Data Protection Officer - Life Science

Join to apply for the Data Protection Officer - Life Science role at The DPO Centre Ltd.

Reporting to Head of DPOs

Job location: Onsite with clients/from home

Employment status: Permanent, Full-time

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The DPO Centre is a service business. We look only to recruit proactive, motivated, enthusiastic, customer driven, commercially aware team players, who can clearly demonstrate a passion for what they do and therefore offer an ideal fit with our core values and culture.

The DPO Centre has one of the largest teams of outsourced Data Protection Officers (DPOs) with specific industry expertise for the life science sector. From trial planning and submission to completion, we ensure our clients receive the best compliance advice at every step.

For many clinical trial sponsors and other life science organisations, appointing a Data Protection Officer and a Data Protection Representative are now not only a legal requirement but also a prerequisite for obtaining trial approval from ethic boards and other relevant stakeholders.

Due to continued growth within our Life Science sector, we require additional experienced Data Protection Officers throughout the UK, with strong knowledge, experience and a track record in the industry. We need DPOs who are compliance driven, can demonstrate excellent communication and presentation skills and have an ability to influence, encourage and support positive change within an organisation.

Successful candidates will possess the ability to manage the demands of a portfolio of clients and are therefore able to prioritise effectively, navigate conflicting client demands diplomatically and maintain the highest degree of confidentiality and professionalism. We are looking for candidates that value attention to detail and who deliver high quality work within agreed timescales. They must be well presented, with the capacity to work on their own initiative, but also to actively contribute to the constant development of our wider team.

Candidates should also demonstrate an open and forward-thinking mindset, particularly regarding the adoption of emerging technologies, including the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI), to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and service delivery.

You will be working with a variety of clients which may include Sponsors of Clinical Trials, research organisations, pharmaceutical manufacturing organisations, Clinical research organisations, MedTech and Biotech companies. Our services are delivered based on a balance of working remotely from home and occasional visits to clients at their offices.

Our aim is that the client portfolio be local to each successful candidate’s home location, however the need for sufficient flexibility to accommodate travel and occasional overnight stays that enable full working days to be delivered to the client is a fundamental requirement of the role, therefore only candidates with the ability to accommodate this requirement should apply. All travel expenses will be covered or reimbursed. You are required to have a full driving license and use of a car, unless you live within central London.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Fulfil the tasks of the designated role of DPO as defined by Article 39 of the GDPR
• Inform and advise organisations of their obligations
• Implement the DPO Centre's established processes and practices
• Create and implement strategies to ensure compliance with data protection laws
• Perform DPIAs, PIAs and LI assessments and build/maintain the client's RoPA
• Prepare recommendation reports and corresponding Schedule of Works
• Devise, facilitate and deliver training and awareness workshops
• Support the client in responding to individuals' rights requests
• Consistently inform and advise the client on governance, accountability and risk
• Keep up to date with changes in data protection law and regulations
• Actively contribute to building the overall knowledge base of the DPO Centre's team

Career progression

• Working with an ever more prestigious portfolio of clients
• The opportunity to develop sector specific expertise
• DPO > Team leadership > Senior Management

Skills And Experience

Education and experience

• At least five years in a role as Data Protection Officer or similar responsibility
• At least three years of relevant experience in the Life Sciences industry, ideally across multiple jurisdictions
• Firsthand experience of overseeing data protection considerations for clinical research trials (commercial or academic)
• Ideally, a degree or high-level qualification in law
• One or more data protection qualifications such as EU-GDPR-P, CIPP/E etc

Personal

• Sufficient flexibility within your personal circumstances to be able to travel to and from clients such that a full working day can be delivered
• Ability to work independently yet also be a strong team player
• Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills
• The ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality, trust and credibility
• Calm, controlled and resilient demeanour
• A commercial attitude towards time management
• Capable of dealing with complex issues using advanced problem-solving and diplomatic skills
• Open-minded and forward-thinking, with a willingness to embrace emerging technologies

Required Skills

• Specific knowledge of the life science sector e.g. Clinical trial life cycles, applicable regulation, relevant frameworks such as MR-001 etc
• Able to maintain confidentiality, whilst instilling trustworthiness
• Adaptability while staying calm in high pressure scenarios
• Strong emotional intelligence in leadership, comprising of demonstrating empathy but remaining objective
• Excellent IT skills: Full Microsoft Office suite
• Highly organised, structured and disciplined, with great attention to detail
• The ability to work under pressure and juggle multiple active priorities
• Excellent written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills

Advantageous Skills

• Knowledge of IT and cyber security and ISO certifications
• Written and spoken EU language skills
• Knowledge of other worldwide data protection laws
• Negotiation skills to ensure the most appropriate, rather than ‘easy’, course of action is taken