Ministry of Justice

BACKGROUND

On 11th September 2024, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that he would establish an independent statutory inquiry into the murder of Mr Patrick Finucane on 12th February 1989. The Inquiry is being established under the Inquiries Act 2005 to enable the Government to discharge its obligations under Article 2 of the ECHR in line with the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal judgment in July 2024.  The inquiry will build upon the previous reviews and investigations which have already been conducted into this case, take specific account of the materials and information provided to and generated by them, and avoid unnecessary duplication of investigation.   

The Chair of the Inquiry the Rt Hon Sir Gary Hickinbottom was appointed on 13^th June 2025, along with two Assessors, Baroness O’Loan and Francesca Del Mese.  They are supported by a small secretariat, providing administrative and policy support to the office holders.   

The Inquiry is at the early stages and this role offers an opportunity to make a real impact on the future direction of the Inquiry. As a member of a small team, you will have a varied role on a high-profile topic, working with a diverse group of stakeholders. It’s an exciting time to be part of a growing and energetic team with lots of potential for development and growth within this role.  

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Working to the Head of Information Management, the Records & Disclosure Manager will have a pivotal and varied role within the Inquiry Secretariat, with considerable opportunity for policy/process establishment, leading on projects, and career development opportunities within the Inquiry and Records Information Management space.

The role holder will work across key workstreams including developing and shaping elements of the Inquiry’s internal records management strategy; records retention and Data Protection GDPR monitoring and policy; disclosure and evidence review management including eDiscovery and EDRMS platforms; records, data and information Quality Assurance, Quality Control and audit; other tasks associated with supporting the Secretariat and Inquiry Legal Team across records life-cycle functions within a Public Inquiry.

The role holder will work with classified and non-classified material and will be required to support the Head of Information Management with STRAPSO responsibilities. STRAP is a regime that regulates access to sensitive intelligence material which requires more protective handling than is afforded by the standard arrangements for government assets. As such the role holder must hold Developed Vetting (DV) and STRAP clearance or be willing to obtain them.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The role-holder will need to work flexibly across the Secretariat team, providing support to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Head of Information Management, and working as part of a wider team, often fulfilling tasks and roles outside his or her key responsibilities:

·       Design, implement, deliver and train on the internal records management strategy and the records life-cycle functions within a Public Inquiry;

·       Support the Inquiry Team to delivery its statutory duties under The Inquiries Act 2005 and Inquiry Rules 2006 with regard to records management, records retention, disclosure, evidence management, legal document review, GDPR and Data Protection responsibilities;

·       Liaise with and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to The National Archives and public records bodies, Material Providers (MPs) and Core Participants (CPs), relevant Government Departments and Public Bodies, IT and Security providers, eDiscovery platform providers, Inquiry Legal and Counsel Teams;

·       Support the Head of Information Management with procurement, contract management and delivery of eDiscovery platform, Secure File Transfer Platforms (SFTP), classified EDRMS platform and space;

·       Providing secure administrative management and control of material and environments including secure rooms, to protect highly sensitive material and maintain security accreditation requirements;

·       Support Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) requirements in line with relevant legislation, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Inquiry Information Asset Register (IAR), Inquiry Information Management and Data Protection Policy. This will include design and capture of audits, QA projects and internal logs;

·       Provide records management and Microsoft M365 training to Inquiry team colleagues, and manage the internal folder/file structure across SharePoint and M365;

·       Supporting the design and monitoring of disclosure and legal document review processes, including exhibit management, search and discovery, secure disclosures between the Inquiry and Material Providers, and evidence provision at hearings;

·       Work with Inquiry Team colleagues on the development and review of official Inquiry protocols, including Disclosure and Electronic Document Protocols published on the Inquiry’s website. Support Communications colleagues with inquiry website/domain maintenance and monitoring of the Inquiry’s published material; 

·       Maintain the Inquiry’s retention schedule and support the transfer of Inquiry records to TNA and other public records bodies at the close of the Inquiry.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

The post holder will need to demonstrate the following in their application and at interview:

·       Experience working in records and/or information management 

·       Experience of records and/or information management process development and training

·       Strong prioritisation and organisation skill

·       Strong communication skills and the ability to clearly communicate complex information to others

·       Experience of working to tight deadlines and the ability to quickly resolve problems

·       Strong attention to detail and written communication

·       Skilled in the use of Microsoft M365 applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint and Teams

·       Previous experience of handling confidential information

·       Existing DV and STRAP clearance or willingness to obtain before appointment

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

·       Previous experience of eDiscovery platforms such as Relativity or equivalent

·       Previous knowledge or experience of Public Inquiries or investigations within a Government, Public or Legal setting

·       Previous experience working on Northern Ireland legacy or national security work (or similar work)

·       Previous experience of establishing processes to adhere to and work in accordance with GDPR, Data Protection and relevant information legislation

·       Previous experience of handling and/or working at a higher sensitivity level

·       Previous security and STRAPSO experience

BEHAVIOURS:

We will assess you against the following Success Profiles behaviours at the SEO level during the application sift and interview process:

●      Changing and improving

●      Communicating and influencing

●      Delivering at pace

●      Making Effective Decisions

EXPERIENCE:

Please provide a CV and statement of suitability no longer than 1000 words outlining how you meet the essential and desirable criteria. Both will be used in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.

Your statement of suitability needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets the requirements set out above. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. One narrative example may cover the requirements needed. You don’t have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why. What you can do, the skills you have that are transferable and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role.

If you don’t have work-based examples then give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in. 

You will also be asked to complete a CV with details of your education, professional qualifications, previous skills and full employment history. Your CV will not be formally assessed so please put the main evidence of your skills into your personal statement. Your CV will be used to add context to your personal statement.

More information on behaviours and success profiles can be found here.

Please note that in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run the initial sift on the lead Behaviour ‘Changing and improving’.

INTERVIEW:

You will be assessed against the same behaviours at the interview stage and will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated the behaviours.

It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:   

●     WHO- What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? Or

●     STAR- What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take?  What were the Results of your actions?

All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit.

OFFER

Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first.

The successful candidate will be notified of a start date following successful security checks.

Additional information received after the closing date will not be considered.  Failure to provide sufficient information in support of an application prior to the closing date will not be considered as grounds for an appeal if an applicant is not shortlisted for interview.

SECURITY CLEARANCE:

This role requires National Security Vetting given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role.  You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links:

United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The vetting charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In addition, there is a minimum UK residency requirement set by the Cabinet Office which is dependent on the security level required for the role.

This role requires DV and STRAP, to be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past 10 years.

Neither Detached Duty terms nor relocation costs will apply to this post.

Further Information:

Further information about the post may be obtained from Georgina Henderson via email to Georgina.Henderson@finucane.independent-inquiry.uk.

All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit.

This job description should not be taken as constituting conditions of employment.

Please note that due to the high interest in NIO opportunities, feedback cannot be given if you are unsuccessful at the sift stage. Feedback is available on request if unsuccessful following the interview.

COMPLAINTS:

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.  Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles.

Please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk) in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages:

http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/

https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/

RESERVE LISTS:

In the event that the advertised post following interview, identifies more appointable applicants than available posts, we may hold applicant details on a merit/reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further future appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact

MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com to be removed from the reserve list.

Interview dates 

Date(s) TBC

Closing Date: 

20/03/2026 23:55 hours.

Contact information 

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com