Senior Data Privacy Counsel

DMG Media is seeking an experienced Senior Data Privacy Counsel to lead and oversee all aspects of data protection and privacy compliance across our commercial, editorial, and HR operations. This is a senior role requiring strategic thinking, strong leadership, and deep expertise in data privacy law within a fast-paced media environment. This role is pivotal in developing, implementing and maintaining the organisation’s privacy program, ensuring compliance with international data protection laws (including EU/UK GDPR, US and other jurisdictions), advising on key digital developments and handling individual complaints, regulatory enquiries or enforcement action.

Main Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Provide advice on privacy matters to senior management and stakeholders, ensuring compliance with privacy legislation and other relevant regulations.
• Project Advisory: Advise on privacy implications for new digital initiatives and innovative projects, ensuring privacy by design is followed.
• Regulatory Engagement: Together with the Data Protection Officer, act as the primary liaison with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and other regulatory bodies.
• Programme Development: Design and implement a comprehensive programme for managing Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) and other data rights processes.
• Policy and Governance: Develop, maintain, and oversee privacy policies, procedures, and training across the organisation.
• Risk Management: Identify and manage privacy risks across commercial, editorial, and HR functions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with technology, editorial, HR, and commercial teams to ensure privacy considerations are integrated into business operations.

Person Specification

Required:

• Solicitor qualified in England and Wales with 10+ years of post-qualification experience, including significant expertise in data protection and privacy law.
• Experience of working on privacy matters concerning adtech, audience creation and segmentation, measurement and analytics.
• Experience of advising on editorial legal matters for publishers, broadcasters and/or digital content providers and expert knowledge of the application of the DPA 2018 ‘journalistic exemption’.
• Experience of working on AI and machine learning related privacy matters.
• Proven track record of advising on complex, strategic projects in a dynamic, digital-first environment.
• Strong understanding of UK and EU data protection and digital regulatory frameworks and regulatory expectations.
• Experience engaging with regulators and managing high-profile compliance matters.

Highly desirable:

• Experience working in-house within a media organisation or content publisher.
• Experience advising on HR related privacy matters, including employee monitoring, contentious DSARs and recruitment activities.
• Privacy certifications (e.g. CIPP, CIPT).

Attributes:

• Strategic thinker with solution orientated approach.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to advise and challenge senior stakeholders and manage multi-stakeholder projects.
• Confident and calm under pressure and used to working in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills.

Package Description

Our benefits package increases the longer you’ve been with us. Here’s what to expect:

• 25 days’ holiday (increasing by 1 per year up to a total of 30)
• Pension plan and life cover
• Discounts on online shopping, dining cards and vouchers, and access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Onsite gym, subsidised canteen and onsite nurse and GP clinics

About dmg media

dmg media maintains an unwavering commitment to uncovering the stories that matter most. Its brands Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, MailOnline, Mail+, Metro, The i Paper and New Scientist reach more than 9 million people daily in the UK. Globally, dmg media’s brands reach 160 million unique browsers every month across its domains and apps. Its global newsroom of journalists, formidable story-getting power, and breadth of content formats, delivers highly engaging, trusted content to loyal and new audiences, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Mail brand reaches three in five Brits every month and is officially the best-read, most recognised, most engaged newsbrand in the country. It is the largest news publisher on TikTok with over 21 million total followers and nearly 30 billion views in the past year.

Our Commitment

We are committed to increasing diversity and maintaining an inclusive workplace culture. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability. We are Disability Confident Committed. Please let us know if you require any recruitment documentation in other formats or if you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process. Please be assured that any such information will be held separately to your recruitment application and will not be considered as part of the selection process.