working environment where we actively invest in the development and empowerment of our staff, enabling them to perform at their best. We strive to promote a healthy workplace culture where wellbeing, collaboration, and professional growth are valued and encouraged.
Working at the HRA, we support flexible working, recognising that home based or hybrid arrangements provides us with the most productive environment to work well. Where possible, we'll offer a working pattern that suits you.
The HRA offers home based contracts for all locations. Newcastle, Manchester and Nottingham based staff can be office based and hybrid working arrangements are also possible. We encourage you to speak with us to explore how this could be accommodated.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that helps us to deliver the best services. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community: age, disability, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and other diverse characteristics, and we have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification documents for full details about this role.
When completing your application, ensure you clearly demonstrate how your experience and skillsalign with the criteria outlined for this position.
We recognise that generative AI tools can be helpful in supporting applicants during the recruitment process, particularly for tasks such as proofreading, structuring, or refining written responses. However, we encourage candidates to use AI responsibly and sparingly. Applications should reflect your authentic voice, personal experiences, and genuine qualifications. Over reliance on AI generated content can result in generic or inaccurate submissions that fail to meet the criteria or convey your individuality. Misrepresentation of skills, knowledge, or experience, including through AI-generated content, may lead to the rejection of your application, withdrawal of your offer, or your dismissal if you do start with us. If you choose to use AI, please ensure it enhances rather than replaces your own input, and be transparent about its use where appropriate. False and insincere examples go against our values of integrity and transparency.
Important informationWe are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement as we do not hold a sponsorship licence. Applications requiring sponsorship will not be considered.
Applications that do not clearly demonstrate how the essential criteria outlined in the person specification are met will not be shortlisted.
Only the information provided in the application form will be considered. CVs will not be reviewed. We do not accept applications via recruitment agencies or other third parties.
The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.
Organisational structure and directorate overviewThe HRA is made up of five directorates: Approvals, Chief Executive, Digital, Policy and Partnerships and Resources.
This role sits within the HRA Resources directorate which provides strategic advice, business partnering and transactional services to staff, our HRA Community and suppliers of goods and services to the organisation.
The directorate consists of various teams and functions such as business continuity and incident management, corporate governance, estates, equality diversity and inclusion, finance, health safety and welfare, human resources, information governance and complaints, learning and development, mainline support, organisational development, procurement commercial and contract management, quality assurance and risk and issue management.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Degree qualification or extensive portfolio of evidence or equivalent level of experience or achievement
Desirable
Information governance related qualification Complaints management related qualification
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise: Essential
Excellent working knowledge relating to complaints management Excellent working knowledge relating to data protection, information governance and freedom of information management
Desirable
Good understanding of the research approval, NHS governance and ethical review processes for UK health research
Experience Essential
Experience of communicating, both verbally and in writing, with a range of stakeholders regarding highly complex complaints / information requests and or sensitive issues Significant experience of coordinating the operational management of a team and providing effective line management
Desirable
Experience of working within the NHS, higher education, and/or clinical research
Analytical and Judgemental Skills: Essential
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise against a background of change and uncertainty
Interpersonal skills Essential
Excellent interpersonal skills to be able to communicate with a range of external stakeholders including members of the public, patients and research participants concerning sensitive areas
Other Essential
Commitment to inclusivity and valuing diversity
Employer details Employer name Health Research Authority
Address Manchester
3 Piccadilly Place, London Road
Manchester
M1 3BN
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.hra.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)