Data Protection Officer

Company Description

Sovereign AI is a UK-based AI infrastructure and solutions provider building the next generation of sovereign-grade AI data centres across EMEA. Designed for resilience, security, and scale, Sovereign AI enables commercial and government customers to deploy advanced AI with confidence in environments where performance, reliability, and compliance are non-negotiable. Focused on regulated and mission-critical sectors including Government, Defence, Healthcare, and Financial Services, Sovereign AI is creating the trusted foundations for AI adoption at scale, combining robust infrastructure with disciplined governance to support long-term innovation and national-level capability.

Role Description

What you'll be doing

• Own and oversee the enterprise-wide data protection framework, ensuring compliance with UK GDPR and other applicable privacy laws.

• Provide guidance on privacy considerations in AI development, training data, inference systems and data infrastructure, including emerging AI regulatory frameworks.

• Embed privacy-by-design and default principles across AI platforms, data centre architecture and product development processes.

• Lead and review DPIAs and risk assessments for high-risk, large-scale or sensitive data processing activities.

• Advise on data residency, localisation and cross-border data transfers across EMEA, including transfer impact assessments, safeguards and sovereign cloud environments.

• Act as the primary point of contact for regulators (including the ICO), managing regulatory enquiries, audits and investigations.

• Oversee personal data breach response processes, including risk assessment, notification obligations and remediation actions.

• Ensure effective processes are in place to manage data subject rights requests.

• Support privacy due diligence and contractual controls across vendors, partners and infrastructure providers.

• Promote data protection awareness across the organisation through training, policies and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in Law or other relevant discipline, or demonstrable equivalent experience in legal, regulatory, compliance or data protection roles.

• Recognised professional certification in data protection and privacy (for example CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT or equivalent) strongly preferred.

• Substantial knowledge of UK and EU data protection legislation, including the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018 and related regulatory guidance.

• Proven experience advising senior stakeholders on data protection compliance, risk management and regulatory engagement.

• Demonstrable ability to operate independently, exercise sound judgement and challenge constructively where required.

Why join us?

• Opportunity to shape the legal function in a scaling business

• Work at the forefront of AI infrastructure and emerging technology

• High visibility and impact across senior leadership

• A collaborative, ambitious, and fast-paced environment