Compliance Officer

Location: Copthall House, 9 The Pavement, Grove Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 1DA

Working Pattern: 18 hours per week term time + two weeks (41 working weeks), ideally worked over 2 days/week, flexibility offered.

Orchard Hill College & Academy Trust (OHC&AT) is a family of specialist education providers for pupils and students from nursery to further education. We operate across academies and college centres in London, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire. Supporting our academies and college, OHC&AT also operates learning support services, such as nursing and therapy, and a central business support team which includes HR, finance and IT.

Pupils and students within the OHC&AT family have a wide range of learning abilities and additional needs. These include autistic spectrum disorder; speech, language and communication difficulties; social, emotional and mental health needs; profound and multiple learning disabilities; and physical disabilities including multi-sensory impairment and complex health conditions.

We are looking for a proactive and knowledgeable Compliance Officer to support our organisation in maintaining the highest standards of data protection, legal compliance, and information governance. This is a pivotal role for an individual with strong regulatory knowledge and a practical approach to managing legal risk, ensuring compliance with legislation such as UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Freedom of Information Act. Working closely with senior leadership, external legal advisors, and regulatory bodies, you will help safeguard organisational integrity while supporting the wellbeing and rights of the vulnerable individuals we serve.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure organisational compliance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Freedom of Information Act, and related legislation.
• Manage subject access requests (SARs), FOI requests, data breaches, and support the maintenance of data protection frameworks.
• Provide legal and regulatory guidance across operational areas, including policy reviews, investigations, and risk management.
• Support governance activities through staff training, audits, inspections, reporting, and complaints resolution.
• Maintain accurate records, contribute to strategic planning, and oversee information governance documentation and systems.

Key Requirements:

• Strong working knowledge of data protection legislation, information governance, and regulatory compliance frameworks.
• Experience managing SARs, FOI requests, DPIAs, privacy notices, and data-sharing agreements.
• Ability to provide clear legal and compliance advice to a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage confidential information and competing priorities effectively.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and SharePoint, with confidence in maintaining digital records.OHC&AT is an exciting, forward-thinking organisation, and we offer many benefits to attract and keep our staff, contributing towards maintaining and improving wellbeing, and encouraging our required behaviours, achievements, values, and skills. Below is just a selection of the benefits available to our employees:Rewards & Benefits:
• Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.
• Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme, Employee Car Lease Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme)
• Employee Wellbeing - We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme
• Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more)
• Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme)

Find out what makes OHC&AT a truly rewarding place to work - visit our 'Work for Us' page to learn more about opportunities across the Trust and the difference our staff make every day.

Working together to transform lives is what we do and across the whole organisation we have a range of experts and practitioners who advocate for children and young people with SEND to ensure they receive the best possible opportunities to achieve their full potential.

As a large specialist education provider we employ over 1500 people across our schools, college and central support team. There is a wide range of job roles available, ranging from teaching and therapy to business support roles and significant career progression opportunities.

It is an exciting time to be part of OHC&AT and we are keen to recruit talented people who can play a key role in realising our mission and who want to make a difference. In return, we offer training and development, competitive pay and benefits in a positive and inclusive working environment.

We are committed to promoting and advancing equality of opportunity by attracting and retaining the most diverse range of students, staff and partners.

Closing Date: 31st August 2026Interviews will take place on: Monday 7th September 2026To help us manage applications effectively, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient suitable applications are received.