Chief Compliance Officer and Global Counsel, Data Protection and Corporate Responsibility

Hilton•McLean, VA

18d•Onsite

About The Position

This is your opportunity to serve as a senior enterprise leader within Hilton's in-house Legal team at a top-tier global hospitality and S&P 500 company. This role operates with significant independence and executive visibility, requiring sound judgment, executive presence, and the ability to influence outcomes at the highest levels of the organization. The Chief Compliance Officer and Global Counsel, Data Protection and Corporate Responsibility will lead Hilton's global ethics and compliance program and help shape enterprise strategy for data protection and corporate responsibility, including AI governance and human rights. Reporting to the EVP & General Counsel, this leader will partner with senior executives across the company as a trusted peer to enable innovative, data-driven guest experiences while safeguarding Hilton's reputation, mitigating risk, and ensuring compliance with evolving global laws and regulations. This is a high-profile role requiring frequent interaction with the Executive Leadership Team and the Board of Directors. The successful candidate will bring a commercial mindset and a proven track record of building and reinforcing a proactive compliance culture in which compliance and business objectives are integrated and mutually reinforcing.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited law school
Active U.S. bar license
Fifteen plus (15+) years of progressive legal experience
Demonstrated expertise in global regulatory compliance
Knowledge of U.S. and European Union sanctions, anti-corruption, and data protection laws affecting multinational companies (e.g., U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, GDPR, NIST Cybersecurity Framework)
Experience advising executive leadership with the confidence and credibility to deliver clear, candid, and business-oriented counsel
Effectively balance local market requirements with an enterprise-wide perspective
Willingness to travel up to five weeks per year

Nice To Haves

Experience in hospitality, travel, technology, or consumer-facing industries
Experience leading complex internal investigations
Demonstrated leadership of global, multidisciplinary teams
Experience managing compliance and data protection programs across distributed operations
Experience interacting with government regulators and corporate Boards
Experience with corporate responsibility initiatives, including AI governance, human rights protections, and environmental regulation

Responsibilities

Ethics & Compliance Leadership Provide strategic legal counsel across a complex global portfolio, including bribery and anti-corruption (including U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance), fraud prevention, global sanctions, export controls, data privacy, mergers and acquisitions, and emerging regulatory areas governing corporate responsibility, including environmental sustainability, human rights, and AI governance.
Lead the global compliance strategy and governance framework, including enterprise risk assessments, third-party risk management, due diligence, KPIs, monitoring and testing, and reporting to senior leadership and the Board.
Engage directly with the Audit Committee on ethics, compliance, data protection, and emerging regulatory risk matters, including escalation of material issues.
Provide quarterly in-person reporting to the CEO and Audit Committee.
Advise on conflicts of interest and oversee enterprise-wide processes for identification, disclosure mitigation, and escalation consistent with global best practices.
Evolve enterprise compliance training and communications to align with risk assessments, policy updates, monitoring results, emerging business practices, technology innovation, and geopolitical and sanctions-related risks.
Investigations & Regulatory Engagement Direct and oversee responses to investigations, audits, and inquiries from global regulators and enforcement authorities, including the U.S. Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and relevant authorities across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas.
Exercise independent judgment to ensure defensible, timely, and proportionate outcomes.
Oversee the employee ethics hotline and ensure concerns are promptly reviewed, investigated, and escalated in accordance with company policies and ethical standards.
Lead high-risk internal investigations involving alleged ethical or legal violations.
Implement corrective and remedial actions that strengthen enterprise-wide compliance culture, governance, and accountability.
Data Protection & Technology Governance Own and continuously enhance the enterprise data protection program, including global privacy policies, consent management frameworks, certifications and attestations, Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), transfer impact assessments, and responses to data subject requests.
Enable compliant use of guest and partner data across jurisdictions while maintaining consistent global privacy and consent standards.
Partner with the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to maintain a strong cybersecurity program, including incident response playbooks and cybersecurity exercises.
Advise on global cybersecurity laws and regulatory requirements.
Support responsible adoption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, by establishing governance frameworks and model risk controls that promote innovation while mitigating legal and regulatory risk.
Corporate Responsibility & Human Rights Advise on Hilton's enterprise human rights and environmental regulatory compliance strategy, including human rights due diligence in global supply chains.
Integrate responsible business practices into owner, operator, and partner engagements.
Support compliance with emerging global corporate responsibility regulations and reporting frameworks.
Strategic Collaboration & Leadership Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO, EVP & General Counsel, Executive Leadership Team, and Board of Directors on complex, cross-border compliance, data protection, and regulatory matters.
Collaborate closely with Corporate Affairs, Communications, Human Resources, Technology, Commercial Services, Operations, Development, and regional leadership teams within a highly matrixed global organization.
Chair or co-lead cross-functional governance forums, including Data Governance Councils and Sanctions or Human Rights Working Groups.
Coordinate with external counsel and specialized advisors.
Lead, mentor, and develop a global team of attorneys and compliance professionals, fostering a high-performance, inclusive culture.