Reports to IT and Compliance Manager

Hours 22.5 hours

Salary £33,714.34 - £35,029.20 (FTE)

Contract Fixed term to March 27 (desire to extend based on funding)

Location Remote

Benefits A generous package including 25 days holiday per year (pro-rata) plus public holidays, employee pension scheme with 4% employer contribution, Cycle2Workwork scheme, 365 days a year Employee Assistance Programme

Who are we?

We are SafeLives, the UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good.   

We work with organisations across the UK to transform the response to domestic abuse. We want what you would want for your best friend. We listen to survivors, putting their voices at the heart of our thinking. We look at the whole picture for each individual and family to get the right help at the right time to make families everywhere safe and well. And we challenge perpetrators to change, asking ‘why doesn’t he stop?’ rather than ‘why doesn’t she leave?’ This applies whatever the gender of the victim or perpetrator and whatever the nature of their relationship.   

Last year alone, nearly 13,500 professionals received our training. Over 70,000 adults at risk of serious harm or murder and more than 85,000 children received support through dedicated multi-agency support designed by us and delivered with partners. In the last four years, over 2,000 perpetrators have been challenged and supported to change by interventions we created with partners, and that’s just the start.   

Together we can end domestic abuse. Forever. For everyone.   

About The Drive Partnership 

The Drive Partnership, established by Respect, SafeLives, and Social Finance in 2015, is working to end domestic abuse and protect victim-survivors by disrupting, challenging, and changing the behaviour of those who are causing harm. The Drive Partnership does this through the development of innovative perpetrator responses and advocating for systems and policy change to develop sustainable, national systems that respond more effectively to all perpetrators to increase the safety and freedom of all adult and child victim-survivors. 

Purpose

Following a four-year investment from the Home Office announced in July 2025, the Drive Project – the Drive Partnership’s flagship intervention for high-risk, high-harm and serial perpetrators of domestic abuse – will expand across all areas in England and Wales, with the vast majority of funding flowing directly to local perpetrator services and victim-survivor services by nature of the Drive Project’s model. 

To support the safe implementation of the expansion of the Drive Project intervention, we are seeking a proactive, solution focused individual to work with Drive Partnership and SafeLives, and our delivery sites to ensure our Data Protection policies and practice are up to date, and being consistently adhered to.

This is a new role and will spend two days working to support the Drive Partnership and one day to support SafeLives directly. For more information on SafeLives and the Drive Partnership, please see below.

The role is sensitive by nature and involves dealing with highly confidential and complex information.

Position context

This role sits within the Finance Department and is a critical support function across SafeLives and the Drive Partnership . The Data Protection Officer will be managed by the IT and Compliance Manager and will also work closely with the Head of Operations and Practice Advisors in the Drive Partnership, and , Heads and the Leadership Team to ensure the smooth operating of the business.

Data Protection

• Act as the organisation’s dedicated Data Protection specialist, holding relevant Data Protection certifications and maintaining up‑to‑date expertise in UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Ensure the organisation maintains an appropriate and risk‑based level of data protection compliance, embedding data protection by design across processes, systems and programmes of work.
• Be responsible for the implementation and monitoring of Data Protection policies, procedures and guidance, and deliver training to staff to ensure they understand their responsibilities when managing personal data.
• Provide specialist advice and support to teams on DPIAs, Data Sharing Agreements, Privacy Notices, lawful basis for processing and any other complex data protection queries.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive logs of data protection incidents, concerns and breaches, assessing risk to data subjects and escalating or reporting to the ICO where required and as directed by the IT and Compliance Manager, Head of Finance or SLT.
• Coordinate Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) and other data rights requests, including reviewing personal data, undertaking or validating redactions, and ensuring timely and compliant responses.
• Oversee the ongoing development and maintenance of the Information Asset Register, ensuring all business critical assets are identified, documented and accessible for Business Continuity and incident response

Relationship Management

• Liaise with external consultants for independent advice or review of complex, high‑risk or sensitive data protection matters, as directed by the IT and Compliance Manager, and for any auditing requirements.
• Support Practice Advisors in the Drive Partnership with specialist data protection advice and guidance to facilitate the safe management of shared data between the Drive Partnership and Drive delivery sites.
• Escalate significant data protection risks or issues to the IT and Compliance Manager and contribute to formal organisational reporting, including quarterly updates via the Trustees report.

Administration

• To support the IT and Compliance Manager and the Finance team with any administration if capacity allows

General responsibilities

• To engage in a constructive and effective way with all survivors of abuse, through contact to the office, Pioneer interaction, colleagues and any other interaction we have in our day-to-day work.
• Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required

Experience

• Strong working knowledge of UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, PECR, and ICO guidance and with relevant qualifications. (E)
• Experience managing data protection compliance within a charity, public sector, or safeguarding‑focused organisation. (D)
• Understanding of safeguarding principles, particularly relating to domestic abuse, confidentiality, and safe data‑sharing protocols. (D)

Skills

• Ability to interpret legislation and communicate requirements clearly to non‑specialists. (E)
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with a meticulous attention to detail. (E)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce policies and understand complex procedures. (E)
• Capacity to manage competing priorities and work independently in a part‑time capacity. (E)
• High levels of integrity, discretion, and professional judgement when handling sensitive and data. (E)
• Knowledge of secure data‑handling technologies and cyber‑security principles. (E)

Competencies

Delivering quality

• Self-starter with the ability to use initiative and judgement to identify problems and propose solutions
• Good organisational skills including the ability to manage multiple projects and meet tight deadlines
• Takes responsibility for own workload, acts on own initiative, seeks feedback from others, evaluates own performance and then acts upon it
• Tries out new ideas and ways of working and identifies and shares learning.

Teamwork

• Works effectively as part of a team to deliver shared objectives and to build team spirit
• Supports colleagues in demanding situations, recognises the importance of well-being in self and others, accepts help and support from other team members
• Listens to the views of others

Communication & Relationship management

• Builds and maintains good relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders
• Speaks and writes clearly and effectively and in a timely manner to both internal and external audiences
• Tailors communication to suit the audience

Influence

• Inspires confidence and trust– demonstrating high standards of integrity, honesty and fairness
• Actively engages the knowledge, ideas and contributions of others.

Innovation and creativity

• Looks for ways to improve current practice
• Tries out new ideas, working practices and technologies to improve own ways of working

Teamwork and collaboration

• Understands the benefits of teamwork and contributes willingly
• Works towards shared objectives
• Shows flexibility and works with collective decisions

Communication and relationship management

• Uses appropriate techniques to influence others
• Communicates professionally internally and externally, both written and verbal
• Builds good relationships with a range of suppliers and external stakeholders to improve service delivery
• Maintains confidentiality

Self-management

• Plans and prioritises work effectively, with the ability to manage small projects and multiple deadlines
• Takes responsibility for own workload
• Is solution rather than problem focussed
• Flexible approach when dealing with colleagues and external stakeholders

Goal orientation

• Demonstrates an understanding of how their own role contributes to achieving SafeLives’ goals
• Is responsive to change which helps achieve goals
• Pursues tasks/goals with energy, drive and need for completion

Equality and Inclusion

SafeLives is committed to providing equal opportunities for all, irrespective of age, disability, race, sex, religion/belief, sexuality, gender identity, marital/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and working patterns. We are keen to have staff that appropriately represents all the communities we serve as an organisation.

Lived Experience

We believe there is no ‘them and us’ in domestic abuse, and recognise that applicants may have direct or indirect experience of their own, whether disclosed or not. We are committed to placing lived experience of domestic abuse at the heart of all we do, and colleagues who chose to share their personal expertise can do so openly and with organisational support.

If there is any discussion during the course of the recruitment process regarding a candidate's personal experience of domestic abuse, it will be treated confidentially and will not be shared outside of the interview panel/Human Resources.