Your Role
and What You'll Be Doing
Are you a data protection expert ready to lead, influence, and make a real impact? We're looking for a Senior Data Protection Advisor to be the go-to specialist on all things privacy and compliance. In this pivotal role, you'll provide strategic advice, shape policy, and guide the business through complex regulatory landscapes.
1. Be a trusted advisor across the firm in all aspects of data protection
2. Support large-scale change and transformation programmes
3. Act as a key data protection subject matter expert across technical change and transformation project lifecycles
4. Liaise directly with regulators and senior stakeholders, both internally and externally
5. Drive continuous improvement and embed best practice
6. Mentor and support team members, helping build resilience and capability within the team
Key Responsibilities:
7. Provide expert advice on ICO investigations, data breaches, and individual rights requests
8. Lead strategic improvements to data protection policies and procedures
9. Conduct horizon scanning for regulatory changes and ensure proactive action
10. Present trends and recommendations at senior management meetings
11. Supervise team members and support their technical development
12. Lead technical input on projects and implement process improvements
13. Draft reports and deliver training across the business
14. Act as a senior point of contact for complex queries and escalations
15. Promote a commercial, risk-based approach to compliance
16. Contribute to GCT KPIs and demonstrate Irwin Mitchell’s values daily
About You
Key Experience Required:
17. Extensive knowledge of UK data protection legislation and ICO requirements
18. Proven experience in a specialist data protection role within a large, consumer-focused organisation
19. Strong background in compliance or in-house legal functions
20. Excellent communication, drafting, and stakeholder engagement skills
21. Ability to present to senior managers and influence change
22. Experience with regulatory horizon scanning and risk-based decision making
23. Demonstrated experience supporting technical change and transformation programmes, acting as a key data protection subject matter expert across project lifecycles
24. Desirable: Familiarity with ISO 27001, AI tools, and data analytics
Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You
25. 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
26. Generous and flexible pension schemes.
27. Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
28. Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services. #LI-Remote
We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.
We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!
Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.
Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.