Paula Pacios studied Law at the University of Sevilla, specializing in Private Comparative Law and Contract Law. She holds a LL.M. in International Criminal Law and Cooperation by the UCAM, and is a certified Data Protection Officer by the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.

She joined NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) Office of Legal Affairs in September 2016; as an Assistant Legal Advisor in 2018, and since 2023 she has been appointed as Legal Advisor (Data Protection) at the Legal Management Branch of the ACO Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) as well as the legal in the ACO Data Protection Office. Initially, she worked on host nation support and litigation, but her portfolio has expanded to include Personal Data Protection and the defence of the special legal status of International Organizations in the privacy world. She has played a key role in developing ACO/SHAPE Policy on Personal Data Protection and its implementation.

She has lectured on ACO Data Protection measures and implementation within IOs, and NATO Response to Sexual Violence at the NATO School Oberammergau, the US Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, COE Legal Workshops, and other conferences.