Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer

Location: Police Headquarters, Waterwells
Contract: 6 month contract with likely extension
Hours: 37 hours per week (Monday-Friday) generally between 8am-6pm
Pay Rate: £30.28 LTD per hour

About the Role:

The Data Protection Officer is professionally accountable for strategic data protection decisions across the organisation, ensuring full compliance with UK GDPR, DPA 2018, and policing-specific legislative and regulatory requirements.

This is not an advisory-only role. The postholder will own decisions, challenge senior stakeholders, and act as the authoritative voice on data protection risk within the Force.


Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the organisation’s statutory Data Protection Officer, with professional independence and authority.
  
  
• Provide strategic oversight and decision-making on all data protection matters, including high-risk and complex processing.
  
  
• Lead on data protection compliance across operational and corporate policing functions.
  
  
• Advise and challenge senior leaders on data protection risk, mitigations, and lawful processing.
  
  
• Oversee Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), breaches, and regulatory engagement.
  
  
• Ensure compliance with ICO guidance, national policing standards, and relevant legislation.
  
  
• Embed a culture of data protection awareness and accountability across the Force.
  
  
• Liaise with internal governance, legal, and information assurance stakeholders.
  
  

Essential skills and experience:

• Data Protection qualification: Part 2 AND demonstrable understanding and application of Part 3 (Law Enforcement Processing)
  Candidates with Part 2 only and no Part 3 exposure will not be suitable.
  
  
• Proven, senior-level experience in data protection, ideally within the public sector.
  
  
• Experience operating with professional accountability for strategic decisions.
  
  
• Strong working knowledge of UK GDPR, DPA 2018, and ICO expectations.
  
  
• Ability to operate independently, challenge constructively, and influence at senior levels.
  
  
• Experience handling complex, sensitive, or high-risk data environments.
  
  

Apply Now Service Care Solutions is proud to assist in this recruitment campaign. If you meet the above criteria and would like to be considered, please apply now or reach out directly to discuss the role in more detail.
 
Harry Greenhalgh
Recruitment Lead – Police | Youth Justice | Domestic Abuse
Service Care Solutions
harry.greenhalgh@servicecare.org.uk
01772 208962