Head of Information Compliance and Deputy DPO in Swansea

Are you passionate about data protection, information rights, and driving cultural change? Do you have extensive experience advising on complex privacy and data governance issues? Have you successfully led multi-disciplinary teams? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Department for Transport’s (DfT) Digital, Information, and Security Directorate is embarking on an ambitious programme of continuous improvement and we’re looking for a dynamic leader to join us as our Head of Information Compliance & Deputy Data Protection Officer (DPO). DfT is a high-profile department at the heart of UK government that processes significant volumes of data. We work with our executive agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest to make journeys better.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary.
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

As Head of Information Compliance and Deputy DPO, you’ll play a pivotal role in supporting the Data Protection Officer in fulfilling their statutory tasks and leading a network of data protection practitioners across the DfT group. You’ll have oversight of compliance across the entire controllership and work closely with the DPOs in DfT’s arms’ length bodies (e.g., HS2 Ltd, National Highways, DfTO, Network Rail).

This is your opportunity to tackle a wide range of challenges:

• Ensuring the highest privacy standards in how we use and share personal data to deliver modern, joined-up services.
• Advising on the use of data for research and policy development.
• Navigating the privacy and ethical considerations associated with the use of emerging technologies in transport.
• Overseeing compliance with wider information rights and records management legislation.
• Leading a team based across multiple office locations effectively.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Advising staff and managers at all levels on compliance with data protection and information rights law.
• Supporting the DPO in ensuring their statutory tasks are carried out efficiently and to a high standard.
• Staying abreast of government strategy, legislation, guidance, and associated case law relevant to information management, information rights and data protection.
• Engaging with cross-government data protection networks and policy leads.
• Managing a multi-functional team covering Data Protection, FOI, Knowledge & Information Management, and eDiscovery.
• Championing transparency and ensuring quality responses to information rights requests.
• Overseeing complex casework and engaging with the Information Commissioner’s Office on policy measures and innovative solutions involving personal data.
• Identifying, assessing, and managing compliance risks, ensuring effective mitigation and associated governance reporting.
• Developing and maintaining policies and procedures to support compliance, and monitoring their effectiveness.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the attached Role Profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.