Data Protection Specialist

Job summary

Are you experienced in data protection?

Do you have risk management experience?

Would you like to support the Head of Data Protection, ensuring that provision of expert data protection advice to the organisation is delivered in a timely and compliant manner?

If so, we are looking for a Data Protection Specialist to join us at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and we'd love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) implements the government’s maritime safety policy in the United Kingdom and works to prevent the loss of life and occurrence of pollution on the coast and at sea.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here

• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday

• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at MCA roles: MCA Homepage , Civil Service Careers

Job description

Who are the Data Protection Team?

The Data Protection team works as part of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA’s) Corporate Governance framework to inform the Agency’s compliance with Data Protection and Information Access Legislations.

The team provides independent, expert advice and guidance to the Agency, its staff, volunteers and third parties. The team act as a point of contact for individuals whose personal data the MCA process and ensure lawful and compliant processing and disclosure of personal information under the relevant legislations.

The function acts to ensure that the MCA’s Executive Officers and Board are adequately informed and advised of Data Protection and Information Access risks, best practice and relevant updates or changes to the regulatory landscape.

What is the purpose of a Data Protection Specialist?

The Data Protection Specialist will support and deputise for the Head of Data Protection, ensuring that provision of expert data protection advice to the organisation is delivered in a timely and compliant manner.

The role will support the Head of Data Protection in carrying out the delegated statutory tasks of the Department for Transport (DfT) Data Protection Officer (DPO), to facilitate and support the MCA’s compliance with Data Protection Legislations, ensuring a sensible and proportionate approach is taken to help the department do its business in a way that inspires staff and public trust and confidence.

Your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Manage the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) process, ensuring the agency undertakes DPIAs when required. Advise on and assess risks identified in Data Protection Impact Assessments, working with stakeholders to mitigate risks. Assist in the management of referrals to the DPO and Information Commissioner Office (ICO) where residual risk remains high.
• Manage the Data Protection risk register identifying data protection compliance risks alongside other business risks. Escalating these risks to the Head of Data Protection, the DPO and MCA Senior Information Responsible Officer (SIRO) in accordance with internal risk escalation procedures.
• Maintain the record of processing activities (ROPA) log, ensuring capture and record of associated privacy notices, Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Data Sharing Agreements and compliance activities that relate to the processing activity.
• Assist the Head of Data Protection in responding to formal complaints received from data subjects, managing the logging and recording of complaints processed and assisting with complaint investigations.
• Review and maintain the MCA’s Privacy Notices, ensuring data subjects are accurately informed about MCA processing and the rights available to them. Ensuring relevant and accessible Privacy Notices are in place where required.
• Monitor compliance with data protection legislations for the MCA, undertaking regular audit activities to assess the MCA’s protection of personal data, including the assignment of responsibilities, awareness raising and training of staff involved in processing activities. Provide regular data protection compliance updates to the Head of Data Protection for representation to the DPO and the MCA SIRO. Highlight areas of concern and assist in preparing action and mitigation plans.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills set out in the Civil Service Line Management Standards.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Required experience:

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Considerable experience in data protection, successfully obtained Data Protection Practitioners Certificate, or have sufficient comparable prior experience and knowledge to undertake this soon after starting the role.
• Experience in information security principals and standards and be able to apply this alongside data protection legislation to advise data and security professionals in developing data management standards and processes.
• A history of working collaboratively and inclusively with external organisations and other stakeholders, sharing information and knowledge to achieve common aims.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, highly skilled in the delivery and absorption of information with colleagues at all levels.
• Excellent presentation and public speaking ability, particularly with regard to delivery of training and reporting to senior executives.
• A background in managing diverse teams of people, motivating them to deliver challenging and sometimes conflicting objectives.
• Experience in information access legislation; the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the subject access provisions under UK GDPR/ DPA and the exemptions and application of those requirements.
• Understanding of the information access and data protection regimes, including understanding of records management regulations and best practices.
• Experience in risk management methodologies.

Additional Information

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. Therefore, this role is not open to applications from those who require sponsorship – candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,900, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes £13,297 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here

• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).

• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.

• Access to the staff discount portal.

• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

How to Apply

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview and presentation

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1000-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Data protection requirements and best practices.
• Working collaboratively and inclusively with stakeholders of varying levels.
• Presentation and public speaking ability, particularly with regard to delivery of training and reporting to senior executives.
• Managing diverse teams of people, motivating them to deliver challenging and sometimes conflicting objectives.

The sift will take place the week commencing the 16th of November 2026.

Stage 2: Interview and presentation

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing and Managing a Quality Service.

You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation to assess the Behaviour Making Effective Decisions. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place the week commencing the 30th of November 2026.

This interview will be conducted in person at our Southampton office (Spring Place, Commercial Road, Southampton). Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit theHow We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Contract

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Vetting

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Rob Brown
• Email : robert.brown@mcga.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Click here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/) to visit Civil Service Commission

Attachments

Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 239kB)