Senior Solicitor - Data Protection

The Premier League’s legal team is looking for a Senior Commercial Solicitor who will support the Head of Legal – Commercial & Compliance in providing high-quality advice on legal and compliance matters, primarily in respect of data protection and privacy issues that impact the operations of the Premier League as well as its member clubs. This will include advising on a whole range of complex data risk, protection and privacy issues.

The preferred candidate will be a qualified solicitor with a mix of in-house and firm experience with significant data protection expertise.

The Premier League is home to some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in over 900 million homes in 189 countries.

We have a wide variety of responsibilities. These include organising the competition and its Rule Book as well as managing the centralised broadcast and commercial rights. The work we do in conjunction with the Clubs also goes far beyond the 90 minutes. We support and provide a framework for youth development, we protect the organisation’s intellectual property, support the wider game and community programmes, undertake international development work and liaise with governing bodies and other leagues.

The Premier League is an equal opportunities employer and strives to create an inclusive culture where talent can flourish. We believe in the potential of everyone and open our doors to those who share those values. All appointments will be made based on merit; however, we particularly encourage applications from women, people from minority ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.

Our hybrid-working model also allows you some variety on your place of work, offering you the chance to work from home on some days each week. Where possible, you will attend the office or site visits in line with our company policy. All staff liaise closely with their line manager to manage their time appropriately and according to their work and team requirements.

The role will become a senior member of the Commercial and Compliance team, undertaking a breadth of work that will include the following:

• Provide legal and compliance advice to the business as the subject matter expert on data protection to ensure the Premier League meets its legal, regulatory and ethical obligations
• Drafting and advising on complex data protection-related documentation such as data processing agreements, data sharing agreements and data privacy impact assessments
• Promote sound practices compliant with relevant legislation and proactively identify opportunities to improve existing practices
• Responsibility for the implementation and refinement of data protection and privacy policies and procedures
• Responsibility for responding to data subject access requests received by the business
• Instruct and liaise with external counsel in respect of data protection matters as required
• Ensure thorough reporting of internal and external risk and data protection compliance issues to the General Counsel and the Board
• Keep abreast of legal developments relevant to the business’s data protection compliance obligation
• Act as a key adviser to the Premier League’s Digital and Marketing teams in the advancement of strategic priorities in relation to fan engagement and the processing of fan data

Requirements for the role:

• Qualified solicitor of approximately four to seven years’ post qualification experience, particularly in respect of data protection and privacy (candidates outside this range with the required skills to be considered)
• Significant knowledge of data protection and significant experience in providing complex data protection advice
• Sound knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and the associated data protection risks
• Knowledge of International/EU Data Protection laws
• Robust legal training from a reputable law firm or recognised in-house legal department
• Confident, articulate, and affable with the ability to communicate complex legal concepts into a clear and understandable format both orally and in writing to individuals from all levels of the business
• Sound commercial knowledge, ideally with some experience working in or with the sports industry
• Team player, highly organised, solution-oriented, and with outstanding attention to detail
• Experience of managing matters autonomously
• Excellent work ethic and able to cope with pressurised situations and tight timeframes whilst maintaining a professional approach

Our commitment to safeguarding includes implementing robust safer recruitment procedures to assess the suitability of individuals applying for roles that involve work with children and adults who are or may be at risk of harm.

If you are interested in learning more about this position, please submit your CV via the "Apply" button or send your CV to cameronmccammon@hydrogengroup.com