Data Protection Officer

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

Job summary

A leading organization seeks an experienced Data Protection Officer in Pretoria to oversee data privacy and compliance with POPIA. The role involves developing policies, managing compliance, and leading a team to ensure lawful processing of personal information. The ideal candidate has 8-10 years in data protection with strong leadership skills and relevant qualifications like CIPM. This position offers a competitive salary and requires expertise in compliance and risk management.

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 for lawful processing of personal information.
• Oversee POPIA and PAIA compliance.
• Conduct privacy impact assessments.
• Lead incident and subject-request management.
• Guide internal investigations and respond to queries.
• Provide training for key roles.
• Present privacy updates to board and management.
• Deliver statutory regulatory reporting as required.
• Provide advisory services on data privacy.
• Monitor privacy trends and apply best practices.
• Ensure governance forums meet requirements.
• Approve privacy and security technical solutions.
• Manage stakeholder relationships.
• Lead privacy auditing.
• Manage team performance.

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 (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