Data Privacy Counsel, Europe in Essex

In this role, you will be a key member of Ford’s global privacy and legal community, working alongside experienced legal, privacy, and operational professionals across regions. You will play a critical role in enabling Ford to:

• Deliver innovative products and services responsibly,
• Embed privacy by design into business and technology decisions, and
• Strengthen and maintain customer trust through robust data protection practices.

This is a hands‑on, individual contributor role requiring strong technical privacy expertise, sound legal judgement, and the ability to operate confidently in fast‑moving, complex environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide pragmatic, high-quality legal advice on a broad range of privacy, AI, and data protection matters, including Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) and Privacy Impact Assessments, ensuring compliance with UK, EU, and applicable global laws.
• Engage directly with internal clients to identify data and privacy risks early, advising on compliant and commercially appropriate solutions.
• Collaborate closely with legal, policy, and operational stakeholders to design and implement effective privacy risk mitigation strategies across Europe.
• Support compliance activities as part of a global privacy function, contributing to enterprise-wide initiatives, products, and services.
• Track regulatory developments—particularly across the UK and EU—and support updates to internal standards, frameworks and governance requirements as needed.

Qualifications

• Strong subject‑matter expertise in UK and EU data protection and privacy laws, including UK GDPR, EU GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, ePrivacy Directive, EU AI Act, and EU Data Act. Exposure to other global privacy regimes is advantageous.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for a range of audiences.
• Qualification as a lawyer in England and Wales, with a current practising certificate.
• Typically 3+ years’ post‑qualification experience gained in a leading law firm or in‑house within a large, complex organisation, advising on data protection matters or supporting privacy compliance strategy and implementation.
• Flexibility to support meetings during UK and wider European working hours, with occasional engagement across global time zones.

Preferred qualifications

• A genuine passion for privacy and for embedding privacy into the design of products and services.
• Experience conducting privacy, cyber, and/or AI impact assessments, with a solid understanding of data governance, compliance controls, and risk management.
• The ability to stay current and adaptable as data protection and AI regulations continue to evolve.
• Experience managing multiple, complex matters simultaneously, often against product development or delivery timelines.
• Strong commercial awareness, with the confidence to provide practical, business‑oriented advice to product, design, engineering, and operational teams.
• Comfort engaging with senior stakeholders and executives.
• The ability to work independently while also thriving in collaborative, cross‑functional, and globally distributed teams.
• Technical fluency and exposure to emerging technologies.
• Automotive industry experience.
• IAPP certifications such as CIPP/E or CIPM.

Additional Information

The Company is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity for all and is opposed to any form of less favourable treatment or harassment on the grounds of race, religion or belief, sex, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or disability. This position is based in Dunton, and it is expected the successful candidate will be able to attend the Dunton office for typically 4 days a week and remain flexible on the days they are required to attend the office according to business requirements. As part of our pre‑employment checks process, successful candidates will be required to undergo a criminal record check. This will be conducted in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and applied only to unspent convictions.