Data Proctection Officer

Job Title:

Data Protection Officer (DPO) / Data Protection Consultant

Location:

[Bahrain / Saudi Arabia / Hybrid]

Position Type:

Full-Time / Consultancy

Mandatory Language:

Arabic read and write

Role Summary

The Data Protection Officer (DPO) / Consultant is responsible for leading, advising, and ensuring organizational compliance with applicable data protection and privacy laws in Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including the Bahrain Personal Data Protection Law and the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), along with international best practices. The DPO will act as the primary liaison with regulatory authorities, company leadership, and internal stakeholders to establish and maintain robust data protection governance, risk management, and compliance frameworks.

This role combines strategic oversight, regulatory compliance management, and operational data protection functions to safeguard the rights of data subjects and the organization’s adherence to applicable legal requirements.

Key Responsibilities

1. Regulatory Compliance & Governance

• Lead and oversee the design, implementation, assessments and maintenance of data protection frameworks and governance structures in line with Bahrain and Saudi data protection laws and regulations.
• Monitor and interpret changes in data protection legislation, regulatory guidance, and industry best practices; advise senior management on compliance implications.
• Ensure that personal data processing activities across the organization comply with applicable legal requirements.

2. Policy Development & Implementation

• Understanding of Bahraini and Saudi Data privacy Laws
• Develop, review, and enforce data protection policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards, ensuring alignment with legal requirements (e.g., cross-border data transfer controls, data retention, purpose limitation, and privacy notices).

3. Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) & Risk Management

• Lead DPIAs for high-risk processing activities and ensure appropriate mitigation strategies are implemented.
• Conduct regular risk assessments, compliance audits, and gap analyses to evaluate the organization’s data protection posture and identify improvement opportunities.

4. Regulatory Liaison & Reporting

• Serve as the official point of contact between the organization and relevant data protection authorities (e.g., Bahrain Data Protection Authority and Saudi Authority for Data & AI / SDAIA).
• Prepare and submit mandatory notifications — including breach reports, compliance reports, and regulatory filings — according to legal requirements.

5. Data Subject Rights Management

• Establish and manage processes for responding to data subject requests (access, correction, deletion, objection) in accordance with legal timelines and standards.
• Oversee complaint handling and ensure timely and compliant responses to data subject inquiries.

6. Incident & Breach Response

• Develop and maintain an effective data breach response plan, including breach detection, containment, forensic investigation, notification to regulators and affected individuals as required.

7. Training & Awareness

• Design and deliver comprehensive data protection training programs to employees, contractors, and business partners to enhance awareness of privacy obligations and foster a culture of compliance.
• Provide ongoing support and consultation to business units on data protection matters.

8. Documentation & Recordkeeping

• Ensure up-to-date maintenance of records of processing activities (RoPA), data inventories, program documentation, audit reports, and compliance evidence.

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Law, Information Security, Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, IT Governance, or related field.

Experience

• 2+ years of experience in data protection, privacy compliance, or information security roles.
• Prior experience as a DPO, privacy manager, or senior data compliance role is highly desirable.

Skills & Certifications

• In-depth knowledge of Bahrain and Saudi data protection laws and compliance requirements (Bahrain PDPL, Saudi PDPL).
• Professional certifications such as CIPP/E, CIPP/A, CIPM, CDPO, or equivalent are highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of privacy principles (data minimization, lawful basis for processing, privacy by design).
• Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to synthesize legal and technical requirements into actionable compliance programs.

Key Competencies

• Regulatory interpretation and compliance strategy.
• Risk assessment and mitigation planning.
• Cross-functional collaboration (legal, IT, security, operations).
• Reporting and documentation excellence.
• Independent judgement and ethical decision-making.

Reporting Line

• Reports to: Senior Manager Consulting (as stipulated for independence in data protection reporting).

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package.
• Opportunity to shape and lead data protection compliance across key GCC jurisdictions.
• Exposure to cross-border regulatory frameworks and digital transformation initiatives

Job Type: Full-time