Our commitment to candidate privacy

As part of our recruitment process, Rowden will collect and process personal data relating to candidates. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data, and to meeting our data protection obligations.

What is the purpose of this document?

This notice outlines how we collect and use the personal data supplied by you as a candidate.

Rowden Technologies Ltd. ("we" or “Rowden”) is what is called a "data controller". This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use your personal data, namely for the purposes of recruitment, and how long it will usually be retained for.

Data protection principles

We comply with data protection law and principles, which means that your data will be:

• used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way;

• collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes;

• relevant to the purposes we have told you about and limited only to those purposes;

• accurate and kept up to date;

• kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told you about; and

• kept securely.

The kind of information we hold about you

We collect a range of information about you during the recruitment process. This includes:

• your name, address and contact details, including email addresses and telephone numbers;

• details of your qualifications, skills, experience and employment history;

• information about your current levels of renumeration, including benefit entitlements;

• information you have made publicly available through social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter;

• whether or not you have a disability for which we need to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process;

• information about your entitlement to work in the UK; and

• equal opportunities monitoring information, including information about your ethnic origin, sexual orientation, health, and religion or belief.

We will collect this information in a variety of ways. For example, data might be contained in application forms, CVs, from your passport or other ID documentation, or collected through interviews or other forms of assessment. Recruitment agencies also regularly provide personal data, primarily in the form of candidate CVs.

How is your personal data collected?

Much of the personal data that we collect, and process, comes directly from you. However, we may also obtain personal data about you during the application process from third parties including recruitment agencies and from publicly accessible sources.

How will your personal data be stored?

Data will be stored in a range of different places, including on your application record, in our HR management systems and on other IT systems (including email).

How we will use information about you

We will use your personal data to aid us in the management of your recruiting and hiring experience, in support of Rowden’s business, and to comply with our legal obligations. The data we collect from you allows us to:

• assess your skills, qualifications, and suitability for the role;

• carry out background and reference checks, where applicable;

• communicate with you about the recruitment process;

• notify you about other job opportunities at Rowden;

• keep records related to our hiring processes; and

• comply with legal or regulatory requirements.

Why do we process personal data?

We need to process data to ensure we are complying with our legal and regulatory obligations. We have a legitimate interest in processing personal data during the recruitment process and for keeping records of the process. This allows us to manage the recruitment process, assess and confirm a candidate’s suitability for employment and make hiring decisions.

Rowden will use and process particularly sensitive personal data during the hiring process, i.e., health information, to consider whether we need to provide appropriate adjustments during the recruitment process, including adjustments to any evaluation or interview timings.

Rowden is an Equal Opportunities employer. Where we process special categories of data, such as information about ethnic origin, sexual orientation, health, religion or belief, age, gender, or marital status, this is done for the purposes of equal opportunities monitoring with the explicit consent of job applicants, which can be withdrawn at any time. Candidates are entirely free to decide whether or not to provide such information and your application will not be affected either way.

If you fail to provide personal data

If you fail to provide information when requested, such as evidence of qualifications or work history or references, we will not be able to process your application successfully.

Information about criminal convictions

We may process information about criminal convictions for specific roles so that there is nothing in your criminal convictions history which makes you unsuitable for a role. We have in place an appropriate policy document and safeguards which we are required by law to maintain when processing such data.

Automated decision-making

You will not be subject to decisions that will have a significant impact on your application based solely on automated decision-making.

Recipients of your personal data

Your information will be shared internally for the purposes of the recruitment process and to help inform our hiring decisions. This includes members of the People & Culture team, interviewers involved in the recruitment process, other recruitment decision-makers and our IT colleagues, where access to personal data is necessary for the performance of their roles.

It will also be necessary to share your personal data with certain third parties and agents who we contract to support our recruitment process.

We will however only share your personal information with third parties to help process your application. They cannot process your personal information unless we have instructed them to do so, and will only process it for the purposes of recruitment.

Third parties currently include former employers (to obtain references for you), employment background check providers, and the regulatory government bodies we use to obtain the necessary background checks required to work at Rowden.

Transfer of personal data outside the EEA

The personal data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area ("EEA"), for the purposes described above. We will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the privacy and integrity of such personal data. You can obtain information concerning such safeguards from info@rowdentech.com.

Data security

We have in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. We limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need-to-know.

In the event of any suspected data security breach we have the necessary procedures in place to deal with the matter and we will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.

How long will you use my information for?

Successful applicants

Personal data gathered during the recruitment process will be transferred to our people management system and retained during your employment in accordance with our staff privacy and retention policies.

Unsuccessful applicants

We will hold your personal data for 24 months after the end of the recruitment process to enable us to inform you of any future opportunity that we may wish to consider you for, and to comply with any legal obligations or for the exercise or defence of legal claims. You can withdraw your consent at any time, after a minimum of 6 months, at which point we will securely destroy your personal data.

Your rights in connection with personal data

As a candidate you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal data that we hold on you (commonly known as a "data subject access request").

• Request correction of any incomplete or inaccurate personal data that we hold about you.

• Request erasure of your personal data.

• Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground.

• Request the restriction of processing of your personal data by asking us to suspend the processing of personal data about you.

• Request the transfer of your personal data to another party.

If you want to review, verify, correct or request erasure of your personal data, object to the processing of your personal data, or request that we transfer a copy of your personal data to another party, please contact us at info@rowdentech.com.

Right to withdraw consent

Where we rely on consent for the processing of your personal data, you have the right to withdraw this at any time but by doing so we will not be able to progress your application. To withdraw your consent, contact us by email at info@rowdentech.com.

Candidate responsibilities

As a candidate you should use all reasonable endeavours to keep us informed of any changes to your personal and special personal data. If you become aware of a data breach or a potential data breach in respect of personal data please report the matter to us immediately at info@rowdentech.com.

Complaints

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's Information Commissioner's Office if you are unhappy with how your personal data is being handled.

Further information

If you require any further clarification regarding this privacy notice, please contact us at info@rowdentech.com.