Data Protection and Governance Specialist (Group Risk) Graduate

St. James's Place (SJP) works in partnership to plan, grow and protect our clients’ financial futures. We deliver personalised, face-to-face financial advice to our clients, who trust us to manage their money to reach their goals. We provide this service via the Partnership, a network of qualified, expert advisors. We put financial wellbeing and responsible business choices at the heart of everything we do. We believe in the value of difference and know that diverse teams can help us problem and innovate for clients. We look for people to join SJP to make an impact and to contribute to our culture which is based around long term relationships, doing the right thing, and being the best version of ourselves.

Our comprehensive range of training programmes are tailored to developing early careers at a number of stages. Whether you are looking to gain work experience whilst studying at sixth form or college, or graduating from university, our dedicated Early Careers team are here to support you in driving your career along your chosen path.

• Please note that the application deadline for this vacancy is the 16th December but we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis, so may close the vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications.  Early applications are therefore advised.
• To help us effectively manage your application, please only apply for one Graduate vacancy. If you are unsure which role is best for you, please contact us to discuss the options.  
• Assessment centres for this vacancy will be run on the 25th January so please ensure you are provisionally available to attend 

About the role

You will join St. James’s Place on a permanent full-time contract and complete a 2 year Graduate Programme. During this time you will rotate within your chosen division, this will give you full exposure to that division and help you understand how it interacts with other areas of the business. On completion of your Graduate programme, we intend for you to continue your career at St. James’s Place with that division.  

You will study towards a professional qualification alongside your day to day and look to role off the programme as a Data Protection Specialist, in a growth area for the company.  

Your role will be focussed on the Data Protection and Governance within St. James’s Place. You will get involved in various projects supporting the wider Risk team, but you will predominantly spend your time in a team of 5, supporting the Data Protection Officer.

You will be allocated projects, data protection and privacy assessments and complaint resolutions, so your role will be different week by week. This work will support SJP across the UK and overseas, for our corporate head office function as well as our network of Partners.

The role will include some of the following tasks

• Develop expert domain knowledge of Information Security and Data Protection so that you can provide advice, guidance and training material to the SJP Group and employees in relation to data protection and privacy.
• Support the development and maintenance of comprehensive privacy policies and procedures consistent with local legislative requirements and wider SJP Group policies and procedures, including supporting security and privacy champions.
• Undertake and support the completion of Data Privacy Impact Assessments (DPIA) for all new /updated projects where appropriate. Review historical processing activity to identify where a DPIA is required.
• Support the management of personal data breach reporting, investigation, assessment and recording.
• Support in conducting health checks on business processes and systems.
• Develop and maintaining a detailed knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation, guidance and developments across the UK and internationally.

About you

For this role you will need to have completed or on track to achieve a minimum of a 2:2 in any degree. Those who are studying/have studied degrees with an emphasis on analytical thinking.

The role will have a lot of IT elements involved, so those who don’t have an interest in IT might not find this role of interest. Anyone studying Risk, Finance, Data Governance will find this role of particular interest. Candidates with an interest in ChatGPT and AI could integrate their interest into projects once settled in the role.

Flexible working

We understand that employees work best in different ways, at different times and in different environments. We value all of our employees and appreciate that everyone is unique, and at one of many stages within their career. Our people are encouraged to work in a flexible way that suits their lifestyle where it can be accommodated, so please ask the question and start a conversation!

Research tells us that applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put off from applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been on an extended career-break. If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless of whether you tick every box.

Why work for us?

Our Rewards

In addition to an attractive salary and eligibility to participate in the discretionary annual bonus opportunities, you will also receive an excellent benefits package including:

• Non-Contributory Pension – 10% (increasing with length of service) with further pension matching
• Meaningful protection benefits with real value, such as 10X life cover, PHI, and critical illness.
• Best in class terms and conditions including 6 months paid parental leave.
• Private Medical and Dental Insurance
• 28 days holiday entitlement plus bank holidays (based on full-time equivalent) with the option to buy up to an additional 5 days holiday
• Discretionary bonus scheme dependent on company and personal performance, varied by level
• Not applicable to fixed term contracts (standard uplift applies in lieu of the protection benefits)

Our culture

Our culture is the glue that binds us together - It’s one of our biggest assets and one of the biggest reasons for our success. It’s underpinned by core values of doing the right thing, being the best version of ourselves and investing in long term relationships.

We want to embrace a diverse group of backgrounds and experiences to connect with clients, solve problems and innovate. We raise our voice on the things that matter to us and drive change from the front. Contributing to our inclusive culture is vital, ensuring a space for everyone to be their authentic self, no compromises.

In all we do, we consider how our work affects the communities in which we belong. Over 96% of our group employees are involved in supporting our communities through financial education, charitable giving and volunteering. Over 80% of all our employees and Partners donate each month to our Charitable Foundation, which is now the 3rd largest corporate charity in the UK.

SJP is delighted to have signed The Armed Forces Covenant, and we are active members of LGBT Great, 30% club, The Diversity Project, Disability Confident and more! Find out more: https://www.sjp.co.uk/careers/life-at-sjp

What happens next?

Our process is the same for each of our Graduate opportunities, so once you have completed the application form, we will invite you to complete a Job Focussed Assessment (JFA). If successful after the JFA, you will be invited to complete an online video interview and if successful at this stage we will invite you to the final stage of the process, that consists of a face to face assessment centre.

Our team will be in touch. As a business regulated by the FCA we would advise you to familiarise yourself with the conduct regulations and in particular consumer duty obligations prior to an interview with SJP.