DPIAers

DPIAers are professionals who perform Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) under data protection laws such as the European Union’s GDPR. Their primary goal is to identify and evaluate privacy risks associated with proposed data processing activities and to propose risk-mitigating measures before the activity is implemented. DPIAers may work within organizations as part of privacy or risk teams, or serve as external consultants. They collaborate with legal, information security, product teams, and governance functions to map data flows, identify data categories, purposes, retention periods, recipients, transfers, and potential risk factors.

Key responsibilities include determining whether a DPIA is required, describing processing operations, assessing necessity and proportionality, evaluating risks to individuals’ rights and freedoms, identifying data breach risks, and documenting mitigation measures. The output is a DPIA report that records the risk assessment, measures, and monitoring arrangements, used to obtain stakeholder agreement and, where applicable, approval from data protection authorities. DPIAers stay current with GDPR Article 35 requirements and national implementations, as well as best practices such as privacy by design and data minimization.

Skills and background typically include training in data protection law, risk assessment, information security, and data governance; experience with data mapping, privacy impact methodologies, and stakeholder engagement. Common certifications relate to privacy or information security credentials. The role emphasizes collaboration, clear communication of technical risks to non-technical stakeholders, and ongoing monitoring of residual risk as processing activities evolve.