Senior Legal Counsel - Data Privacy & Compliance in Dunstable

Location: Dunstable, hybrid working with a minimum 3 days per week in our office and 2 working from home/another location.

Reports To: Legal Director.

We’re hiring a Senior Legal Counsel dedicated to Data Privacy & Compliance - someone who doesn’t just interpret policy but shapes it. We’re looking for someone who can build infrastructure, create clarity, influence stakeholders, and confidently guide a highly consumer‑centric business through a rapidly changing legal landscape.

Are you a proactive, solutions‑driven individual with a passion for data protection, emerging tech, and building best‑in‑class compliance frameworks? Do you bring positive energy, high ownership, and the ambition to shape the future of legal governance in a complex, consumer‑focused organisation? If you’re ready to take the lead on data privacy and wider compliance at one of the UK’s most recognisable hospitality groups, this is a rare and exciting opportunity to make a significant impact from day one.

What you’ll lead:

• You’ll own a broad, impactful remit covering approximately 60% data protection and 40% wider legal compliance, including:

• Data Protection (UK‑led, with international reach):

• Lead on UK data protection compliance, advising across Whitbread’s end‑to‑end consumer and employee data lifecycle.
• Develop, maintain and embed group‑wide policies, procedures and data governance frameworks.
• Manage and optimise our relationship with the UK’s outsourced DPO.
• Provide best‑practice guidance to operations in Ireland, Germany and China.
• Deliver DPIAs, ROPAs, DSAR handling, and data‑related litigation management.
• Draft and negotiate data processing/sharing agreements.
• Guide IT teams to ensure privacy is embedded from the very beginning of any change or initiative.

• You will own and evolve a broad compliance portfolio, including:

• Code of Conduct governance and communication.
• Competition law risk and training.
• Anti‑bribery & corruption framework and controls.
• AI governance, supporting policy development and advising stakeholders on emerging regulation.
• Supporting the Legal Director with compliance reports for the Audit & Risk Committee and ongoing risk reviews.

You’ll bring:

• Deep expertise in UK data protection law (EU desirable).
• Experience handling large volumes of consumer and/or employee data (B2C essential).
• Strong policy‑writing skills — capable of building frameworks from scratch and owning them.
• Experience in drafting and implementing procedures, controls and compliance programmes.
• Comfortable engaging with senior stakeholders and influencing across the business.
• Ability to operate with a high level of autonomy and enthusiasm.
• Private‑practice background welcome; in‑house experience is a bonus, not a requirement.

If you’re energised by shaping compliance in a fast‑moving, consumer‑centric business and want a role where your expertise truly matters - we’d love to hear from you.

We are proud to have been recognised as a Top Employer for 14 consecutive years, voted a top apprenticeship employer by Department of Education and Rate my Apprenticeship, this year we placed #10 in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index for our commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion at Whitbread and have been awarded as a Top 25 Exemplary Employer in the Investing in Ethnicity Parliamentary Matrix as the only hospitality company leading the way in terms of Inclusion.