Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge

Privacy policy for IfM Engage job applicants

The Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) is a Division of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. We conduct research and award-bearing education spanning Management, Policy and Technology issues related to manufacturing industries. Through our dissemination arm, IfM Engage (IfM Engage) Ltd, we provide consultancy and professional development to companies of all sizes and to national and regional governments. IfM Engage is owned by the University of Cambridge and our profits are gifted to the University to fund future research.

1. What is personal information?
This page provides information about how and why IfM Engage will collect personal information on you and what we will do with it when you apply for a job with us. ‘Personal information’ means any information which relates to or identifies you as an individual.

2. Who will process my information?
The information published here applies to the use, sharing and disclosure of your personal information by IfM Engage.

3. What personal information will be processed?
When you apply for a job with us, IfM Engage will process the details you provide on your application, together with additional details provided by a cover letter and/or from the recruitment agency referring you for the vacancy.

Here are some examples of data that we may collect from you:

  • Name
  • Email Address
  • Date and method of application
  • Telephone number
  • Employment history
  • Notice period
  • Salary expectations

Access to, and the sharing of, your personal data are controlled very carefully.

4. What is the purpose and legal basis for processing?
The IfM Engage will process the personal information provided on your application and the other information referred to above for the purposes of identifying you, processing your application, verifying the information provided and assessing your suitability for the role (including any relevant right to work checks), deciding whether to offer you a job, and communicating that outcome (together with any feedback).

We may also use or disclose the information provided for the following statutory or public interest purposes:

  • To prevent or detect fraud
  • For equal opportunities monitoring.
  • To help us to make reasonable adjustments for any disability, as requested by you.
  • To provide statutory returns required by applicable legislation.
  • For research and statistical purposes (which may include the receipt of applicant surveys), but no information which could identify you will be published.

If you are a current employee, then we may use the information (including equalities information) you provide in any application you submit to update the employment records we already hold on you.

We consider the processing of your personal information for the above purposes to be either necessary for us to take steps with a view to creating a contractual relationship with you (e.g. to assess your application for employment with us), or necessary for compliance with a legal obligation (e.g. to administer visa applications), or necessary for the performance of tasks we carry out in the public interest (e.g. non-statutory reporting or research). Where we ask for any sensitive information, such as that concerning your ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or health/disability, the use made of such information will be explained and you will normally have the option to refuse your consent by not supplying it. We require you to provide us with the information we ask for during the application process in order to assess your application properly except where its supply is marked as optional. Application decisions are not automated.

5. Who will my personal information be shared with?
IfM Engage may circulate your application and related materials to appropriate staff within the Company. If necessary, we will also share your personal information for the above processes as relevant and necessary with:

  • Your referees
  • Other parts of the Institute for Manufacturing or wider University
  • Where relevant and as required, the Disclosure and Barring Service or UK Visas and Immigration in order to administer relevant recruitment checks and procedures

6. How is my personal information used if I become a member of staff?
If you are accepted, we will use your personal information for the purposes described in Section 20 of the Staff Handbook, as amended from time to time.

7. How can I access my personal information?
You have the right to access the personal information that is held about you by IfM Engage.

You also have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate personal information we hold about you, to delete personal information, or otherwise restrict our processing, or to object to processing or to receive an electronic copy of the personal information you provided to us. You can exercise any of these rights at any time, by contacting ifm-engage@eng.cam.ac.uk.

8. How long is my information kept?
We store your personal information for as long as necessary to complete the application process. If you are successful, your information will be kept as part of your staff record for the duration of your employment. If you are unsuccessful, your information will be normally kept for six months after the completion of the application process (except if the person appointed to the post is sponsored under the UK’s points-based immigration system, when we are required to retain the applications of all candidates shortlisted for final interview for one year or until a Home Office compliance officer has examined and approved them, whichever is the longer period).

9. Who can I contact?
If you have any questions about how your personal information is used, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact ifm-engage@eng.cam.ac.uk.

10. How do I complain?
If you are not happy with the way your information is being handled, or with the response received from us, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF.

11. Are changes made to this webpage?
This webpage was last updated on 20 December 2023. It is reviewed when necessary and at least annually. Any changes will be published here and you will be notified via this webpage.