Senior officer, data protection

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work in the health care supervision unit of the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman. The Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman supervises that organisations process personal data lawfully. Supervision is carried out on the basis of complaints, inspections and reports, for example.

My work involves cooperation with other authorities nationally and internationally. In addition, the senior officer has the opportunity to participate in the work of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB).  It is also the task of the senior officer to ensure that data protection regulations are considered in the drafting of legislation. This may include responding to referrals, for instance.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

I became interested in data protection issues in working life. I graduated as a lawyer the year when the General Data Protection Regulation entered into force. At that time, a lot of consideration was given to data protection issues in working life.  After graduating, I worked as a data protection officer and data protection lawyer before moving on to my current position.

Describe your typical working day or week.

My typical working day includes, for example, drawing up a decision or statement, steering private individuals and organisations in various data protection issues, investigating reports and complaints and cooperating with other authorities. Sometimes I prepare training material and get to speak at trainings. 

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I work both at the office and remotely. We have our own offices at the office and I like office days a lot. Training is also organised in other cities, so the work involves travelling. Inspection by the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman can also be carried out at the organisation's own premises. I work shorter hours to organise my child’s care. 

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

In my task, I must understand the legislation on the processing of personal data and health care. In addition, writing skills are important. Curiosity is useful, as it is important to keep up with changes in data protection legislation in this work.

What is the best thing about your profession?

The work of the senior officer is meaningful, as I get to influence important matters and the realisation of people’s rights. The work is interesting and you can familiarise yourself with challenging questions, so competence is constantly developing.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

The work is independent and requires self-direction, which sometimes feels stressful. The amount of information to be adopted may also seem challenging.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a senior officer?

You can apply for this job with various educational backgrounds. Versatile work experience is beneficial.

How do you see the future of your profession?

There will certainly be plenty of work on data protection tasks, as data protection is a constantly evolving and diverse field of law.