Data Privacy & Protection Director

Job Description

To support the design and delivery of practical frameworks covering privacy, data protection, AI, and intellectual property across the organisation. The role focuses on putting proportionate, cost-effective compliance measures in place and ensuring that products, services, and projects meet legal and regulatory requirements. It also involves reviewing and questioning existing ways of working to improve efficiency and develop modern compliance practices that allow the business to operate and grow while managing risk appropriately.

Key Responsibilities

• Ownership and Delivery: Take responsibility for privacy, data protection, AI, and IP compliance workstreams, progressing them independently and delivering workable outcomes with limited supervision.
• Regulatory Requirements: Ensure the organisation complies with applicable privacy and data protection laws, including UAE Data Protection Law, GDPR, and other local regulations in the regions where the business operates.
• Product and Project Oversight: Make sure privacy and data protection requirements are built into products, services, and projects from the early stages through to launch and ongoing use.
• Process Improvement: Review existing compliance processes and challenge approaches that are inefficient or outdated, introducing simpler and more effective ways of working that still meet legal standards.
• Risk Identification and Control: Identify privacy, AI, and IP risks, assess their impact, and put in place practical controls and monitoring to reduce exposure.
• AI Governance Maintenance: Maintain and update existing AI governance arrangements, addressing gaps and strengthening risk assessments, ethical considerations, and compliance controls where needed.
• Intellectual Property Management: Manage and improve IP and innovation frameworks, including trademarks, protection of company assets, and coordination with external legal advisers.
• Incident Management: Lead responses to data protection incidents and breaches, including assessments, regulator notifications, and communications with internal and external stakeholders.
• Business Support: Work closely with Technology, Product, Risk, Audit, and operational teams to embed compliance requirements into day-to-day activities and new initiatives.
• Practical Solutions: Develop proportionate, cost-effective compliance solutions that protect the organisation while limiting disruption to business operations.
• Training and Guidance: Create and deliver training and awareness sessions on privacy, data protection, AI, and IP tailored to different teams and levels within the organisation.
• Third-Party Oversight: Manage privacy, AI, and IP compliance aspects of vendor and partner relationships, including contract terms, data processing agreements, and due diligence reviews.
• Regulatory Engagement: Support senior legal leadership in dealings with regulators by preparing submissions, responses, and supporting documentation.
• Emerging Technology Advice: Provide clear legal guidance on new and evolving technologies to help the business adopt them in a compliant and responsible way.

Skill & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Law (LLB) with bar admission or equivalent legal qualification.
• At least four years of experience in privacy and data protection law, including hands-on AI compliance work, the ability to operate independently, experience improving processes, and a working knowledge of intellectual property matters.
• For Director-level roles, eight or more years of relevant experience, ideally within the technology or telecommunications sector, with a combination of law firm and in-house experience covering privacy, AI, and IP.
• Postgraduate qualifications or professional certifications such as CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, or recognised AI-related certifications are preferred.