Head of Privacy

As Head of Privacy, you will lead Trainline’s global privacy strategy and programme, ensuring privacy is embedded into everything we build while enabling teams to move quickly in a fast‑paced, product‑led environment. Operating at the intersection of Product, Engineering, Data, Security, and a rapidly changing regulatory environment, you will play a key role in supporting innovation, including AI‑driven products. You will lead a small, high‑impact team and act as both a strategic advisor and hands‑on leader, helping the business navigate evolving regulatory requirements while balancing risk with commercial outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and shape Trainline’s global privacy strategy, advising the business on compliance and risk to ensure alignment with business goals and regulations (UK GDPR, EU GDPR, ePrivacy) and emerging frameworks.
• Act as the appointed DPO, fulfilling statutory obligations and acting as the primary contact point for supervisory authorities (e.g. ICO) overseeing regulatory engagement.
• Embed privacy by design and by default into the product development lifecycle, partnering closely with Product and Engineering teams.
• Support rapid experimentation and innovation by providing pragmatic, risk‑based guidance that enables delivery at pace.
• Advise on AI, machine learning, and data‑driven products, including governance, risk assessment, and responsible data use.
• Work closely with Legal, CISO/Security, and Data teams to align privacy, security, and regulatory approaches.
• Act as a bridge between technical and non‑technical stakeholders, translating complex topics into clear, actionable guidance.
• Oversee core privacy operations, including DPIAs, ROPA, data subject rights, and privacy‑related incident response.
• Build scalable, efficient privacy processes suited to a high‑growth, product‑led environment.
• Lead and develop a high‑performing privacy team, setting priorities and fostering a culture of ownership and pragmatism.
• Promote a strong privacy‑aware culture across the organisation through training, guidance, and stakeholder engagement.

We’d love to hear from you if you …

• Have significant experience in a privacy leadership role, ideally as a Data Protection Officer or equivalent.
• Bring deep knowledge of UK/EU data protection regulations and how to apply them in a commercial, product‑led business.
• Have experience partnering closely with Product, Engineering, and Security teams in fast‑paced environments.
• Can balance regulatory requirements with business needs, enabling innovation without unnecessary friction.
• Are comfortable engaging with technical systems, architectures, and modern product development practices (e.g. agile, experimentation).
• Have experience advising on AI or advanced data use cases and understand associated privacy risks and emerging regulation.
• Are a strong communicator who can influence at all levels and simplify complex topics.
• Thrive in ambiguity and can create clarity, structure, and momentum.
• Have experience in a technology, marketplace, or digital platform business.
• Have experience with adtech, cookies, and tracking technologies, and a strong understanding of the associated privacy and regulatory considerations.
• Familiarity with AI governance and emerging regulatory frameworks.
• Have experience working with or implementing AI tools in a professional context.

More Information:

Enjoy fantastic perks such as private healthcare and dental insurance, a generous work‑from‑abroad policy, share‑purchase plans, an EV scheme, extra festive time off, and family‑friendly benefits. We prioritise career growth with clear career paths, transparent pay bands, personal learning budgets, and regular learning days. We operate a hybrid model and ask that Trainliners work from the office a minimum of 60% of their time over a 12‑week period. We also have a 28‑day work‑from‑abroad policy.

Diversity and Inclusion:

We know that having a diverse team makes us better and helps us succeed. We are committed to creating inclusive workplaces where everyone belongs and differences are valued and celebrated.