Data Protection Officer

Essence Coaching Group; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1 100 000; Full time

Job summary

A respected organisation is seeking an experienced Data Protection Officer in Pretoria, Gauteng. The successful candidate will lead data privacy compliance and governance, ensuring lawful processing of personal information. Ideal candidates possess an honours degree, relevant certifications, and extensive experience in data protection. Strong stakeholder management and analytical skills are essential. This is a full-time, onsite opportunity with an annual salary of ZAR 1,100,000 gross.

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of experience in data protection, data privacy, or information security.
• Minimum 3 years of management or team-leadership experience.
• Deep knowledge of POPIA and relevant information legislation.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement policies and frameworks for lawful processing of personal information.
• Oversee POPIA and PAIA compliance.
• Conduct privacy impact assessments and recommend corrective actions.
• Guide internal investigations and respond to regulator queries.
• Provide training to promote privacy awareness.

Skills

Compliance assessment

Project management

Quality assurance

Continuous improvement

Business and industry awareness

Professional development and learning

Education

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

Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) or equivalent qualification

Additional certification such as CISSP, CISM, or similar

Job description

Data Protection Officer

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

Overview

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.

Key Responsibilities

• 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.

Requirements

• 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

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 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