Data Protection Specialist

Are you ready to play a critical role in safeguarding data and driving compliance excellence? We're looking for a knowledgeable, pragmatic Data Protection Specialist to join our Legal & Compliance Team In this pivotal position, you'll ensure our organisation stays fully compliant with UK Data Protection laws and regulatory requirements. You'll be the trusted advisor to business units and senior leaders, support our DPO in fulfilling statutory duties, and lead key initiatives-from managing personal data breaches to overseeing risk and engaging with regulators. This is an exciting opportunity for a data protection professional who thrives in a dynamic, regulated environment and is passionate about privacy, compliance, and continuous improvement. If you want to make a difference and shape the future of data protection within our organisation, we'd love to hear from you! What you'll be doing:

• You'll provide expert guidance to the business on UK Data Protection laws and regulatory changes
• Support the maintenance of Registers of Processing Activities(ROPA)
• Assist the business in undertaking Data Protection Impact Assessments(DPIA)
• You'll lead the assessment, oversight, and reporting of personal data breaches, including MI reporting to senior forums
• Act as a key contact for front-line and operational teams on topics, such as DSARs, complaints and litigation matters related to data protection
• Develop and execute second-line monitoring activities to assess compliance and drive improvements
• Liaise with the ICO on customer complaints and regulatory enquiries, ensuring robust investigations and responses
• Collaborate with Legal & Compliance colleagues and stakeholders across the business to resolve data protection and privacy-related issues
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance data protection compliance and operational efficiency
  
  You'll have experience in a similar role and have worked in a second-line capacity, to provide authoritative regulatory advice to senior stakeholders and operate autonomously.
Essential experience & skills:
• You'll have proven experience in providing data protection advice within Compliance and/or Legal functions, at a specialist level
• You have an excellent understanding of ICO guidance, codes and regulatory expectations within consumer credit or retail banking
• You're able to manage complex and time-sensitive workloads with precision, pragmatism and professionalism
• Have demonstrable skills in researching, analysing and interpreting and, presenting complex regulatory information
• You're comfortable challenging views and interpreting regulatory guidance with accuracy and proportionality
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and negotiate effectively
  
  Why join VWFS UK?
You'll have the opportunity to make a difference by helping us to achieve our mission. Our mission is straight forward; we want to be 'The Key to Mobility'. That means we make getting from A-to-B as easy and simple for as many people as possible. To truly meet the mobility needs of people in a changing world, our offering goes beyond traditional vehicle financing. We do this by providing a range of finance and aftersales products on Volkswagen Group vehicles, as well as developing innovative mobility products designed to solve real problems and support our customers. No candidate will meet every single desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you! VWFS is proud to be an inclusive employer and encourages applications from a diverse range of candidates. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion isn't just a statement for us, we encourage and aspire for all our colleagues to be their 100% self. If you need any reasonable adjustments to assist you with the application and/or recruitment processes, please contact our Resourcing Team. This role does not meet the UKVI's criteria for the skilled worker sponsorship route, therefore we are unable to accept candidates requiring sponsorship for this role.

What's in it for you? Bonus: Discretionary 10% on-target bonus (based on personal and Group company performance) Pension: Employer pension contribution of 9% (based on employee contribution of 3%). VWFS will pay 6% if employee chooses a 2% employee contribution. Car schemes
• : Choice of Employee Car Ownership (ECO) scheme for petrol/diesel and hybrid vehicles plus car insurance
OR Company Car scheme for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) plus car insurance cover for you and a partner/eligible family member. Other benefits: From day 1 we provide income protection, life assurance (4x salary), retail discount vouchers, access to Care Concierge (a service to support carers of adults), along with other salary sacrifice options including a will writing service and cycle to work (subject to scheme restrictions). Following successful completion of probation, you will have access to private medical insurance for you (with the option to buy additional family cover), access to our loan car scheme for up to 2 cars for your partner or eligible family members (subject to scheme restrictions) and during our annual benefit window you can purchase critical illness cover and dental cover, so you can select the benefits that matter to you. We invest in our people and are passionate about driving development. You'll have access to LinkedIn Learning via our Degreed platform as well as a host of professional development programmes and opportunities to build your technical and soft skills so you can further develop your career. We also offer mentoring schemes and reciprocal partnerships recognising that we can all learn from each other in the flow of work.