Data Protection Associate

Assenteo; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Assenteo is seeking a Data Protection Associate to lead privacy for a portfolio of startup clients. You’ll act as day-to-day privacy lead, spotting needs before clients ask and contributing to new work. You’ll work with the Founder and CEO on strategic matters, shaping privacy at scale in an AI-first environment.

You’ll own DPIAs/ROPAs, policies, and DPAs, review AI use cases for privacy risk, and help win new business with a share of revenue. Fully remote, UK/EU hours, competitive career path.

Qualifications

• Around three years of experience in data protection, privacy or compliance.
• Practical, working knowledge of GDPR and UK GDPR.
• Confidence working directly with founders and senior stakeholders.
• Proven ability to juggle several clients and find the next piece of work without being asked.
• Clear writing that turns complex legal points into practical advice.
• A growth mindset and ease with change and uncertainty.

Responsibilities

• Set up privacy programs and advise on GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA and EU AI Act compliance, turning requirements into practical steps for product and engineering teams.
• Own DPIAs, ROPAs, gap analyses, privacy policies, notices and procedures.
• Review and negotiate DPAs.
• Review new products and features, including AI use cases, and advise client teams on privacy risk.
• Handle privacy pushback from clients' customers, including security questionnaires, FAQs and trust centres, so privacy helps close deals rather than slow them down.
• Keep SOC 2 and ISO 27001 documentation current and clients audit-ready.
• Support readiness assessments and implementation against AI governance frameworks such as ISO 42001 and A-RAiA.
• Coordinate incident response and breach management.
• Spot new work within existing clients and help win new ones.
• Track regulatory change and find where AI tools can replace manual steps.

Skills

Data protection

Privacy compliance

GDPR knowledge

UK GDPR knowledge

Stakeholder management

Clear writing

Growth mindset

Education

Law degree or equivalent practical experience

Job description

Assenteo is the data protection operations partner behind AI-native companies. We act as an on-demand privacy partner to fast-growing, data-sensitive startups, helping them build customer trust and meet complex regulatory requirements without slowing down. To date our team has supported more than 100 organisations, who have raised over $1.1 billion, and reach over 10 million users, with data protection and compliance.

We work where human accountability meets technical assurance. We act as the appointed DPO for our clients, run readiness and gap assessments against GDPR, HIPAA and security frameworks like ISO 42001 and SOC 2, and our own A-RAiA certification. We enable companies to turn good data protection into a reason enterprise customers say yes.

Joining Assenteo means four things:

• Attitude over experience. We hire for mindset and drive, not a long CV.
• Continuous curiosity. We don't accept the norm, move fast and strive for excellence.
• Love for tech. We love the novel. We're here to shape the next big thing.
• Output-first. We judge work by outcomes, not hours online.

About the role

This is an ownership role, not a task list. As a Data Protection Associate, you'll run a portfolio of startup clients as their day-to-day privacy lead, spot what they need before they ask, and bring in new work. When you help win new business, you share in it through a percentage of the revenue.

You'll work alongside our Founder and CEO on the most strategic, DPO-level matters, and help shape how a small, AI-first team delivers privacy work at scale. It's a chance to work at the frontier of AI regulation, with some of the fastest-moving companies building in it.

Responsibilities

• Set up privacy programs and advise on GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA and EU AI Act compliance, turning requirements into practical steps for product and engineering teams
• Own DPIAs, ROPAs, gap analyses, privacy policies, notices and procedures
• Review and negotiate DPAs
• Review new products and features, including AI use cases, and advise client teams on privacy risk
• Handle privacy pushback from clients' customers, including security questionnaires, FAQs and trust centres, so privacy helps close deals rather than slow them down
• Keep SOC 2 and ISO 27001 documentation current and clients audit-ready
• Support readiness assessments and implementation against AI governance frameworks such as ISO 42001 and A-RAiA
• Coordinate incident response and breach management
• Spot new work within existing clients and help win new ones
• Track regulatory change and find where AI tools can replace manual steps

Who we are looking for

• Around three years of experience in data protection, privacy or compliance, ideally in startups or high-growth tech
• Practical, working knowledge of GDPR and UK GDPR
• Confidence working directly with founders and senior stakeholders
• Proven ability to juggle several clients and find the next piece of work without being asked
• Clear writing that turns complex legal points into practical advice
• A growth mindset and ease with change and uncertainty

Preferred qualifications

• CIPP/E, CIPM or equivalent certification
• Working knowledge of HIPAA and CCPA
• Working knowledge of the EU AI Act or ISO 42001
• Experience supporting enterprise sales, such as security questionnaires or DPA negotiations

Logistics

Location: Fully remote. You'll need to work UK/EU hours.

Minimum experience: Around three years in data protection, privacy or compliance.

Minimum education: Law degree or equivalent practical experience

We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every qualification. Attitude over experience is one of our core values, and we'd rather hear from a curious, driven person than miss them.

Come work with us

You'll get strategic, DPO-level work and ownership of client relationships, close collaboration with an experienced DPO, fully remote working on UK/EU hours, and a percentage of revenue from new business you help win.

Assenteo is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.