Data Protection/Freedom of Information Officer - Cosaint Sonraí/Oifigeach um Shaoráil Faisnéise

Position: Data Protection/Freedom of Information Officer

Contract: Permanent Part-time - Onsite

Hours: 17.5 hours per week

Salary range: HSE Consolidated pay-scale 1st February 2026

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

Closing date: 25 March 2026

***Full Job Description Attached***

Organisational Context

Clontarf Hospital is a 160-bed Voluntary Hospital providing rehabilitation Services under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004 for Adults and Older Persons. At Clontarf Hospital, our committed, expert and compassionate staff provide excellent care to patients on their rehabilitation journey. Our goal is to work in partnership with patients, providing care that is tailored to their unique needs, empowering them to achieve their optimum level of independence at home and in their communities. The patient pathways include:

• Older Persons Rehabilitation
• Step-up beds and hospital avoidance pathways with the Integrated Care Team for Older Persons (ICPOP Team)
• Specialist Rehabilitation Services including neuro-rehabilitation and rehabilitation after trauma for adults and older persons
• Orthopaedic Rehabilitation

The Hospital has close links with the Mater Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, The National Orthopaedic Hospital, HSE Services and our Community Partners.

Role Summary

The Data Protection / Freedom of Information Officer has primary responsibility for overseeing Clontarf Hospital’s compliance with Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation and regulations, while ensuring adherence to the principles of good corporate governance in the healthcare setting. As part of the Hospital’s Corporate Services/Administration function, the post holder will effectively oversee and manage all aspects of Information Management and Data Protection governance, with specific responsibility for the role of Data Protection Officer (DPO) / Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer for Clontarf Hospital.

The post holder will advise and monitor Clontarf Hospital’s adherence and compliance with GDPR, Data Protection legislation, and Freedom of Information legislation, and will act as a key point of contact with supervisory authorities, patients, service users, staff, and individuals submitting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

The post holder will lead the development and continuous improvement of the Hospital’s data and information management and compliance processes, with particular focus on the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), relevant Data Protection legislation, Freedom of Information legislation, and healthcare-specific confidentiality obligations.

The post holder will work collaboratively with medical, nursing, pharmacy, health and social care professionals, administrative, and support departments across Clontarf Hospital to establish and maintain effective corporate and departmental systems to ensure that all personal and sensitive health information is handled, processed, stored, and retained in line with Hospital policies, procedures, national healthcare standards, and applicable legislation.

The Data Protection / Freedom of Information Officer will contribute to strategic planning and policy development within the Hospital and will support the implementation of forward-thinking governance strategies. The role requires close engagement with senior management, clinical leadership teams, external regulatory bodies, and relevant stakeholders to ensure the delivery of services to the highest standards of compliance, transparency, and patient trust.

The Data Protection / Freedom of Information Officer may represent Clontarf Hospital at internal governance committees, and may be required to present reports to the Executive Senior Management and relevant oversight bodies.

The role requires excellent management, administrative, interpersonal, communication, research, reporting, project initiation, development and delivery skills, along with strong organisational and time management capabilities. The post holder will be expected to carry out their duties in a manner that promotes patient confidentiality, enhances public trust and confidence, and ensures impartial and transparent decision-making.

The Data Protection Officer / Freedom of Information Officer will generally work under the direction and management of the CEO and Executive Management Team.

Essential Criteria

• Hold a 3rd Level qualification in a relevant field e.g. Data Protection, Information Compliance, Records Management.
• Have a minimum of 2 years’ experience in the area of Data Protection, Information Management and/or Records Management or similar role.
• Experience managing GDPR and FOI processes.
• Strong knowledge of Irish and EU Data Protection legislation.
• Excellent organisational, analytical and decision-making skills.
• High standard of integrity, professional judgement and communication skills.
• Ability to work with multiple stakeholders within the organisation.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO THE POST

The post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post, which may be assigned to him/her from time to time, and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

This job description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances.

It is not intended to be exhaustive but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which individuals work.

The duties and responsibilities detailed above reflect the present service requirements and may be subject to review and amendment to meet the changing needs of the service.

Short listing may be carried out on the basis of information supplied in your Application Form. The criteria for short listing are based on the requirements of the post as outlined in the ‘essential criteria’ and ‘skills, competencies and/or knowledge section’ of this job specification. Therefore, it is very important that all experience is outlined in light of those requirements. Failure to include information regarding these requirements may result in you not being called forward to the next stage of the selection process.

Please note this competition can be closed early in the event of large volume of applicants.