Data Protection Specialist

Brightwater Recruitment; Cork; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Brightwater Recruitment represents a fast-growing health insurance business in Ireland seeking a Senior Compliance Officer to lead the second-line compliance framework and partner on risk, data protection and regulatory matters.

Reporting to the CRCO, you will deliver the annual compliance plan, manage regulatory reporting and support risk governance across the organisation.

Qualifications

• 4–5+ years’ experience in compliance within financial services.
• Strong knowledge of GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Familiarity with Central Bank of Ireland requirements and related regimes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of the annual Compliance Plan and CMP, including testing and remediation tracking.
• Maintain the compliance universe of obligations and assess new regulatory requirements.
• Draft, review and maintain policies, procedures and standards; deliver training on regulatory topics.
• Investigate conduct risk issues, breaches, incidents; support root cause analysis.
• Prepare Central Bank returns, regulatory correspondence, ad hoc requests.
• Prepare compliance reporting for Committees and the Board.
• Support the Risk Management Framework, maintain risk registers and KPIs.
• Act as a data protection point of contact, supporting DPIAs and breach management.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather risk and compliance data; oversee third-party oversight.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

GDPR

Central Bank of Ireland

Risk management

Data protection

Education

Compliance, law, finance or business qualification

Job description

Our client is a fast-growing health insurance business in Ireland, built to challenge the status quo with faster access to care, genuine value and customer service that puts people first. Backed by an established international insurance group, the business pairs the stability of a major insurer with the pace and ambition of a challenger brand. With the business scaling quickly, this is an excellent time to join a lean, high-impact team.

The business is a regulated health insurance intermediary, authorised and supervised by the Central Bank of Ireland. Reporting to the Chief Risk and Compliance Officer (CRCO), the Senior Compliance Officer will play a central role in operating and embedding an effective second-line compliance framework, with support across enterprise risk management and data protection. This is a hands-on role for an experienced compliance professional who wants real ownership and visibility in a growing organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of the annual Compliance Plan and Compliance Monitoring Programme (CMP), including testing, reporting and tracking remediation to closure.
• Maintain the compliance universe of applicable legal and regulatory obligations, monitoring upcoming regulatory developments and ensuring new requirements are assessed, communicated and implemented.
• Draft, review and maintain compliance policies, procedures and standards, and deliver training and awareness on regulatory, risk and data protection topics.
• Investigate and log conduct risk issues, errors, breaches and incidents, escalating appropriately and supporting root cause analysis and remediation.
• Prepare Central Bank of Ireland returns, regulatory correspondence and responses to ad hoc information requests.
• Prepare compliance reporting for the Risk and Compliance Committee, Audit Committee and the Board.
• Support the Risk Management Framework, including maintaining the risk register, risk appetite metrics and key risk indicators, and facilitating risk workshops with business owners.
• Act as a key point of contact on data protection matters, supporting the DPO/CRCO with DPIAs, records of processing activities, breach management and subject access requests under GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Partner with stakeholders across the business to gather key risk and compliance data and metrics.
• Support outsourcing oversight, third-party due diligence and operational resilience activities, and act as a point of contact for the outsourced Internal Audit function.
• Promote a strong compliance and risk culture, advising first-line teams on how to apply regulatory requirements in practice.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• 4–5+ years’ experience in compliance (ideally with exposure to risk and data protection) within financial services, preferably insurance, insurance intermediation or another regulated sector.
• Strong working knowledge of Central Bank of Ireland requirements, including the Consumer Protection Code, Insurance Distribution Regulations and the Fitness and Probity regime.
• Practical knowledge of GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, including DPIAs, breach management and records of processing.
• A relevant qualification in compliance, law, finance or business is desirable (e.g. LCI’s Professional Diploma in Compliance).
• Excellent analytical, report-writing and communication skills, with the confidence to engage senior stakeholders and regulators.
• A self-starter who thrives in a small second-line function and can manage multiple regulatory deadlines.