Group Head of Personal Data Protection - STARK Group

STARK Group is a leading Northern European builders’ merchant. With our latest significant acquisition in the UK, we continue our strong growth journey and have more than tripled in size over the past four years, which places us amongst the 20 largest companies in Denmark. We stay true to our strategy to be the indispensable partner for our suppliers and customers, who work hard every day to build other people’s future.

Join our Group Legal team and help us drive our personal data protection compliance excellence and implementation across STARK Group.

Core job content

• As Group Head of Personal Data Protection you will become part of the Group Legal team supporting the Stark Group business units, reporting to the Group General Counsel. The Group Legal team is overall responsible for legal, compliance and property in the Stark Group, and the team operates in a matrix set-up on a per country basis with Heads of Legal / compliance professionals in the business units reporting to local management. 
• You will be a project and programme manager overall responsible for the ongoing implementation of the personal data protection policies, processes and projects in the organizations. There is a high focus on compliance and policies in the Stark Group, including the owners of Stark Group, i.e. this role is a key role to the compliance and policy agenda.
• You will drive process changes to rectify any non-compliant activities that are identified within Stark Group, ensuring strong buy-in from business units and other relevant stakeholders.
• You will have external contact to data protection authorities, advisors and consultants within the personal data protection compliance area.
• You will have a very broad position with many stakeholders within all parts of the organizations, not only technical parts as IT &  Cyber Security, but just as much the business operations touching upon HR, customer relations and marketing. You will work closely with the Cyber Security, IT Compliance and business unit legal teams.
• We continuously strive to strengthen our compliance levels and you will be expected to develop strong annual activity plans for the Group, to maintain a high Group wide data protection awareness, to set the direction for local compliance activities, to act as sparring partner and support for e.g. Privacy by Default and Design activities, Data Subject requests, retention and deletion initiatives, etc.
• We expect you to keep up to date with any development in legal requirements within the area as well as technological compliance opportunities and share this with both local organisations and the IT Compliance function.
• Stark Group is owned by CVC Funds, and you will through the governance set-up be responsible for ensuring full alignment with our owner on compliance and policies.

What we offer

• International compliance position in a growing company with high ambitions for the future and a large variety of tasks around personal data protection and other related areas.
• Possibility to be a part of the onboarding and integration of our recent acquisitions (including our large businesses in the Germany and the UK) and to be part of ensuring compliance in groundbreaking and industry defying, game changing, IT projects.
• Great team of engaged STARK Group colleagues working in a flexible work environment.
• Travels and interactions with local business unit teams.
• Closeness to top management and decision making.
• Learning opportunities throughout our journey with private equity ownership, including preparation for the future.
• New offices at Frederiksberg, Copenhagen with dedicated parking spaces (and chargers), canteen and right next to metro/public transportation.

Who are we looking for

• Preferably legal background, however, in-depth legal understanding of the personal data protection legal requirements is a must!
• Strong personal data protection experience and you hold a similar role in a larger multinational business.
• Strong project and programme manager experience and you are an “executer” – able to “get things done and implemented” by following up with the responsible people in the organizations at all levels.
• Very good experience in process development – as an integral part of the operation.
• You are motivated by finding the best operational solutions within the legal requirements.
• You thrive working with and in an international environment.
• You feel at home in a casual, yet professional work environment and have a positive mindset.
• You have a strong responsibility for your work that supports our flexible working conditions.
• You speak and write English on a business level and preferably speak and write Danish fluently (or another Scandinavian language). German language proficiency is considered an advantage.

We look forward to receiving your application not later than 28 June 2023. If you have any specific questions regarding the role, please reach out to Group General Counsel, Laurits A Jørgensen: laj@starkgroup.dk - +452219 2143

STARK Group

STARK Group is a growing private equity-owned company with a strong legacy. STARK Group was first established in Denmark in 1896 and has today evolved into a leading Northern European retailer and distributor of heavy building materials with more than +1,150 branches and distribution centres in the Nordics, Greenland, Germany, Austria and UK. The Group is today owned by CVC and has for the past four years been through a fantastic growth journey supported by both organic and non-organic growth with major strategic and value-adding acquisitions in Germany and Austria. In total, the Group employs more than 20,000 dedicated people, of which approximately 50 are part of the lean headquarters team at Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. STARK Group is organized around a decentralized operating model, with strong local leadership and fully fledged local functions to ensure local decision-making power and responsibility. The headquarter focuses on strategic HR, Business Development and M&A, Legal and Group Finance with the overall objectives of setting the strategic direction, facilitating best practice sharing, securing the right leadership teams across the Group and driving group-wide performance management.