Data protection officer
Data protection officers help organisations to meet data laws and regulations, and provide advice on policies and how to apply them.
Also known as: Data compliance officer, data protection manager
- Starter salary£29,000 a year
- Experienced£50,000 a year
- Typical hours35 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a data protection officer, you could:
- develop data management policies
- provide expert guidance to departments on how to meet their legal obligations
- assess data processes to highlight risks, and make recommendations
- audit information to make sure data protection measures are effective
- draft or edit printed and online content around data protection
- respond to information requests and data breaches
- produce face-to-face and online training for staff
- maintain accurate records of data processing activities
- keep up to date with developments in legislation in the UK and overseas
Working environment
You could work in an office or from home.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- legal knowledge including government regulations
- knowledge of English language
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- business management skills
- the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
- excellent written communication skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- customer service skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to become a data protection officer
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- training with a professional body
University
You would normally move into a data protection role after working with an organisation in a related area, like:
- information management
- media and communications
- legal advice
- digital security
Employers will accept most university subjects, for example:
- business administration
- law
- marketing
- English
- modern languages
- public administration
You could also apply to do a postgraduate course in data protection after completing a first degree.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an apprenticeship that covers data protection, for example:
- Business Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Paralegal Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
- Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
These can take up to 2 years to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a learning provider.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
Work
You could work with an organisation as an administrator or data protection assistant and become a data protection officer through training and promotion.
Other routes
You could do training with a professional body to get industry-recognised data protection certification, for instance:
- Certified Information Privacy Professional Europe (CIPPE)
- Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
- Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection
Career path and progression
With experience you could become a:
- senior data protection officer
- data protection manager
- compliance manager
With further training, you could work as a consultant, advising UK and international organisations on global privacy and data protection regulations.
Career tips
You will need a good working knowledge of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), the Data Protection Act (DPA) and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
Professional and industry bodies
You could join the Information & Records Management Society for access to training, resources and latest developments in data protection regulations.
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0