Data Protection Specialist

Salary: £41,567 to £56,000 per annum, dependent on experience.

Location:

Milton Keynes office (hybrid – minimum 60% onsite, flexibly adjusted to business needs).

Employment type:

Full‑time permanent.

Closing date: 21/01/2026 (advert may close earlier if we receive a high volume of applications).

Make a real impact in Data Protection! Are you ready to play a critical role in safeguarding data and driving compliance excellence? We’re looking for a knowledgeable, pragmatic Data Protection Specialist to join our Legal & Compliance team.

• Provide expert guidance to the business on UK Data Protection laws and regulatory changes.
• Support the maintenance of Registers of Processing Activities (ROPA).
• Assist the business in undertaking Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA).
• Lead the assessment, oversight, and reporting of personal data breaches, including mandatory incident reporting to senior forums.
• Act as a key contact for front‑line and operational teams on DSARs, complaints, and litigation matters related to data protection.
• Develop and execute second‑line monitoring activities to assess compliance and drive improvements.
• Liaise with the ICO on customer complaints and regulatory enquiries, ensuring robust investigations and responses.
• Collaborate with Legal & Compliance colleagues and stakeholders across the business to resolve data protection and privacy‑related issues.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance data protection compliance and operational efficiency.

• Proven experience in providing data protection advice within Compliance and/or Legal functions at a specialist level.
• Excellent understanding of ICO guidance, codes and regulatory expectations within consumer credit or retail banking.
• Ability to manage complex and time‑sensitive workloads with precision, pragmatism and professionalism.
• Strong skills in researching, analysing and presenting complex regulatory information.
• Comfortable challenging views and interpreting regulatory guidance with accuracy and proportionality.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and negotiate effectively.

Bonus: discretionary 10% on‑target bonus (based on personal and Group company performance).

Pension:
Employer contribution 9% (based on employee contribution of 3%). VWFS will pay 6% if the employee chooses a 2% contribution.

Car schemes:
Choice of Employee Car Ownership (ECO) for petrol/diesel and hybrid vehicles plus car insurance, OR Company Car scheme for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) plus car insurance for you and a partner/eligible family member.

Other benefits:
Income protection (4x salary),
life assurance
, retail discount vouchers, access to Care Concierge (support for carers of adults), will writing service, cycle‑to‑work (subject to scheme restrictions).

After successful completion of probation you will have access to private medical insurance (with options for additional family cover), loan car scheme (up to 2 cars for eligible family members), and during our annual benefit window you can purchase critical illness cover and dental cover.

We invest in people:
Linked In Learning via Degreed, professional development programmes, mentoring schemes, and reciprocal partnerships to build your technical and soft skills.

Opportunity to make a difference by resolving data protection and privacy issues, collaborating with Legal & Compliance colleagues, and achieving our mission: ‘The Key to Mobility’ – making travel simple and accessible for everyone.

VWFS is proud to be an inclusive employer encouraging applications from a diverse range of candidates. We encourage all colleagues to be their 100% self.

Reasonable adjustments are available to assist applicants. We do not accept sponsorship requests – this role does not meet the UKVI’s criteria for a skilled worker sponsorship route.