diff --git a/src/services/DeletionPurgeJob.ts b/src/services/DeletionPurgeJob.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f4f2d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/DeletionPurgeJob.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+import { prisma } from 'src/db';
+import { logAuditEvent } from 'src/utils/auditLogger';
+
+/**
+ * DeletionPurgeJob — executes pending account deletions whose grace period has elapsed.
+ *
+ * Called by the nightly deletion-purge scheduler.  The job is idempotent:
+ * if a user record has already been removed (e.g. manual admin action) the
+ * corresponding stale pendingDeletion row is cleaned up without error.
+ *
+ * Cascade behaviour (from schema.prisma):
+ *   - pendingDeletion.onDelete = Cascade  → removed with the User row
+ *   - auditLog.onDelete = SetNull         → audit trail is preserved (userId → NULL)
+ */
+export class DeletionPurgeJob {
+    /**
+     * Run the purge sweep for all accounts whose scheduledAt has passed.
+     * Call this from a nightly cron/scheduler.
+     */
+    static async run(): Promise<PurgeRunSummary> {
+        const summary: PurgeRunSummary = { purged: 0, skipped: 0, errors: [] };
+
+        const due = await prisma.pendingDeletion.findMany({
+            where: { scheduledAt: { lte: new Date() } },
+            select: { userId: true },
+        });
+
+        for (const { userId } of due) {
+            try {
+                const deleted = await this.purgeUser(userId);
+                if (deleted) {
+                    summary.purged++;
+                } else {
+                    summary.skipped++;
+                }
+            } catch (error) {
+                summary.errors.push({
+                    userId,
+                    message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+                });
+            }
+        }
+
+        return summary;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Purge a single user account.
+     *
+     * Returns true if the user was deleted, false if the user was already gone
+     * (stale record cleaned up instead).  Exported so tests and admin tooling
+     * can trigger an immediate per-user purge.
+     */
+    static async purgeUser(userId: string): Promise<boolean> {
+        const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+            where: { id: userId },
+            select: { id: true },
+        });
+
+        if (!user) {
+            // User already removed — clean up the orphaned pendingDeletion row.
+            await prisma.pendingDeletion.deleteMany({ where: { userId } });
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        // Write audit record before deletion — the AuditLog relation uses
+        // onDelete: SetNull so this row survives the cascade as a compliance trail.
+        await logAuditEvent(userId, 'DATA_DELETE', {
+            entityType: 'User',
+            entityId: userId,
+            statusCode: 200,
+            metadata: { action: 'purge_account' },
+        });
+
+        // Deleting the User row cascades to pendingDeletion (and all other
+        // Cascade-linked relations) automatically.
+        await prisma.user.delete({ where: { id: userId } });
+
+        return true;
+    }
+}
+
+export interface PurgeRunSummary {
+    purged: number;
+    skipped: number;
+    errors: Array<{ userId: string; message: string }>;
+}
diff --git a/src/services/__tests__/DeletionPurgeJob.test.ts b/src/services/__tests__/DeletionPurgeJob.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..417e55e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/__tests__/DeletionPurgeJob.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+
+import { prisma } from 'src/db';
+import { DeletionPurgeJob } from 'src/services/DeletionPurgeJob';
+
+function daysAgo(days: number): Date {
+    return new Date(Date.now() - days * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
+}
+
+function daysFromNow(days: number): Date {
+    return new Date(Date.now() + days * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
+}
+
+async function createUser(tag: string) {
+    const runId = Date.now();
+    return prisma.user.create({
+        data: {
+            email: `purge-${tag}-${runId}@example.com`,
+            password: 'hashed',
+            firstName: 'Purge',
+            lastName: tag,
+        },
+    });
+}
+
+describe('DeletionPurgeJob', () => {
+    // Users that must survive all tests — cleaned up in afterAll
+    let spectatorId: string;
+
+    beforeAll(async () => {
+        const spectator = await createUser('spectator');
+        spectatorId = spectator.id;
+    });
+
+    afterEach(async () => {
+        // Remove any pendingDeletion rows left over from failed tests so the
+        // next test starts clean.  User rows created per-test are cleaned up
+        // inside each test's own try/finally block.
+        await prisma.pendingDeletion.deleteMany({
+            where: { scheduledAt: { lte: daysFromNow(1) } },
+        });
+    });
+
+    afterAll(async () => {
+        await prisma.user.deleteMany({ where: { id: spectatorId } });
+    });
+
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // purgeUser — per-user behaviour
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    it('purgeUser() deletes a user and returns true', async () => {
+        const user = await createUser('to-delete');
+
+        await prisma.pendingDeletion.create({
+            data: { userId: user.id, scheduledAt: daysAgo(1) },
+        });
+
+        const deleted = await DeletionPurgeJob.purgeUser(user.id);
+
+        expect(deleted).toBe(true);
+        const found = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: user.id } });
+        expect(found).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('purgeUser() is idempotent when the user no longer exists', async () => {
+        const user = await createUser('already-gone');
+        const userId = user.id;
+
+        // Create a pendingDeletion row then manually delete the user to simulate
+        // a race / prior manual deletion.
+        await prisma.pendingDeletion.create({
+            data: { userId, scheduledAt: daysAgo(1) },
+        });
+        await prisma.user.delete({ where: { id: userId } });
+
+        // At this point the pendingDeletion row may or may not have been
+        // cascade-deleted; either way purgeUser should not throw.
+        const deleted = await DeletionPurgeJob.purgeUser(userId);
+
+        expect(deleted).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('purgeUser() writes an audit record before deleting the user', async () => {
+        const user = await createUser('audited');
+
+        await prisma.pendingDeletion.create({
+            data: { userId: user.id, scheduledAt: daysAgo(1) },
+        });
+
+        const before = new Date();
+        await DeletionPurgeJob.purgeUser(user.id);
+        const after = new Date();
+
+        // AuditLog uses onDelete: SetNull, so the row survives user deletion.
+        const logs = await prisma.auditLog.findMany({
+            where: {
+                entityId: user.id,
+                action: 'DATA_DELETE',
+                createdAt: { gte: before, lte: after },
+            },
+        });
+
+        expect(logs.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
+
+        // Cleanup orphaned audit rows
+        await prisma.auditLog.deleteMany({ where: { entityId: user.id } });
+    });
+
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    // run() — batch sweep
+    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    it('run() purges due deletions and leaves future ones untouched', async () => {
+        const dueUser = await createUser('due');
+        const futureUser = await createUser('future');
+
+        await prisma.pendingDeletion.createMany({
+            data: [
+                { userId: dueUser.id, scheduledAt: daysAgo(1) },
+                { userId: futureUser.id, scheduledAt: daysFromNow(30) },
+            ],
+        });
+
+        try {
+            const summary = await DeletionPurgeJob.run();
+
+            // dueUser must be gone
+            const dueFound = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: dueUser.id } });
+            expect(dueFound).toBeNull();
+
+            // futureUser must still exist
+            const futureFound = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: futureUser.id } });
+            expect(futureFound).not.toBeNull();
+
+            expect(summary.purged).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
+            const ourErrors = summary.errors.filter(
+                (e) => e.userId === dueUser.id || e.userId === futureUser.id,
+            );
+            expect(ourErrors).toHaveLength(0);
+        } finally {
+            await prisma.pendingDeletion.deleteMany({ where: { userId: futureUser.id } });
+            await prisma.user.deleteMany({ where: { id: futureUser.id } });
+            // dueUser was already deleted by the job
+        }
+    });
+
+    it('run() counts a stale record (user pre-deleted) as skipped, not an error', async () => {
+        const user = await createUser('stale');
+        const userId = user.id;
+
+        await prisma.pendingDeletion.create({
+            data: { userId, scheduledAt: daysAgo(1) },
+        });
+
+        // Simulate prior manual deletion — cascade may already remove pendingDeletion;
+        // if not, we want run() to handle the stale row gracefully.
+        try {
+            await prisma.user.delete({ where: { id: userId } });
+        } catch {
+            // Already gone — fine
+        }
+
+        const summary = await DeletionPurgeJob.run();
+
+        const ourErrors = summary.errors.filter((e) => e.userId === userId);
+        expect(ourErrors).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it('run() does not touch users without a due pendingDeletion', async () => {
+        // spectatorId has no pendingDeletion row at all
+        const summary = await DeletionPurgeJob.run();
+
+        const spectator = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: spectatorId } });
+        expect(spectator).not.toBeNull();
+
+        const ourErrors = summary.errors.filter((e) => e.userId === spectatorId);
+        expect(ourErrors).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/src/utils/deletionPurgeScheduler.ts b/src/utils/deletionPurgeScheduler.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..27a6559
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/deletionPurgeScheduler.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { DeletionPurgeJob } from 'src/services/DeletionPurgeJob';
+import { env } from './helpers';
+
+const LOG_PREFIX = '[Deletion Purge Scheduler]';
+
+const DAY = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+
+let purgeInterval: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null;
+
+const runPurge = async () => {
+    try {
+        if (env('NODE_ENV') !== 'test') {
+            console.log(`${LOG_PREFIX} Running deletion purge sweep...`);
+        }
+
+        const summary = await DeletionPurgeJob.run();
+
+        if (env('NODE_ENV') !== 'test') {
+            console.log(
+                `${LOG_PREFIX} Sweep complete — purged: ${summary.purged}, skipped: ${summary.skipped}, errors: ${summary.errors.length}`,
+            );
+
+            for (const { userId, message } of summary.errors) {
+                console.error(`${LOG_PREFIX} Error purging user ${userId}: ${message}`);
+            }
+        }
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.error(`${LOG_PREFIX} Sweep failed:`, error);
+    }
+};
+
+export const startDeletionPurgeScheduler = () => {
+    if (env('NODE_ENV') === 'test') {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    console.log(`${LOG_PREFIX} Starting scheduled deletion purge job (every 24 h)...`);
+
+    purgeInterval = setInterval(runPurge, DAY);
+};
+
+export const stopDeletionPurgeScheduler = () => {
+    if (purgeInterval) {
+        clearInterval(purgeInterval);
+        purgeInterval = null;
+    }
+};
+
+export default {
+    start: startDeletionPurgeScheduler,
+    stop: stopDeletionPurgeScheduler,
+};
diff --git a/src/utils/initialize.ts b/src/utils/initialize.ts
index 5b0cfd2..226bb0a 100644
--- a/src/utils/initialize.ts
+++ b/src/utils/initialize.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import methodOverride from "method-override";
 import passport from "passport";
 import path from "path";
 import { startAnalyticsScheduler } from "./analyticsScheduler";
+import { startDeletionPurgeScheduler } from "./deletionPurgeScheduler";
 import { startMediaScheduler } from "./mediaScheduler";
 import { startMonitoringScheduler } from "src/services/monitoringService";
 
@@ -156,6 +157,7 @@ export const initialize = async (app: Express) => {
   startLogCleanupScheduler();
   startAnalyticsScheduler();
   startMediaScheduler();
+  startDeletionPurgeScheduler();
 
   if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "test") {
     console.log("[Security] All security services initialized successfully");