The posting
THE COMPANY
Small businesses move fast. Opportunities often don’t wait, and cash flow pressures can appear overnight. To keep going, and growing, SMEs need finance that’s as flexible and responsive as they are.
That's why we built iwoca. Our smart technology, data science and five-star customer service ensures business owners can act with the speed, confidence and control they need, exactly when it's needed.
We’ve already cleared the way for 100,000 businesses with more than £4.5 billion in funding. Our passionate team is driven to help even more SMEs succeed, through access to better finance and other services that make running a business easier. Our ultimate mission is to support one million SMEs in their defining moments, creating lasting impact for the communities and economies they drive.
THE TEAM
The DE Compliance team is an autonomous group of specialists dedicated to ensuring iwoca remains a safe, compliant, and trusted financing partner for German SMEs and a trusted business partner for the financial advisors, banks, platforms and other institutions we are working with. Operating in an agile environment, the team works at the intersection of technology, risk, and privacy regulation - collaborating closely with Tech, Data, Legal, Operations, and our external Data Protection Officer (DPO).
We act as the primary centre of expertise for data privacy and AI compliance governance, advising internal stakeholders to ensure our products and automated decisioning tools stay ahead of evolving legal frameworks like the GDPR and EU AI Act while enabling seamless commercial growth.
THE ROLE
As Data Privacy Manager (Privacy & AI), you will help drive iwoca Germany's day-to-day data protection framework and support the business in applying GDPR, BDSG and emerging AI governance requirements in practice.
This is a hands-on role combining privacy operations, regulatory assessments and close collaboration with business and technology teams.
Impact and Influence
- Data Privacy Policy Governance: proactively formulate, refine, and maintain internal data protection policies and governance standards to establish a scalable GDPR compliance framework aligned with evolving regulatory requirements.
- Data Privacy Risk & Operations: drive end-to-end privacy risk management by proactively evaluating company’s data pipelines, core software platforms and AI workflows, while executing Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Legitimate Interest Assessments (LIAs) or other privacy assessments to embed privacy-by-design into new technologies and/or vendor integrations.
- Innovation & Automation: innovate core privacy operations - including Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) intake and fulfillment, RoPA updates, and DPA reviews - by implementing automated workflows to streamline compliance and build a modern data governance function while eliminating unnecessary friction.
- Data Strategy & AI Governance: Formulate and adapt privacy and AI governance strategies to align with evolving European regulations incl. EU AI Act, balancing regulatory compliance with business innovation.
- Data Privacy AI Risk & Safety Mitigation: Proactively evaluate and mitigate AI-specific data protection risks, including algorithmic bias, model hallucinations, automated decision-making and others.
- Reporting & Governance: define and implement regular privacy and AI compliance reporting for senior stakeholders.
Innovation and Collaboration
- DPO Cooperation: serve as the primary operational liaison to our external Data Protection Officer (DPO).
- Stakeholder Alignment: partner with Product, Legal, Tech and Ops teams on privacy-related projects or questions.
- Vendor Privacy Governance: lead the privacy and regulatory due diligence for external vendors, establishing guardrails for data processing, model transparency, GDPR and EU AI Act compliance.
- Training: support internal privacy and AI compliance awareness initiatives.
THE REQUIREMENTS
Essential:
- Qualified as a Wirtschaftsjuristin, Datenschutzmanagerin or Compliance professional with 2-4+ years of hands-on experience in data protection, privacy operations, or a closely related legal/regulatory function with strong practical GDPR expertise; direct exposure to AI compliance or governance (e.g., in EU AI Act readiness) is desirable.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Strong practical understanding of GDPR and data protection requirements. Familiarity with the EU AI Act and emerging AI governance requirements is desirable, with the ability to translate legal mandates into operational compliance structures.
- Assessments & Risk Management: Practical experience conducting Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Legitimate Interest Assessments (LIAs), and AI risk classifications.
- Operations & Tools: Hands-on experience managing operational privacy workflows - including DSARs (Data Subject Access Requests), RoPA (Record of Processing Activities) maintenance, and Data Protection Agreements reviews - using automated compliance tools or platforms.
- Mindset & Team Collaboration: A proactive, solution-oriented mindset with the ability to bridge the gap between Legal, Product, and Engineering teams in agile environments.
- Language Skills: Professional fluency (C1/C2) in both German and English (written and spoken).
Bonus:
- Sector Experience: Prior experience in European fintech, ideally within the digital lending or credit sector.
- Privacy or AI Certifications: Recognized industry credentials (for example CIPP/E, TÜV DPO, CIPM, IAPP AIGP etc.).
- Technical & Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with intersecting EU regulations such as DORA, NIS2, or the Data Act.
THE SALARY
We expect to pay from €70,000 - €85,000 base salary plus a performance-related bonus for this role. But, we’re open-minded, so definitely include your salary goals with your application. We routinely benchmark salaries against market rates, and run quarterly performance and salary reviews.
THE CULTURE
At iwoca, the best idea wins. We model our culture on independent thinking, challenging untested logic, and evidence-based decisions. We prioritise learning and growth, and give people the autonomy to develop in the direction that makes them most effective.
We're a tech company and believe in the power of AI to help us work faster and better. We provide the infrastructure where every iwocan always has access to the best models and where those models have access to all of our data. We will help our people to learn how to use and grow with the new tools available to them.
THE OFFICES
We put a lot of effort into making iwoca a great place to work:
- Offices in London, Leeds, Berlin, and Frankfurt with plenty of drinks and snacks.
- Events and community-led groups, including running groups, padel, and monthly ping-pong and pool competitions.
THE BENEFITS
- A smart, motivated and international team (we represent over 35 different nationalities) with a ridiculous growth-mindset.
- 26 days of vacation a year plus a free day for your birthday.
- One-month fully paid sabbatical after 4 years.
- Mental health support with direct access to certified psychologists via our partner OpenUp.
- iwoca takes over a ski chalet in winter so that you and your team can ski or snowboard (and work) for a week. During summer we are drawn to the sun. We’ve been to France, Italy, Spain, and further afield.
- Access to the gym membership program, €25 for either Fit711 or Urban Sports Club.
- €30 contribution towards the Deutschlandticket.
- Company Pension with Canada Life.
- Great office locations. In Frankfurt in the middle of the city, our Berlin office is located in Prenzlauer Berg.
- A paid volunteer day that gives you the opportunity to invest time to support a charity of your choice.
- Corporate Benefits discounts.
- ’iwocans’ also benefit from fully stocked fridges in our offices with whatever is needed to strengthen them. There are snacks (both healthy and less healthy) for the whole day.
And to make sure we all keep learning, we offer:
- A learning and development budget for everyone, including a book budget.
- Learning German budget.
- Company-wide talks with internal and external speakers.
- Access to learning platforms like Treehouse.
Useful links:
- See iwoca benefits & policies https://coda.io/@iwocade/iwoca-benefits-policies-de for detail and some additional benefits.
- See iwoca interview welcome pack https://coda.io/@iwocade/iwoca-interview-welcome-pack-de.
