Privacy Operations Manager

At AJ Bell, data is a strategic asset that underpins customer outcomes, regulatory compliance, operational resilience and business decision-making. As we continue to strengthen our data capabilities, We're looking for an experienced Privacy Operations Manager to join our Data Governance team and lead the day-to-day delivery and continuous improvement of AJ Bell's privacy operations.

Reporting to the Head of Data Governance, you'll be responsible for ensuring our privacy processes, controls and records are effective, well-governed and consistently operated across the business. Working closely with the Data Protection Officer, Risk and Compliance teams, you'll coordinate key activities including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Records of Processing Activities (ROPAs), retention and deletion, data subject rights and personal data incident management.

This is a varied role that combines operational delivery, process improvement and stakeholder engagement. You'll play an important part in embedding strong privacy practices, producing meaningful management information and ensuring AJ Bell can demonstrate compliance with its data protection obligations as the business continues to evolve.

What you'll be doing

As Privacy Operations Manager, you'll lead the operational delivery of AJ Bell's privacy management framework, ensuring key privacy processes, controls and records are effective, consistent and well-governed across the business.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Own and continually improve the operational processes, procedures, workflows and tooling used to implement privacy requirements across AJ Bell.
• Coordinate the DPIA process, ensuring assessments are initiated, completed, tracked and progressed through the required review and approval stages.
• Maintain the operational process for Records of Processing Activities, keep records complete, accurate and appropriately evidenced.
• Lead retention schedule implementation and coordinate deletion activities with Data Owners and Technology teams, ensuring actions are completed and appropriately evidenced.
• Support the Information Rights team in the fulfilment of data subject rights requests by coordinating data discovery, record retrieval and system searches across business areas and technology platforms.
• Operate and continually improve the processes and tooling used to identify, locate, retrieve and provide personal data required to support subject access requests and other information rights activities.
• Coordinate system-level activities required to fulfil approved erasure, rectification and restriction requests, ensuring actions are completed, evidenced and tracked through service management processes.
• Manage privacy-related service desk tickets and workflows, coordinating activity across technology and business teams to ensure personal data is appropriately located, amended, restricted or deleted where required.
• Maintain and develop operational processes for data discovery, data searches and personal data retrieval across AJ Bell systems and repositories.
• Develop repeatable methods and standards for locating personal data to support information rights requests, privacy investigations, incidents and regulatory enquiries.
• Maintain records and evidence demonstrating completion of privacy operational activities, including deletion actions, remediation activity, exceptions and outstanding actions.
• Produce management information on privacy operational performance, including service volumes, request completion rates, deletion activity, control performance and overdue actions.

What we're looking for

You'll be a collaborative and influential leader with experience delivering governance and data management capabilities within a regulated environment.

Essential experience

• Proven experience managing and developing teams within data governance, data quality, data privacy, analytics or related disciplines.
• Strong understanding of data governance frameworks, controls and best practice.
• Experience implementing and operating data ownership, stewardship and data quality management processes.
• Experience managing data risk, data issues and governance improvement initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and engage at all levels of the organisation.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a practical approach to delivering business outcomes.
• Experience working in a regulated environment.

Essential knowledge and skills

• Strong practical understanding of data protection principles and how they are implemented through business processes, systems and operational controls.
• Experience coordinating data discovery, record retrieval and personal data searches across multiple business systems, applications and repositories.
• Experience operating service management processes and managing workflow-driven activities through ticketing, case management or similar platforms.
• Strong understanding of how personal data is stored, managed, retrieved, amended and deleted within operational and technology environments.
• Experience designing, documenting and improving operational processes, controls, workflows and management information.
• Ability to coordinate activity across business and technology teams and drive actions through to successful completion.
• Understanding of the distinction between operational ownership, business accountability and independent privacy oversight.

Desirable

• Ideally, you’ll hold a recognised data protection or privacy qualification such as:
  • BCS Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection (formerly ISEB Certificate in Data Protection)
  • CIPP/E
  • CIPM
  • Or an equivalent professional qualification

About AJ Bell

At AJ Bell, we believe investing should feel good. Whether you're looking for an ISA, pension or dealing account, whether you want to invest with the help of a financial adviser or do it yourself, we have easy-to-use solutions to suit people from all walks of life.

We're one of the UK's fastest-growing investment platform businesses, trusted by everyone from professional financial advisers to first-time investors.

Today, over 762,000 customers trust us to manage more than £121.5 billion of assets. By continually striving to make investing simpler and more accessible, we're helping more people take control of their financial futures.

We're proud to be recognised as one of the UK's Best 100 Companies to Work For for six consecutive years, and a Great Place to Work® in 2025 and 2026, a reflection of our supportive and collaborative culture.

What we offer

• Competitive starting salary
• 27 days holiday, increasing with service + buy/sell scheme + bank holidays
• 8% Pension with matched contributions
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Share schemes (including free shares and BAYE)
• Health Cash Plan and discounted private healthcare
• Free gym
• Enhanced family leave (subject to qualifying criteria)
• Travel and bike loan schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme

Life at AJ Bell

• Regular social events including summer and Christmas parties
• Learning and development opportunities tailored to you
• Casual dress code
• Friendly, supportive team environment

Our ways of working

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you'll spend a minimum of 50% of working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be spent full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.

Inclusion & diversity

We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected, supported and able to be themselves at work.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and make hiring decisions based on skills, experience and potential.

Agency information

This vacancy is being managed exclusively by our in-house Recruitment team. We are not partnering with recruitment agencies on this opportunity and will only accept applications submitted directly by candidates.