Senior Data Protection Lead
| Posting date: | 10 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £44,198 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 22 September 2025 |
| Location: | Nuneaton |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 422229/1 |
Summary
Do you have experience of working with Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation?
Do you enjoy delivering at pace in an environment where you manage multiple and often conflicting priorities?
If so, we have a fantastic opportunity to join the Vehicle Certification Agency as our Senior Data Protection Manager. Situated in the Corporate Affairs department, this role offers insight to all aspects of the organisation and is incredibly important in ensuring that the VCA meets its obligations under the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Our work as an organisation is focused on improving vehicle safety and environmental protection by providing robust testing and certification to national and internationally recognised standards. We are a part of the Department for Transport as the designated UK Vehicle Type Approval Authority. With more than 40 years’ experience, we have become one of the largest and well-respected approval bodies around. This position has been built on a reputation for technical expertise and quality, which is at the heart of everything we do, and what you could be a part of.
Do not just take our word for it; here is Dawn Crooks, Senior Corporate Affairs Manager, to tell you more. Please also refer to our Candidate Pack, Role Profile and VCA website for more information.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/o-SDcm8aWUA?si=1xInwhV9XcdWNJ43
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below!
Find out more about what it's like working at Vehicle Certification Agency - Department for Transport Careers
As Data Protection lead, you will have a proactive and pragmatic approach to lead and champion the highest data protection standards and drive forward compliance across all the VCA. In doing so, we ensure that the data collected, stored, processed, and shared by the agency is secure, compliant, and ethical. As well as promoting adherence across all business areas you will promote learning and embed improved ways of working to ensure that our legal position is robust, and we are following the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Working with colleagues of all levels of seniority across the VCA and the wider Department for Transport (DfT), you will need to be confident with addressing diverse interests and respectfully managing these with a high-level of tact, diplomacy, and corporate spirit. Forging professional and robust relationships with those around you and championing best practice will influence uptake and engage in the work you are leading and the importance of this.
We are passionate about supporting colleagues both mentally and physically, by offering a range of benefits and policies to ensure you achieve a work-life balance. You will be a valued member of an organisation who cares about you, by giving you the support you need to reach your full potential.
Your main duties will include but will not be limited to:
- To work proactively as the VCAs Data Protection principal point of contact and subject matter expert. To independently monitor the VCAs compliance and obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018 / UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) promoting best practice and providing expert advice and guidance on the application of data protection legislation.
- Lead and manage the VCA team responsible for handling responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests, Subject Access Requests (SAR), as well as responses to Parliamentary Questions and Ministerial correspondence,
- Build and maintain excellent working relationships with key colleagues in the central department, and its executive agencies to share resources, knowledge, and expertise to promote regulatory compliance and continuous improvement.
- To review and provide robust advice and recommendations across a range of data protection topics including the completion of Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA’s), Legitimate Interest Balancing Exercises and data Sharing Agreements to mitigate privacy risks and advise on potential solutions and changes to processes / policies proposed to aid both their legal and practical application.
- To create and maintain documentation that provides evidence of legal and regulatory compliance.
- To lead on the delivery of a data protection training and awareness programme to support areas where the organisation needs to review, develop and implement relevant policies, processes, and procedures,
- To work flexibly and collaboratively across all teams in the organisation to ensure the data protection training and awareness has the greatest impact and effectiveness.
- Undertake any and all other reasonable and related tasks associated with this role.
Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.
For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
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