Data Protection Officer – FinTech

About the role

The Data Protection Officer will lead the privacy and data‑governance programme for a fast‑growing FinTech firm in the Middle East. Reporting to senior leadership, you will ensure compliance with data‑protection regulations and embed privacy‑by‑design across all technology solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Design, implement and operate the privacy programme, including policies, standards, procedures and controls.
• Maintain data‑mapping and Records of Processing Activities for cloud services, data platforms and AI/ML workflows.
• Conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments and risk assessments for new products and AI use cases.
• Collaborate with Tech and Information Security teams to embed privacy‑by‑design in architecture, SDLC/CI‑CD and the data lifecycle.
• Implement practical controls for data minimisation, access, logging, classification, retention, deletion and transparency.
• Manage data‑subject‑rights requests, verification, fulfilment and audit trails.
• Support privacy incident response, breach notification and coordinate with legal and operations.
• Oversee privacy controls for vendors, cloud providers and AI partners, including due diligence and monitoring.
• Maintain metrics and evidence for audits, regulatory readiness and client due‑diligence.

Required profile

• Minimum 7 years of experience in data protection, technical privacy, information security or data governance within a technology‑led or FinTech environment.
• Strong IT, cybersecurity or technical data‑governance background.
• Hands‑on experience designing and operating privacy controls across cloud services, applications, APIs and data platforms.
• Proven track record delivering data mapping, RoPA, DPIAs, data‑subject‑rights processes and privacy incident support.
• Experience applying privacy‑by‑design in cloud‑native architectures and product development.
• Familiarity with AI/ML workflow risks and third‑party AI services.
• FinTech or regulated‑industry experience is preferred.
• Relevant privacy certifications (CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM) are a plus.

Required skills

• Cloud services (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Data platforms and APIs
• AI/ML workflow governance
• Data mapping and Records of Processing Activities (RoPA)
• Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA)
• Data classification and retention controls
• Privacy incident response
• Privacy‑by‑design implementation