Data Protection & Compliance Officer

Help Shape Good Governance, Protect Data and Drive Impact

We're looking for a highly organised, analytical and proactive Data Protection & Compliance Officer to join our team and play a pivotal role in ensuring we continue to deliver our services with integrity, accountability and excellence.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys bringing order to complexity, ensuring compliance, managing risk and helping an organisation demonstrate the impact it delivers.

About Us

Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) is Scotland's national advice service, providing free, practical, and impartial advice to people across Scotland on issues including consumer rights, energy, debt, housing, and more.

Our mission is simple: to ensure that everyone in Scotland has access to the support they need, when they need it.

We are a modern, digital-first, omni-channel organisation, delivering face to face advice and support through telephone, webchat, email, SMS, social media, and self-service digital tools. This innovative model allows us to reach people in the way that suits them best, ensuring accessibility, speed, and impact.

At Advice Direct Scotland (ADS), we believe that everyone deserves access to high quality advice and support when they need it most. Every year, our services help thousands of people across Scotland navigate financial challenges, benefits access, consumer issues, energy concerns and other important life matters.

What We Offer

• Salary of £35,000 - £38,000 per annum
• 31.25 hours over a 4 day working week
• 30.5 days annual leave (38 days pro rata), enabling excellent work-life balance
• 8% employer pension contribution
• Life Insurance for added peace of mind
• Cycle to work scheme
• EAP and Wellbeing Support
• Fresh Fruit and snacks daily
• Company events
• Company Sick pay
• Reward and benefit programmes

About The Role

This is a key role supporting Advice Direct Scotland's governance, compliance and performance activities. As our designated Data Protection Officer (DPO), you'll lead on data protection and information governance while also ensuring contractual obligations, reporting requirements and compliance commitments are effectively managed across the organisation. Working with colleagues at all levels, you'll help ensure ADS meets the expectations of funders, regulators and partners by providing practical advice, monitoring performance, managing risk and promoting a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

As our designated Data Protection Officer (DPO) , you will provide advice and oversight on data protection, information governance and compliance across the organisation. You will monitor contractual obligations, reporting requirements and key deadlines, helping ensure ADS meets its commitments to funders, partners and regulators. You will support colleagues to understand and meet compliance requirements, quality assure reports and submissions, and coordinate data protection activities including Subject Access Requests and breach management. You will also contribute to audits, contract renewals and continuous improvement initiatives, helping to strengthen governance and organisational performance.

What You Need To Succeed

• You will be a highly organised and detail focused professional who can confidently manage multiple priorities while maintaining high standards of accuracy.
• You'll have experience working with compliance, governance, contracts, reporting or information management and be comfortable reviewing detailed documentation and translating complex requirements into practical guidance.
• You will be an excellent communicator with strong analytical skills, capable of building positive relationships across the organisation, influencing others and handling sensitive information with discretion and sound judgement.
• Knowledge of UK GDPR and data protection legislation, experience working with contracts or funded programmes, and involvement in audits, compliance reviews or assurance activities would be advantageous.

This is an opportunity to make a real impact within a national charity that helps thousands of people across Scotland every year. You'll play a central role in strengthening governance, compliance and organisational effectiveness while developing your expertise in a supportive and values-driven environment.

If you're motivated by purpose, thrive on organisation and detail and want to play a key role in supporting a values led organisation to deliver real impact across Scotland, we'd love to hear from you.

Equality and inclusion

We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities.

If you require adjustments or alternative ways to apply, please let us know - we're happy to help.

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