Information Governance Officer

About Barhale

Who are Barhale?

Barhale is a business founded on family values, having been established by our Chairman, Dennis Curran, in 1980. We are one of the largest privately owned civil engineering and infrastructure specialists in the UK, with over 40 years of experience in providing design, civil engineering and maintenance services working across multiple sectors, including:

Water
Transport
Built environment
EnergyWe operate as a tier one partner for blue chip, regulated and private clients, working as part of large frameworks, joint ventures and alliances, as well as on individual standalone projects, developing long-term relationships based on delivering to the Barhale values which have been integral to our business since their inception in 1985.

Our direct delivery model is at the core of everything we do, as we believe that people are our greatest asset. Therefore, we robustly source, train and retain all our own frontline delivery teams as well as management and support services. We employ over 1,200 employees nationwide.

We possess a range of specialist skills to support our civil engineering and infrastructure activities, including:

Tunnelling
MEICA
Temporary and permanent design
Steel-fabrication
Signs (design and fabrication)
Health & safety equipment and products, including PPE

Why join Barhale?

As Gold Investors in People, we are committed to a high standard of people practices, creating an inclusive environment and ensuring cultural alignment to business strategy, ethos and philosophies.
Job security, long-term secured work through various frameworks and large infrastructure schemes
A broad range of civil engineering, mechanical and electrical schemes across some of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects and clients
Strong career progression as demonstrated by our track record in promoting from within, as we believe this is a key driver of our successIT Information Governance Officer

The Role

The Information Governance Officer supports effective data governance across the Barhale group, ensuring organisational data is managed securely, accurately and in line with legal, regulatory and contractual requirements.

This is not a purely strategic or advisory role, neither is it a hands-on engineering post. It sits firmly in the middle. You will work with business stakeholders, data owners, the data protection officer, Information Security and IT teams to improve data quality, access governance, documentation and compliance while also being close enough to translate these into practical access controls that can be applied within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

The post holder will also coordinate data protection impact assessments, maintain governance records, support data classification, conduct access reviews, assist with supplier assurance activity and help embed responsible data stewardship through guidance, awareness and continual improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Data Governance & Information Management

Work with stakeholders to ensure key business data has clear ownership, appropriate controls and documented information flows.
Maintain the Information Asset Register, Data Owner Register and supporting governance documentation.
Support data governance policies, standards, procedures, data classification and information handling requirements.Privacy & Regulatory Compliance

Coordinate data protection impact assessments and support compliance with UK GDPR and other applicable data protection requirements.
Maintain record of processing activities documents and support subject access requests and other privacy-related requests.
Review new systems, applications and business processes to ensure data governance and privacy requirements are considered from the outset.Access Governance & Information Security

Conduct access reviews across business systems and support joiner, mover and leaver access governance.
Design, document and help implement permission models for SharePoint sites, document libraries, Teams, distribution lists and Microsoft 365 groups.
Configure or coordinate approved SharePoint permission changes based on Entra ID security group structures, replacing direct user access with group-based permissions where practical.
Identify and remediate excessive, outdated or inconsistent permissions, maintaining mappings between business roles, data owners, Entra ID groups and access controls.
Support information security controls, incident investigations and remediation actions linked to data handling or access governance concerns.Supplier Assurance & Third-Party Governance

Review supplier data protection arrangements, Data protection agreements, certifications and information security controls.
Support supplier assurance reviews, third-party risk assessments and onboarding governance.
Assist with client assurance, tenders and pre-qualification questionnaire submissions involving data governance, data protection and information security.Training, Awareness & Data Culture

Promote good data governance, information handling and responsible data stewardship across the organisation.
Coordinate training, guidance and awareness materials for data protection, classification, storage and sharing requirements.
Provide practical advice to colleagues on appropriate data storage, sharing, access and handling.Continuous Improvement & Reporting

Identify governance gaps, risks, data quality issues and opportunities for improvement.
Produce governance reports, metrics and management information where required.
Support internal and external audits and continual improvement of governance controls, processes and practices.About you

Essential

Good understanding of data governance, information management, UK GDPR and data protection requirements.
Background in supporting data protection impact assessments, information governance, compliance activities, data classification and access governance.
Practical experience reviewing or managing permissions within Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams or similar platforms.
Ability to translate business access requirements into controlled permission structures based on role-based access and least privilege.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to work with technical and non-technical stakeholders across departments.Desirable

Experience with Entra ID security groups, Microsoft 365 groups, SharePoint permission inheritance and legacy permission rationalisation.
Familiarity with Microsoft Purview, sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, retention controls or Microsoft 365 Information Protection.
Practical, hands-on knowledge of ISO 27001, ISMS, supplier assurance, third-party risk management, audits or governance programmes.
Relevant qualifications in Data Protection, Information Governance, Compliance or Information Security.Caring and investing in you

Our values have been embedded at Barhale for over 40 years, and they are our guiding principles regarding how we care and invest in people.  Our values are our commitment to being a people-centric company.

As a Gold Investors in People company and a Sunday Times 100 Best Company to Work For, we are committed to investing in people. We are passionate about creating a working environment where people are supported throughout their careers, where people can enjoy security and be part of a company that cares about them.

From the moment you join us, your well-being and career aspirations will be supported by.

Competitive salary
Company Pension
Life Assurance
Private Medical
25 days of annual leave in addition to 8 public bank holidays and loyalty days
8 hours volunteering
Employee Assistance Programme to support your mental, physiological and financial wellbeing
Flexible benefits via salary sacrifice
Company car/green car scheme/car allowance/Van (dependent on position)
Leadership & management training and coaching
Regular line management engagement and appraisal to support your career progression
Development supported by internal and externally delivered training
Continuous service awards