Data Protection & Compliance Officer

Build your career with Dandara

At Dandara, we've been creating award-winning homes and communities for over 30 years. Today, our Group operates across housebuilding, Build to Rent, residential lettings and property management throughout the UK, Isle of Man and Jersey.

As our business continues to grow, so does the importance of strong, practical and commercially focused compliance.

We are looking for a Data Protection & Compliance Officer to join our Group Compliance team, supporting the business across data protection, risk, information governance, cyber security, consumer compliance and wider regulatory requirements.

This is not a role about simply telling the business what it can't do.

We're looking for someone who enjoys getting under the skin of a problem, understands the risks and can help colleagues find a practical and proportionate way forward.

The role

Working closely with the Group Compliance Manager, you'll become a trusted point of contact for teams across Dandara, helping them understand their obligations and turn complex requirements into straightforward processes, controls and actions.

A significant part of your role will focus on data protection and information governance, including UK GDPR, DPIAs, DSARs, Records of Processing Activities (RoPA), data breaches, retention and supplier compliance.

But your remit will be broader than GDPR alone.

You'll also gain exposure to Group risk management, information security, consumer compliance, property and lettings regulation, financial crime controls and assurance activity across a diverse and growing property business.

What you'll be doing

• Supporting day-to-day data protection and compliance queries across the Group.

• Maintaining and developing our RoPA, DPIA, DSAR and data breach processes, privacy notices, retention schedules and associated records.

• Reviewing data processing arrangements with suppliers, including processor agreements, sub-processors and international data transfers.

• Providing privacy-by-design input into new systems, suppliers, projects and business processes.

• Supporting the Group's risk management framework, including risk registers, RCSAs, controls, KRIs, action plans and management information.

• Working alongside IT and operational teams on information security and cyber-risk, including access controls, incident response, supplier assurance, training and security evidence.

• Carrying out monitoring, assurance reviews and sample testing to make sure key controls are operating effectively.

• Helping operational teams understand and implement customer and consumer compliance requirements across housebuilding and residential property.

• Supporting compliance activity within our lettings and property management businesses across the UK, Isle of Man and Jersey.

• Assisting with controls relating to fraud, bribery and corruption, sanctions, conflicts of interest and financial crime.

• Drafting clear, practical policies, procedures, guidance, checklists and training materials.

• Preparing concise reports and management information, highlighting emerging risks, incidents, trends and overdue actions.

• Supporting audits, regulatory enquiries and requests for compliance evidence.

• Keeping up to date with regulatory developments and helping the business understand what changes mean in practice.

About you

You'll be someone who sees good compliance as an enabler rather than a barrier.

You're comfortable working with detail but can also step back, understand the commercial objective and explain risk in straightforward language. When faced with a difficult question, your instinct is to understand what the business is trying to achieve and find a compliant route to get there.

You'll also be confident enough to challenge when necessary and explain clearly when a proposed approach creates unacceptable risk.

You'll ideally bring:

• Experience within data protection, compliance, risk, governance, audit, legal or controls.

• A good working knowledge of UK GDPR and data protection, including DPIAs, DSARs, RoPA, breaches, retention and processor oversight.

• Experience maintaining compliance registers, action plans, policies, procedures and evidence.

• An understanding of information security and the relationship between cyber security and data protection risk.

• The ability to interpret regulatory or legal requirements and turn them into practical business processes.

• Strong written communication and drafting skills.

• Excellent organisation and attention to detail.

• Confidence working with stakeholders at different levels of an organisation.

• A practical, commercial and solution-focused mindset.

• High levels of integrity and discretion when handling sensitive information.

Even better if you have

Experience within property, housebuilding, Build to Rent, lettings, financial services, professional services or another regulated/customer-facing environment would be particularly useful.

Knowledge of any of the following would also be advantageous:

ERMF/RCSA and control testing | NHQC/NHQB | Consumer protection | Vulnerable customers | Complaints | AML and sanctions | ISO 27001 | Cyber Essentials | Isle of Man or Jersey regulatory requirements

You don't need to be an expert in every one of these areas. What's more important is your ability to learn, ask the right questions and translate requirements into practical solutions.

Why Dandara?

You'll join a business where compliance has genuine visibility and where you'll have the opportunity to work across multiple areas of the Group rather than being restricted to one narrow specialism.

It's an excellent opportunity for someone looking to broaden their data protection and compliance career, gaining exposure to risk, cyber security, consumer regulation and governance within a large and diverse property business.

If you're commercially minded, naturally inquisitive and believe the best compliance professionals help businesses find the right way to achieve their objectives, we'd love to hear from you.

What we offer

In return, we offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Competitive salary per annum depending on experience

• Discretionary bonus

• 25 days' holiday (exclusive of bank holidays)

• Private Medical Insurance

• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

• Health Hero digital GP and Health Assured Wisdom App

• Competitive parental leave

• 3x salary life assurance (option to increase to 4x)

• Employer-matched pension up to 5%

• On Site gym