Data Protection Officer

Own data protection for a UK\-regulated group that looks after children, NHS patients and the people who care for them. Aetheria Group is appointing a Group Data Protection Officer — a senior, board\-visible role with genuine independence, real cross\-sector complexity and a long\-term career path. If you have UK GDPR depth and want to build and lead a data\-protection function rather than administer one, this is a rare opportunity. **About Aetheria Group** Aetheria Group is a UK\-headquartered, globally accessible group operating across regulated public\-sector and healthcare environments. Through our Frontline companies we support children's social care, NHS clinical insourcing, and healthcare workforce and recruitment services. Our work touches some of the most sensitive data in the economy, and we hold ourselves to a high standard of governance, integrity and public trust. **The opportunity** As Group Data Protection Officer you will lead and assure data protection across Aetheria Group and its operating companies. This is a statutory data protection officer role: you will operate independently, advise the business, monitor compliance, and report to the highest level of management with direct access to senior leadership. You will be the single accountable owner of data\-protection compliance across the group — trusted, autonomous and visible at board level. **What you will do** • Lead compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 across the group and its companies. • Maintain the records of processing activities and the group's accountability evidence base. • Advise on and monitor Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for high\-risk processing. • Run the data subject access request (DSAR) and personal\-data\-breach processes end to end. • Assure suppliers and processors, and report on their data\-protection adequacy. • Support NHS information governance and Data Security and Protection Toolkit evidence. • Advise on children's social\-care and safeguarding data with care and proportionality. • Support the group's information\-security assurance and certification work from a governance perspective. • Deliver data\-protection training and awareness across the group. • Report to the Board through a clear, quarterly data\-protection assurance dashboard. **What we are looking for** • Demonstrable UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 experience. • A background as a DPO, privacy, information\-governance, compliance or risk professional. • Experience handling sensitive / special\-category data. • DSAR and personal\-data\-breach handling experience. • DPIA experience, or strong demonstrable knowledge. • A sound grasp of controller and processor relationships. • Strong written English, and the confidence to challenge senior stakeholders constructively. • High integrity and a strong confidentiality discipline. **Desirable experience** • A prior UK Data Protection Officer role. • A recognised certification (for example CIPP/E, CIPM, BCS or GDPR Practitioner). • Experience in healthcare/NHS, social care or children's services, government or public sector, banking or finance, outsourcing, or consulting, audit and risk. • NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit, or information\-security scheme, familiarity. • Supplier\-assurance and international\-transfer awareness. (These are desirable, not essential — we will support the right person to deepen this knowledge.) **What we offer** • A senior, board\-visible, group\-level role with genuine statutory independence. • Meaningful, UK\-regulated work that helps protect children, patients and workers. • Structured mentoring from senior UK data\-protection expertise to deepen your UK GDPR, **NHS and social\-care knowledge.** • A genuine long\-term career path — we are looking for someone to build and grow with us. • Exposure across health, social care, recruitment, outsourcing and technology. • A negotiable salary, commensurate with experience. **Location and working pattern** Islamabad, Pakistan — office\-based, full\-time, Monday to Friday, on GMT\-aligned hours (approximately 08:30–17:30 GMT\-equivalent). You will work within a secure, UK\-hosted remote\-access environment. This is an office\-based role in our Islamabad office. **How to apply** Apply through LinkedIn with your CV and a short covering note explaining your UK GDPR experience and why this long\-term role appeals to you. **Equal opportunity** Aetheria Group is committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates and select solely on merit against the genuine requirements of the role. We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process on request. **Your application data** The information you provide will be used only for recruitment for this role. It will be handled confidentially and may be shared internally with the people involved in hiring. Retention is subject to our recruitment privacy notice, and you may request further information about how your data is handled at any time.