Compliance Director

AppFolio Inc•Goleta, CA

7d•$167,200 - $209,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Compliance Director is a hands-on execution leader responsible for maturing AppFolio’s Privacy Compliance Program, records retention, second-line data compliance and oversight, and compliance reporting across second-line compliance. The role establishes practical KPIs and KRIs to provide visibility into enterprise compliance health and serves as the accountable lead for the Privacy and Data Compliance programs and second-line reporting framework, coordinating supporting Compliance team members. The position leads privacy and data governance work across the company, integrating privacy, classification, retention, access, and related standards into product, engineering, and operational workflows. It partners with Legal, Information Security, business leaders, and cross-functional teams to operationalize compliance standards, including privacy and data governance dimensions of AI and emerging technology. It also develops standardized compliance reporting, communicates risk and program effectiveness to operational teams, executive leadership, and board committees, and serves as the primary Second Line liaison to Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Audit. AppFolio describes itself as a technology leader serving the real estate industry. It highlights a hybrid-work culture and says late-stage candidates participate in an in-person meeting as part of the hiring process. The stated base-pay range is $167,200 to $209,000; actual compensation depends on factors including skills, education, experience, and internal equity. Regular full-time employees are eligible for benefits, though specific benefits are not listed in the posting.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive compliance, risk, or operational leadership experience in high-growth technology, SaaS, fintech, or regulated environments.
Demonstrated experience defining compliance metrics, KPIs/KRIs, and standardized program reporting structures from scratch in a growing organization.
Hands-on experience building and operationalizing comprehensive privacy frameworks, such as CCPA/CPRA, and records retention programs within SaaS product architectures and operational workflows; experience in a business acting as both controller and service provider/processor is ideal.
Experience building or operating privacy or data governance programs, such as CCPA/CPRA, records retention, data classification, data ownership, or second-line monitoring, in a technology or regulated environment.
Track record as a hands-on individual contributor driving end-to-end enterprise program management, governance reporting, and cross-functional tracking.
Experience serving as a primary subject matter expert and Second Line liaison to ERM and Internal Audit.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Practical, outcome-focused approach to building structured, sustainable processes without unnecessary bureaucracy.
Ability to execute directly while leading through persuasion, trust, and influence.
Ability to collaborate across Legal, Product, Engineering, Data, Information Security, and Business Operations to align teams around shared compliance goals.
Ability to prioritize urgency and transparency in tracking compliance commitments, reporting risk metrics, and managing executive cadences.
Ability to introduce simple, standardized metrics that clarify program results and operational effectiveness.
Ability to build trust by listening to customer needs and embedding data privacy and retention into business workflows.
Consistent record of meeting commitments across board reporting, program milestones, and audit readiness.
Capability to brief C-suite executives and board committees, translating compliance data and risk context into commercial risk decisions and actionable guidance.

Nice To Haves

Relevant professional certifications, such as CIPP/US or CCEP.
Experience in a business that acts as both controller and service provider/processor.

Responsibilities

Lead AppFolio’s Privacy Program, including the Enterprise Data Privacy Policy, individual rights requests, privacy risk assessments, and records retention.
Serve as the privacy subject matter expert for the third-party risk management program in partnership with the TPRM program.
Assess the maturity and operating effectiveness of the existing privacy program, identify gaps, establish baseline risk profiles, and develop a roadmap for program evolution.
Map privacy obligations to business and product workflows and integrate data privacy, classification, retention, and access standards into Product, Engineering, and operational teams.
Direct compliance oversight of enterprise data governance and establish compliance frameworks, policies, and standards where they do not exist.
Partner with Legal, Information Security, and business leaders to integrate data compliance and privacy standards into first-line operations.
Lead the privacy and data governance dimensions of AI, automated tools, and emerging technology across company products and internal operations.
Establish a standardized framework for measuring and reporting compliance program health, including KPIs and KRIs across core compliance domains.
Partner with cross-functional teams to identify compliance data sources and establish consistent, repeatable reporting processes.
Synthesize compliance metrics into actionable reporting for operational teams, executive leadership, and board committees.
Set operational thresholds and accountability so that risk trends and compliance gaps result in practical action, designated ownership, and tracked resolution.
Act as the primary Second Line liaison to Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Audit, providing compliance reporting inputs for enterprise risk assessments and independent assurance.
Serve as accountable lead for Privacy and Data Compliance programs and the second-line reporting framework, coordinating supporting Compliance team members.