Legal Services Policy Assistant

As the Legal Service Policy Assistant you will be part of the small expert team of approximately 6 staff, reporting to the Head of Legal Services. The team perform a key function within the Central Policy Secretariat, at the heart of the UK Statistics Authority and the statistical system.
You will have a unique opportunity to work in a fast-paced, challenging environment, with opportunities to develop a wide range of skills. This includes, but is not limited to, the interpretation of legislation, stakeholder engagement, deadline management, and engagement with a range of topics and staff at various levels across the Authority.
The UK Statistics Authority is an independent body at arm’s length from government, established with the statutory objective of promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good.
As a statutory body, legislation underpins all the work of the Authority; it provides the foundation of independence for the UK’s official statistics system and provides the framework through which we can access, use and share data safely while maintaining public trust.
Advice and support on legal requirements and best practice relating to information rights (including data protection) and statistical legislation are critical to the Authority meeting its public good objective.
The Authority’s responsibilities extend across the UK statistics system and include both the Office for National Statistics – the UK’s national statistical institute – and the Office for Statistics Regulation., Your role will involve assisting the Legal Services Team with all aspects of their work with a focus on the handling of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to a statutory deadline and which arrive on a daily basis.
Key tasks include:
+ General branch support for the Legal Services team.
+ Managing compliance with FOI requests and Data Protection requests.
+ Daily organisation and management of correspondence systems used within Legal Services.
+ Assisting with ad-hoc legal queries relating to FOI and Data Protection.
+ Providing prompt, quality advice to colleagues on FOIs via the FOI Team mailbox.
+ Providing administrative support on key projects.
+ Developing and maintaining strong effective relationships with key stakeholders across the Authority.
+ Identifying emerging topics and trends that will have an organisation-wide impact., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Delivering at Pace
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Working Together, At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a member of the Business Disability Forum and a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.
As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.
If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist., Applicants may utilise AI resources in their submissions; ensuring all information provided is factually accurate, truthful, and original, avoiding any form of plagiarism to maintain the authenticity and credibility of the application process.
Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.
Civil Service Online Test – Upon submission of Part 1 your online application form you will be sent an invitation to complete the Civil Service Verbal Reasoning online test.
There will be full instructions on how to complete each test including an opportunity to practice before undertaking the actual test. These tests are not time limited. If you fail this test your application will not proceed to the next stage of the application process.
Online full application form
If you pass the test for this vacancy you will be invited to complete the final stage of your application, this is where you will provide information such as your work history, qualifications and Personal Statement / Statement of Suitability.
Application form assessment for this role will be based on your work history, qualifications and personal statement. Your application should be tailored to demonstrate any skills, knowledge and experience that are relevant to the content of the role.
Your personal statement should be no longer than 1250 words. You should use this space fully to provide evidence for each essential criterion within the person specification.
As the criteria are scored, we would recommend that you give clear examples for each including the impact of your actions and set them out using the STAR acronym (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage.
In cases where there is a high number of applications the sift pass mark may be adjusted and candidates will be invited to interview in merit order, i.e., those scoring the highest.
Interview Stage
Should you be invited to interview you will be assessed against all the behaviours as outlined in the advert.
Interviews will be held via video conferencing.
A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.
Important Dates:
Application closing date: 4th June 2024
Applications sift from 6th June 2024
Interviews from 14th June 2024
Dates are subject to change
Full terms and conditions are attached at the bottom of this advert.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

+ Experience of operating flexibly and working at pace, planning and prioritising to meet tight and competing deadlines.
+ Possess excellent communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication appropriately to a diverse range of colleagues, stakeholders, and members of the public.
+ Able to work well alone, managing your own time and also work as part of a team, encouraging the participation of others when necessary.
Desirable skills
Whilst not essential the following would be useful in the role:
+ An interest and awareness of emerging/current matters of public interest that could require a response from us.
+ Experience or background in the UK Legal System and information rights, including data protection and freedom of information.

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our 5400 valued colleagues across the business.

Alongside your salary of £25,954, UK Statistics Authority contributes £7,007 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.