Data Protection Officer

We are seeking an experienced and business-oriented Data Protection Officer (DPO) to lead data privacy and cross-border data compliance initiatives across the Middle East & Africa (MEA) region. The role will be responsible for establishing and implementing regional data compliance frameworks, overseeing cross-border data transfer governance, and supporting business and IT teams in ensuring compliance with local and international data protection regulations within the renewable energy industry, particularly the solar and energy storage sectors.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead the establishment and implementation of the MEA regional data compliance framework, ensuring alignment with regulations such as Saudi PDPL, UAE PDPL, South Africa POPIA, and other applicable privacy laws.
• Manage cross-border data transfer compliance between MEA entities and global headquarters, including Transfer Impact Assessments (TIA), SCC/DPA review, and data export compliance processes.
• Develop and maintain regional compliance policies, privacy notices, data classification standards, and incident response mechanisms.
• Conduct compliance assessments for overseas systems (CRM/ERP/OA/BPM), ensuring privacy and security requirements are integrated into business operations and system lifecycles.
• Liaise with regional regulators and support regulatory filings, DPO registration, audits, and investigations.
• Provide compliance guidance and training to Sales, HR, IT, and business teams across the region.
• Lead data breach response and compliance risk management activities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or above in Law, Information Security, Data Compliance, Computer Science, or related fields.
• 5–8 years of experience in data privacy/compliance, including hands-on experience in MEA regional compliance or cross-border data governance.
• Strong knowledge of Saudi PDPL, UAE PDPL, South Africa POPIA, China PIPL/DSL/CSL, and GDPR.
• Proven experience with cross-border data transfer governance, privacy assessments, SCC/DPA management, and regulatory communication.
• Familiarity with enterprise systems such as CRM, ERP, OA, and BPM.
• Experience in internet/technology or renewable energy industries (solar/energy storage preferred).
• Professional certifications such as CIPP, CIPM, CISSP, or CISP are preferred.
• Fluent in both English & Arabic communication and documentation skills.

Preferred

• Experience building compliance frameworks for overseas subsidiaries in the MEA region.
• Hands-on experience with Saudi/UAE data export compliance projects.
• Familiarity with OneTrust, Archer, or similar compliance management platforms.