JOB DESCRIPTION

Freedom of Information & Correspondence Officer
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: London
Salary: London c£42,000 plus civil service employer pension contribution of 28%. A higher base salary may be available for exceptional applicants.
A minimum of 2 days a week based in the office is expected.
The freedom of information (FOI) and correspondence team is responsible for coordinating and assisting with all correspondence between MPs, the public and the NAO. This includes FOI requests, Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and Subject Access Requests (SAR), general correspondence, complaints and whistleblowing. The NAO handles over 1000 pieces of correspondence and over 100 FOI requests each year.
This function manages one of our direct contact points with key stakeholders. It is one of the main ways in which we uphold our reputation as an independent and transparent organisation, through communicating professionally with MPs and the general public and providing information, where appropriate, that is in the public interest to share. The function also provides a rich and invaluable source of intelligence with a key role to play in informing our audit work.
The role is responsible for handling all forms of correspondence professionally, adhering to high standards and protecting our reputation through responding in a timely and proportionate manner in accordance with our statutory responsibilities and our own business processes.
The role reports to the FOI and correspondence manager and sits within the NAO Communications team. The team also provide support to the Press Office, Private Office and the Parliament Relations team as and when required..

SKILLS REQUIRED

Skills & knowledge required

Essential

• Experience in FOI, correspondence, complaints, customer service or similar types of roles
• Strong attention to detail, and an organised, methodical approach.
• Good oral and written communication skills, including the ability to draft clear, accurate correspondence and communicate well on the phone
• Can understand an organisation’s purpose and the current affairs landscape to spot potential issues and reputational risks and use good judgment to flag and escalate them
• Strong inter-personal skills with the confidence to communicate effectively at all levels.
• A flexible, proactive approach to manage their day-to-day work, responding quickly and positively to emerging issues

Desirable

• Awareness of information legislation, such as the Public Records Act and FoI, EIR and SAR and Information Commissioner’s Office guidance.
• Knowledge of Parliament, government or audit sectors

RESPONSIBILITIES

Main responsibilities:
This role includes the following main areas of responsibility:

Correspondence

• Log and acknowledge all correspondence and assign to the relevant teams for a response.
• Monitor all progress on correspondence cases and follow-up with teams as response deadlines approach.
• Support teams with advice and guidance through the process and escalate issues and higher risk items to management.
• Respond to telephone calls, including the whistle-blower Hotline, ensuring calls are answered promptly and callers are taken seriously and recorded accurately.
• Use own resources and research to respond to straightforward enquiries and hot media topics and current affairs received by email, phone or voicemail.
• Handle sensitive personal cases professionally and compassionately
• Monitor and flag trends in enquiries and whistleblowing to internal stakeholders
• Log and allocate complaints and support those handling them with briefings and guidance as required.
• Manage copyright and reuse enquiries for NAO content and material

Please apply with an up-to-date cv and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role against essential criteria below:

• FOI and correspondence experience – Proven ability to manage FOI, EIR, SAR, and complaints. Skilled in logging and tracking cases, advising teams, and handling sensitive or whistleblowing matters professionally.
• Strong communication skills – Able to draft clear, accurate responses and engage professionally with MPs, the public, and internal stakeholders, including handling sensitive calls like whistleblower enquiries with empathy and professionalism.
• Judgement and risk awareness – Able to identify reputational risks, apply FOI exemptions appropriately, and spot trends in enquiries and whistleblowing within the context of the organisation and current affairs.
• Organisation and process management – Demonstrates a proactive and methodical approach to managing workload, tracking deadlines, maintaining secure records, and supporting process improvements.
• Legislation and sector knowledge – Awareness of FOI, EIR, SAR, and Public Records Act is desirable, along with familiarity with Parliament, government, or audit sectors