Corporate Information Officer

Leave Allowance A generous leave allowance of 25 days per year (pro rata for part-time), increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service. In addition, Tourism NI recognises 12 public/bank holidays.

Hybrid Working The post holder will combine working at home / remotely with Tourism NI’s vibrant city centre offices in Linum Chambers, Bedford Street, Belfast. Occasional travel within Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and overseas may be required depending on the nature of the role. Normal working hours are 9am – 5.15pm, Monday to Friday. Due to the nature of the role / industry, occasional travel within Northern Ireland, Great Britian, Overseas and the Republic of Ireland may be required to fulfil the requirements of the role. Job Description General Responsibility This role contributes to the effective and efficient coordination of Corporate Information on behalf of Tourism Northern Ireland (Tourism NI). The Corporate Information Officer will oversee the Departmental Liaison work of the Business Planning and Improvement (BPI) unit, co-ordinate processes and monitor performance to ensure ongoing compliance with Equality and Disability legislation and have specific responsibility for managing the Freedom of Information Request and Honours processes. Main Duties

The post-holder will be responsible for the following areasof activity: Corporate Information Management & Departmental Liaison

• Managing the processes for the co-ordination of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests including being the main point of contact for external requests.
• Advising Tourism NI colleagues in the handling of responses, and dealing with correspondence from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
• Receiving and distributing FOI requests, monitoring responses and ensuring adherence to timescales, providing advice to colleagues regarding use of exemptions and reviewing the ICO website for updates on new decision notices.
• Managing Tourism NI’s Publication Scheme and associated Guide to Information, including regular liaison and collaboration across the organisation to ensure ongoing compliance.
• Oversee co-ordination of Assembly Questions Written (AQW), Assembly Questions Oral (AQO) and Assembly Questions Topical (AQT) in line with the Tourism NI AQ Process.
• Oversee processing of Ministerial Correspondence with the public, and that of public representatives (e.g. MEPs, MPs, MLAs & Councillors).
• Oversee the co-ordination of the Committee for the Economy Forward Work Programme (FWP) and associated Oral and Written briefing requests.
• Assist with the ongoing development and continuous improvement of internal systems to ensure that Tourism NI’s responses to DfE and the public operate to agreed standards and are monitored and reported on as appropriate.
• Manage the process for Honours, including being the main point of contact for the Department for the Economy (DfE) and Tourism NI colleagues; co-ordinating all formal Honours rounds; advising Tourism NI colleagues on the development of citations; coordinating the process for ad-doc nominations; managing the Tourism NI Honours Bank and ensuring adherence to internal and external timescales.
• Work with the Head of Strategy & Policy to interpret and communicate UK Government, Northern Ireland Executive and DfE guidance on relevant issues for use by Tourism NI management and staff.
• Manage the process for the completion and return of six-monthly Statement of Internal Control (SIC), including monitoring commissioning emails; co-ordinating Manager/Head of Department and Director assurance statements; co-ordinating completion of the Assurance Statement template and ensuring adherence to internal and external timescales.

Compliance with Section 75 Equality & DDA Statutory Duties

• Co-ordination of processes associated with the Tourism NI Section 75 Equality Scheme, including development, monitoring and performance reporting in relation to the Equality Action Plan.
• Development, monitoring and performance reporting in relation to the Tourism NI Disability Action Plan.

Employee Management

• Support with managing, motivating and developing the BPI team to ensure key activities are undertaken professionally in an efficient and effective manner.
• Support management to ensure that Unit activities are managed in line with Tourism NI policies, procedures, values and behaviours.
• Provide effective Line Management responsibility for the DfE Liaison Executive Officer in relation to performance management and reporting and identifying any relevant learning and development opportunities.

Additional Duties

• Act as the central point of contact on all matters pertaining to the work of the BPI team.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of the BPI Unit Plan, the Annual Operating Plan (including any associated risk management activity), the achievement of tourism targets and promote corporate values and behaviours within the Team and across the organisation.
• Administer requests from other Government departments and agencies in connection with part inputs, briefings etc. and ensuring they are logged and managed within appropriate Tourism NI systems and processes.
• Assist in the drafting of responses and briefing material for the Department for the Economy, the NI Assembly, Tourism NI’s Executive Leadership/Senior Management Teams, the Board and members of the tourism industry and general public within specified timelines and in an appropriate format.
• Provide cover for management within the Department to include decision making and attending meetings in their absence.
• Assist with Unit training initiatives in connection with handling AQs and Ministerial correspondence.
• Support and assist, where required, across all work streams within the BPI Unit.
• Assist in the delivery of ad-hoc project work within the Unit and across Tourism NI including representation at working groups and meetings.
• Attend training as and when required and keep abreast of current and projected developments in your area of work.
• Ensure that filing systems are maintained and updated regularly, in line with agreed disposal schedules and Tourism NI policies and processes. This will involve the management of both paper (hard) and electronic (soft) records.
• Maintain, store and dispose of Unit records in accordance with Tourism NI’s policy including the use of record management systems including Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.
• Ensure that unit activities are managed in line with Tourism NI policies and procedures.
• Any other relevant duties as required by Tourism NI management. Essential Criteria Education, Qualifications,& Experience Option 1 1. A sixth level qualification (undergraduate degree) as detailed in the qualification framework overleaf. AND 2. A minimum of 2 years’ recent experience in a related area, such as corporate governance, policy, or management information, preferably within a complex organisation. OR Option 2 1. A minimum of 4 years’ recent experience in a related area, such as corporate governance, policy, or management information, preferably within a complex organisation AND 2. A minimum of 4 years’ demonstrable experience of planning and managing a variety of tasks and/or projects to strict deadlines.

Essential Criteria Personal Effectiveness The job holder will possess an excellent standard of: 1. Excellent communication skills (oral and written) including the ability to communicate accurately and effectively. 2. Sound negotiation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop and maintain successful working relationships at all levels. 3. Strong organisational and planning and skills including the ability to work to strict deadlines and prioritise tasks. 4. The ability to work within a team environment, on own initiative and take the lead where necessary. 5. Strong IT/computer literacy skills. 6. Experience of analysing and interpreting complex information (e.g. policy, procedure, standards, legislative frameworks etc.) in order to provide guidance or recommendations which facilitate decision-making.