Implementation and Organisational Rollout

• Develop and deliver the ROPA implementation strategy.
• Create deployment, onboarding and business readiness plans.
• Coordinate implementation activities across business areas.
• Lead stakeholder engagement and organisational adoption.
• Establish appropriate support arrangements, user guidance and operating processes.
• Ensure implementation delivers comprehensive and consistent ROPA coverage across the organisation.

Business Engagement and Data Collection

• Engage with business units and operational teams to identify relevant processing activities.
• Lead workshops and stakeholder sessions to support the identification and documentation of processing activities.
• Support business areas in completing and maintaining ROPA records.
• Develop guidance, templates and supporting materials for data capture.
• Challenge and validate submissions to ensure information is complete, accurate and appropriate.
• Drive organisational awareness and adoption of ROPA responsibilities.

Data Quality, Assurance and Governance

• Establish ROPA data standards and quality requirements.
• Define clear data ownership and accountability arrangements.
• Develop quality assurance and validation processes.
• Establish approval and review workflows.
• Define processes for ongoing maintenance and periodic review of ROPA information.
• Develop management information and reporting arrangements.
• Establish an assurance framework and appropriate data quality metrics.
• Develop compliance monitoring and escalation arrangements.
• Ensure ROPA information remains accurate, complete and up to date.

Training and Capability Development

• Develop training materials for different stakeholder groups.
• Deliver training sessions, workshops and awareness activities.
• Produce user guidance, FAQs and supporting documentation.
• Build understanding of ROPA obligations, roles and responsibilities across the organisation.
• Support transition from programme delivery into sustainable business-as-usual operations.

Key Deliverables

The postholder will be expected to contribute to or lead the development of:

• ROPA delivery strategy and implementation approach.
• ROPA requirements specification.
• Current-state assessment and tooling gap analysis.
• Tooling options appraisal and recommendations.
• Procurement documentation, where required.
• Implementation and rollout plan.
• Stakeholder engagement plan.
• Communications and adoption plan.
• Training materials and user guidance.
• ROPA data assurance framework.
• Governance and operating model.
• Management information and reporting approach.
• Final handover and transition documentation.

Essential Experience and Skills

The successful candidate must have:

• Significant experience working within Central Government or the wider Public Sector, preferably in a large, complex and highly regulated organisation.
• Significant experience delivering GDPR, Data Protection or related information governance initiatives.
• Extensive practical experience implementing, managing or improving Records of Processing Activities (ROPA) frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and organisational accountability requirements.
• Demonstrable experience assessing, selecting, procuring or implementing compliance, data governance or information governance tooling.
• Experience leading organisation-wide programmes involving multiple business functions and stakeholder groups.
• Strong senior stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Experience developing governance, assurance and operating models.
• Experience establishing data quality, ownership and accountability frameworks.
• Experience leading business engagement, change and adoption activities.
• Strong programme and delivery management skills, including management of risks, issues, dependencies and governance.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex data protection and governance requirements into practical business processes.

Desirable Experience

• Experience working directly with a Data Protection Officer, Senior Responsible Owner, Chief Data Officer or equivalent senior governance leadership.
• Experience delivering ROPA capability within a large Central Government department or public body.
• Experience with DPIA processes and tooling.
• Experience of public sector procurement and supplier management.
• Experience implementing enterprise data governance or information governance platforms.
• Knowledge of Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and public sector delivery practices.
• Experience transitioning programmes into sustainable business-as-usual operating models.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• A confident and credible programme leader who can operate effectively at senior level.
• Highly collaborative and able to work across Digital, Data Protection, Legal, Security and business teams.
• Comfortable operating in complex and changing environments.
• Pragmatic and outcome-focused, with strong attention to detail.
• Able to challenge constructively and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
• Skilled at translating regulatory and governance requirements into workable solutions.
• Proactive in identifying risks, gaps and opportunities for improvement.
• Committed to building sustainable capability rather than simply delivering a technology solution.

Desired Outcomes

At the conclusion of the programme, the organisation will have:

• A fit-for-purpose ROPA solution.
• Comprehensive, accurate and maintained records of processing activities.
• Clear ownership and accountability for ROPA information.
• Defined data quality, assurance and compliance controls.
• Trained and confident business users.
• Effective reporting and governance arrangements.
• Sustainable processes for ongoing ROPA maintenance and review.
• An embedded ROPA operating model capable of evolving with organisational and regulatory requirements.

Experience Level

This is a senior programme leadership role requiring a proven track record of delivering complex data protection, data governance or compliance programmes within Central Government or the Public Sector. Candidates should be able to demonstrate both strategic leadership and hands-on delivery experience across ROPA, tooling, governance, stakeholder engagement and organisational change.