Director of compliance and information security to data protection officer
A director of compliance and information security already meets 21% of what the data protection officer role asks for. The move turns on 25 required skills not yet in the profile.
82.8/ 100
1 How much of what a data protection officer is expected to do is already part of a director of compliance and information security’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the data protection officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A data protection officer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a director of compliance and information security already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT security legislation
- ICT security standards
- cooperate with colleagues
- cyber security
- ensure compliance with legal requirements
- implement ICT security policies
What stands in the way is 25 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A data protection officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a director of compliance and information security background worth leading with.
- already held ICT security standards information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held information security strategy information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held keep up-to-date with regulations information skills
- already held cyber security services
- already held ICT security legislation business, administration and law
- already held implement ICT security policies working with computers
All 8 carried skills, including the 8 the data protection officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 41 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply information security policies required
- still to learn develop information security strategy required
- still to learn ensure information privacy required
- still to learn respect data protection principles required
- still to learn protect personal data and privacy required
- still to learn respond to enquiries required
- optional, not held apply system organisational policies optional
- still to learn GDPR required
- still to learn internal risk management policy required
- still to learn internal auditing required
- still to learn legal research required
- still to learn legal terminology required
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- still to learn advise on government policy compliance required
- still to learn provide legal advice required
- still to learn train employees required
- still to learn use consulting techniques required
- optional, not held analyse legal enforceability optional
- optional, not held assist with litigation matters optional
- optional, not held maintain internal communication systems optional
- optional, not held support managers optional
- optional, not held write work-related reports optional
- still to learn manage data for legal matters required
- still to learn identify legal requirements required
- still to learn monitor legislation developments required
- optional, not held address identified risks optional
- optional, not held estimate impact of risks optional
- optional, not held conduct impact evaluation of ICT processes on business optional
- optional, not held document project progress optional
- still to learn develop training programmes required
- still to learn define organisational standards required
- still to learn develop organisational policies required
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn data protection required
- still to learn information confidentiality required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a data protection officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 information governance compliance study this
- 02 GDPR study this
- 03 apply information security policies practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held ICT security legislation knowledge
- already held ICT security standards knowledge
- already held cooperate with colleagues skill
- already held cyber security knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with legal requirements skill
- already held implement ICT security policies skill
- already held information security strategy knowledge
- already held keep up-to-date with regulations skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn data ethics required
- still to learn information governance compliance required
- optional, not held manage keys for data protection optional
- optional, not held perform data cleansing optional
- optional, not held manage digital identity optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held address identified risks optional
- optional, not held estimate impact of risks optional
- optional, not held manage keys for data protection optional
- optional, not held analyse legal enforceability optional
- optional, not held apply system organisational policies optional
- optional, not held assist with litigation matters optional
- optional, not held conduct impact evaluation of ICT processes on business optional
- optional, not held document project progress optional
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held maintain internal communication systems optional
- optional, not held manage digital identity optional
- optional, not held perform data cleansing optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
- optional, not held support managers optional
- optional, not held write work-related reports optional
4 held skills the data protection officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with policies skill
- not needed by the target role implement ICT risk management skill
- not needed by the target role lead a team skill
- not needed by the target role manage IT security compliances skill
11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn information governance compliance required
- still to learn GDPR required
- still to learn data protection required
- still to learn information confidentiality required
- still to learn internal risk management policy required
- still to learn data ethics required
- still to learn internal auditing required
- still to learn legal research required
- still to learn legal terminology required
- optional, not held legal case management optional
- optional, not held risk management optional
Other moves recorded from director of compliance and information security
- director of compliance and information security in gambling 21% covered · substantial
- ICT auditor manager 19% covered · career change
Full index of moves from director of compliance and information security
Common questions about this move
Can a director of compliance and information security become a data protection officer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A director of compliance and information security already covers 21% of what a data protection officer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 8 of which the data protection officer role treats as required.
What skills does a director of compliance and information security need to become a data protection officer?
25 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is information governance compliance.
How hard is the move from director of compliance and information security to data protection officer?
Its learning distance is 82.8 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.