Legal Counsel, Privacy

Overview

This role provides practical, business-oriented legal advice on U.S. and global privacy matters across products, services, commercial relationships, and internal operations. The position supports the development and operation of the organization’s privacy program and partners closely with Product, Engineering, Data Science, Information Security, Procurement, Sales, Marketing, and other business teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day legal guidance on U.S. federal and state privacy laws, including the CCPA/CPRA and the evolving patchwork of comprehensive state privacy statutes, as well as applicable sectoral, consumer protection, marketing, and data security requirements.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of U.S. state privacy regulations and translate legal developments into clear, actionable guidance, contract language, policies, notices, processes, and implementation requirements.
• Draft, review, and negotiate data processing agreements (DPAs), data protection and security terms, data use and sharing agreements, and related privacy provisions in commercial contracts. Represent the organization as both a data buyer/customer and a data seller/provider/service provider.
• Conduct and support privacy impact assessments (PIAs/DPIAs) for products, features, data uses, partnerships, and other initiatives; identify risks, recommend mitigations, and help embed privacy by design and by default.
• Conduct privacy due diligence on third parties, vendors, customers, and strategic partners, including reviewing questionnaires and security materials, assessing processing activities and data flows, identifying gaps, negotiating remediation, and supporting ongoing oversight.
• Advise on advertising technology, audience measurement, analytics, identity, cookies, pixels, SDKs, targeted advertising, consent and preference management, data monetization, and related media and marketing data practices (adtech experience strongly preferred).
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to assess proposed data collection, use, disclosure, retention, and deletion activities and support compliant launches and operational changes.
• Support privacy incident and data breach response, consumer and data subject rights escalations, regulatory inquiries, audits, and other privacy compliance matters in coordination with internal teams and outside counsel.
• Contribute to privacy program materials, including policies, procedures, playbooks, templates, training, records of processing, data inventories, and compliance reporting.
• Monitor changes in privacy and data protection laws and enforcement trends, assess their impact on business operations, and communicate concise recommendations to stakeholders.
• Manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, global environment and provide clear, timely, pragmatic advice to both legal and non-legal audiences.

Role-Level Expectations

• Understand key business drivers and apply that understanding to accomplish assigned work.
• Solve standard and moderately complex problems using experience, judgment, and precedent.
• No supervisory responsibilities; may provide guidance to new associates or colleagues.
• Explain privacy and legal information to others in straightforward, actionable terms.
• Develop expanded conceptual knowledge in privacy and data protection while building additional skill sets.
• Influence the quality of own work and the work of the team while operating within applicable guidelines and policies.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience practicing privacy, data protection, technology, commercial, or related legal work, preferably in-house or in a law firm advising technology, media, advertising, data, or analytics businesses.
• J.D. or equivalent legal qualification and admission to at least one U.S. state bar, consistent with the requirements for the role.
• At least 2 years of experience with U.S. state privacy regulations, including the CCPA/CPRA and other comprehensive state privacy laws, with the ability to interpret requirements and operationalize them across products, contracts, and business processes.
• At least 2 years of experience conducting or supporting DPIAs/PIAs and privacy risk assessments, including documenting risks and tracking mitigation measures.
• Demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating DPAs and other privacy-related contract terms, including experience advising both buyers/customers and sellers/providers of data or services.
• Strong legal research, writing, negotiation, analytical, and issue-spotting skills, with the ability to explain complex privacy requirements in clear business terms.
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional and international teams, exercise sound judgment, manage competing priorities, and operate effectively with moderate supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of APAC privacy and data protection regulations—particularly India’s Digital Personal Data Protection framework, Australia’s Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles, or South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Act (greatly preferred, not required).
• CIPP/US certification (significant advantage).
• Adtech, Martech, media measurement, audience analytics, data licensing, or digital advertising experience (strongly preferred).
• Familiarity with the GDPR/UK GDPR, international data transfers, cross-border data sharing, and related contractual mechanisms.
• Familiarity with consent and preference management, IAB frameworks such as the Global Privacy Platform or Transparency and Consent Framework, privacy management tools, data mapping, and records of processing activities.
• Additional privacy certification such as CIPM, CIPT, or an equivalent credential (plus).

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary range: $107,470 – $179,080.
• Additional compensation may include bonuses, equity, or other incentives.
• Benefits may include comprehensive health and wellness plans, a 401(k) with a company match, and a generous paid time off policy.
• Depending on the role, additional benefits may include a company-provided vehicle and/or discretionary incentive/bonus eligibility.

Location

• Not specified in the provided description.