Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer

Location: Pretoria, Gauteng
Job Type: Full-Time, Onsite
Annual Salary: ZAR 1,100,000 gross yearly

An established organisation is looking for an experienced Data Protection Officer to lead and oversee all data privacy and POPIA compliance activities. This role ensures the lawful processing of personal information, regulatory alignment, risk management, and privacy governance across the Group.

• Develop and implement policies and frameworks to ensure lawful processing of personal information.

• Oversee POPIA and PAIA compliance, including standards, procedures, privacy tools, and documentation.

• Conduct privacy impact assessments and recommend corrective actions.

• Lead incident and subject-request management in line with SLAs.

• Guide internal investigations and respond to regulator or stakeholder queries.

• Provide training to key roles and promote privacy awareness across the organisation.

• Present privacy updates to boards, executive committees, and management committees.

• Deliver statutory regulatory reporting as required.

• Provide advisory and consulting services on data privacy and access to information.

• Monitor international and local privacy trends and apply relevant best practices.

• Ensure governance forums meet legislative and privacy requirements.

• Approve privacy and security technical solutions to ensure compliance.

• Manage internal and external stakeholder relationships.

• Lead and prioritise organisation-wide privacy auditing.

• Manage team performance, resource utilisation, and quality of deliverables.

• Honours degree in Compliance, Law, Information Systems, Risk Management, or a related field.

• Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) or equivalent qualification.

• Additional certification, such as CISSP, CISM, or similar.

• 8-10 years of experience in data protection, data privacy, or information security, including compliance and implementation experience.

• Minimum 3 years of management or team-leadership experience.

• Deep knowledge of POPIA and relevant information legislation.

• Skills in:

  • Compliance assessment

  • Project management

  • Quality assurance

  • Continuous improvement

  • Business and industry awareness

  • Professional development and learning

• Expert understanding of data privacy legislation

• Strong leadership and stakeholder-management skills

• Excellent analytical and compliance-focused mindset

• Able to navigate high-pressure environments with sound judgment

• Strong communication, advisory, and training capabilities