The Role
We’re seeking a skilled and business-savvy Legal Counsel, Privacy & Technology to join our growing Legal team. You will serve as the primary legal advisor on global privacy and data protection matters, supporting our operations, product development, and client-facing teams across jurisdictions to navigate applicable privacy frameworks and emerging AI risks and regulations.
This is a hands-on, business-facing role ideal for a lawyer who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys solving complex global privacy challenges, and can provide feasible risk-adjusted advice and support to the business. This role is not focused on day-to-day privacy compliance operations, but will work closely with our Legal and Compliance teams to support the business in managing and navigating privacy and emerging technology risk. As our first dedicated privacy lawyer, you will have the opportunity to shape the company’s privacy and AI legal strategy and serve as a key advisor to senior stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide legal advice and strategic guidance on global data privacy and protection matters (e.g., UK GDPR, EU GDPR, and other global frameworks).
- Draft, review, and negotiate data processing agreements (DPAs), data sharing agreements (DSAs), standard contractual clauses (SCCs), and privacy-related contract terms with clients and vendors.
- Collaborate with, and provide actionable guidance to, Product, Compliance, IT and Engineering teams to embed privacy-by-design and responsible AI principles in product development and global workflows.
- Support client-facing teams, including Operations and Marketing, to assess and respond to client inquiries or privacy exposure, as well as consent frameworks and other strategic projects.
- Interpret relevant global privacy regulations and assess their impact on the company’s operations and service offerings, including potential areas of expansion.
- Support cross-border data transfer impact assessments, DPIAs, and incident response protocols through to remediation.
- Identify and assess legal and privacy risk, and respond to privacy inquiries and complaints in partnership with Compliance, Operations, HR, Legal and other stakeholders.
- Advise the business on the use of AI tools, including on regulatory or global developments with respect to transparency, fairness, and accountability considerations.
- Contribute to internal training, policy updates, and awareness campaigns across global teams.
- Partner with external counsel where appropriate to manage regional privacy issues.
Qualifications
- Lawyer with 4+ years of post-qualification experience (ideally gained at an international or reputable regional law firm), with a demonstrated focus on data privacy and protection.
- Admitted to practice in a jurisdiction with a mature data privacy regime (e.g., EU/EEA, UK, Mexico). Candidates from other jurisdictions with strong GDPR-aligned experience are welcome to apply.
- Experience advising global organizations on international privacy frameworks and cross-border data transfers.
- Strong contract negotiation and drafting skills, particularly related to privacy and technology terms.
- Prior experience supporting SaaS, HR tech, or global employment platforms is a plus.
- Prior experience or demonstrated interest in AI governance, automation or data ethics.
- Professional certifications such as CIPP (US/E/EU/A), CIPM, CIPT, or equivalent (e.g., CDPSE, ISO/IEC 27701) are a plus but not required.
- Practical, solutions-oriented mindset with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills and with a good pulse commercial standards.
- Comfortable working across time zones and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
At Safeguard Global, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and Guardians.