Since June 2022, Jan Philipp Albrecht serves as Co-President of the Berlin-based Heinrich Böll Foundation. Before, he was Minister for Energy Transition, Agriculture, Environment, Nature and Digitalisation of the State of Schleswig-Holstein in the Günther cabinet, since 1 September 2018.

As a Member of the European Parliament, Jan Philipp Albrecht represented the citizens of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein from 2009 to 2018. Jan Philipp Albrecht's topics were home affairs and justice policy, including the reform of European data protection law, the right to legal assistance, the European Investigation Order, police policy and the fight against right-wing extremism. Particularly close to his heart are "civil rights in the digital age".

As MEP, Jan Philipp Albrecht was a Member and Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Home Affairs and Justice and a Substitute Member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. During his first legislative term from 2009-2014, he was a member of the Committee on Home Affairs and a substitute member of the Committee on Legal Affairs. From December 2012 to October 2013, Jan Philipp Albrecht was also coordinator for the Special Committee against Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering. As the European Parliament's negotiator for the planned Data Protection Regulation, he negotiated with the European Council Presidency and the European Commission on a uniform data protection law for the EU. In addition, Jan Philipp Albrecht was a member of the delegations for relations with Israel as well as Australia and New Zealand.

From 2003 to 2008, Jan studied law in Bremen, Brussels and Berlin, specialising in European and international law. Supported by a scholarship from the Heinrich Böll Foundation, he completed his studies with the first state law examination. Until his election to the 7th European Parliament in 2009, Jan specialised in IT law at the Universities of Hanover and Oslo within the framework of a DAAD-funded postgraduate master (LL.M.).