Senior Data Privacy Consultant in Manchester

We are a global technology group, headquartered in London. We deploy experts and frontier technology, like AI, to help organisations thrive through change. We have over 600 professionals (>75% hands-on technical talent) spread across Europe, North America and Asia, and are backed by Marlin Equity Partners. We help customers to:

• Work smarter – Building modern, scalable infrastructure, apps and workflows that actually improve your bottom line.
• Engage personally – Creating digital experiences that capture attention, convert sales, and keep customers coming back.
• Stay secure – Establishing the security, governance and compliance systems that protect you from threats, fines, and downtime.

We work with some of the world's biggest brands to solve their biggest problems. From highly regulated financial institutions to fast-moving tech unicorns and global retailers. Different worlds, same standard: we ship tangible outcomes into production, fast. Then we work alongside customers to maintain and optimise them long term, upskilling their teams along the way.

We are looking for an experienced and customer-focused Senior Data Protection Consultant to join our Secure Advisory team. The role will support clients across both the public and private sectors, delivering consultancy services across a broad range of privacy, data protection, governance, and regulatory compliance engagements.

Successful candidates will have strong practical experience in UK GDPR and wider international data protection principles, with the ability to advise organisations operating across complex global data processing environments. The role requires a blend of strategic advisory capability, hands-on delivery experience and the confidence to engage with stakeholders at all levels of an organisation.

Working closely with clients across a variety of sectors, you will support the development, implementation and improvement of privacy and data governance frameworks, while helping organisations navigate evolving regulatory expectations, emerging technologies, AI governance requirements and operational privacy risks.

The successful candidate will be expected to lead and deliver a range of consultancy engagements including data protection assessments, privacy governance reviews, DPIAs, data mapping exercises, policy development, regulatory gap assessments and broader governance and compliance initiatives aligned to client requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver data protection and privacy consultancy engagements across public and private sector clients.
• Lead and support the implementation and improvement of privacy and data governance frameworks aligned to UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and wider international privacy requirements.
• Deliver practical and risk-based advice to clients operating across complex data processing and international data transfer environments.
• Conduct data protection assessments, privacy maturity reviews, compliance gap assessments and governance assurance activities.
• Support clients with Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Legitimate Interest Assessments (LIAs), Records of Processing Activities (RoPA), data mapping exercises and data retention reviews.
• Develop and review privacy policies, standards, procedures, governance documentation and operational controls.
• Support organisations in responding to regulatory, contractual, audit and customer data protection requirements.
• Provide consultancy and advisory support relating to emerging privacy and AI governance requirements, including the EU AI Act and ISO/IEC 42001.
• Work collaboratively with wider security, governance and technical teams to deliver integrated client outcomes across privacy, information security and cyber security engagements.
• Facilitate client workshops, stakeholder meetings and governance discussions with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Support business development activities including proposal development, bid responses, client presentations and pre-sales engagements.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of methodologies, service offerings, templates and delivery approaches.
• Support and mentor junior consultants and contribute to the growth and capability development of the wider team.
• Maintain awareness of evolving legislation, regulatory expectations, emerging technologies and industry best practices relating to privacy, data protection, AI governance and information security.
• Produce high-quality reports, presentations, and client deliverables to a consistently professional standard.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and core international privacy and data protection principles.
• Ability to interpret regulatory and compliance requirements and translate them into practical, risk-based business outcomes.
• Experience delivering consultancy engagements across multiple clients, sectors, and organisational environments.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently with senior leadership, operational teams, and technical specialists.
• Ability to facilitate workshops, interviews and governance discussions with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong written communication skills with experience producing high-quality reports, assessments, policies and client deliverables.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to identify opportunities to support clients through additional advisory and consultancy services.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver engagements to agreed timelines and quality standards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with a pragmatic and outcome-focused approach.
• Good understanding of privacy governance principles across areas such as data retention, international data transfers, third-party risk, data sharing and privacy-by-design.
• Awareness of emerging regulatory and governance requirements relating to artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, and responsible AI use.
• Understanding of governance and assurance frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27701, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001, and the NIST Privacy Framework.
• Collaborative team player with the ability to support, mentor and develop junior consultants.
• Self-motivated with a proactive approach to personal development, industry awareness, and continuous improvement.

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Relevant professional experience within data protection, privacy, governance, or compliance consultancy roles.
• Strong practical experience applying UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 requirements within operational environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience delivering client-facing consultancy engagements and producing professional reports and documentation.
• Ability to obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance SC – NPPV3.
• One or more of the following professional certifications (or equivalent demonstrable experience): CIPP/E – Certified Information Privacy Professional Europeo, CIPM – Certified Information Privacy Manager, CIPT – Certified Information Privacy Technologist, BCS Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection, ISO/IEC 27701 Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor.

Desirable Qualifications & Certifications

• Knowledge or experience relating to the EU AI Act and AI governance principles.
• Experience supporting organisations with ISO/IEC 42001 implementation or governance activities.
• Experience working within regulated sectors including public sector, healthcare, finance, or critical national infrastructure environments.
• Knowledge of international privacy frameworks and cross-border data transfer mechanisms.
• Familiarity with governance and assurance frameworks including ISO/IEC 27001, NIST Privacy Framework, and Cyber Essentials.
• Experience of operating within consultancy or professional services organisations.
• Additional industry certifications relating to privacy, governance, information security, or AI governance.

Benefits

We believe in supporting our team members both professionally and personally. Here's how we invest in you:

• Competitive base salary
• Matching pension scheme (up to 5%) from day one
• Discretionary company bonus scheme
• 4 x annual salary Death in Service coverage from day one
• Employee referral scheme
• Private medical Insurance from day one
• Optical and Dental cashback scheme
• Help@Hand app: access to remote GP's, second opinions, mental health support, and physiotherapy
• EAP service
• Cycle to work scheme
• 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• An extra paid day off for your birthday
• Ten paid learning days per year
• Flexible working hours
• Work from anywhere (up to 3 weeks per year)
• Industry-recognised training and certifications
• Bonusly employee recognition and reward platform
• Clear opportunities for career progression
• Length of service awards
• Regular company events

Diversity and Inclusion

At Beyond we champion diversity and inclusion. We believe that a career in IT should be open to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability or neurotype. We value the unique talents and perspectives that each individual brings to our team, and we strive to create a fair and accessible hiring process for all.