Counsel

Principal Financial Group • Des Moines, IA

10d • Hybrid

About The Position

Join Principal’s Law Department as Counsel supporting privacy, cybersecurity, and AI matters across the enterprise. The attorney will serve as a primary legal advisor to Privacy, Cybersecurity, Sourcing, and business stakeholders, providing practical legal guidance, negotiating contractual protections, supporting regulatory compliance initiatives, and helping scale the company’s privacy, cybersecurity, and AI governance capabilities.

The role requires strong judgment, exceptional drafting and negotiation skills, and the ability to independently manage a substantial volume of work while partnering closely with senior legal leadership. The attorney will also help develop scalable legal processes and leverage technology and AI to enhance legal service delivery.

This position is based at Principal’s corporate headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, with a hybrid arrangement requiring at least three in-office days during a typical work week. Principal describes itself as a purpose-led financial services and technology firm focused on making financial security accessible to all.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor from an accredited U.S. law school.
• Active license in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Must be admitted to practice in the state employed within twelve months of hire.
• At least 5 years of relevant legal experience.
• Significant experience negotiating technology, privacy, cybersecurity, and data-related agreements.
• Demonstrated ability to provide practical, business-focused legal advice.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Strong project management and organizational capabilities.
• Ability to independently manage a high-volume workload and prioritize competing demands.
• Demonstrated ability to advise and influence executive leadership through clear, confident communication and sound judgment.
• Applicants must not require immigration sponsorship or additional work authorization now or in the future to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

• In-house counsel experience.
• Experience advising on GLBA, CCPA/CPRA, GDPR, HIPAA, NYDFS Part 500, NIST, and ISO frameworks.
• Experience supporting cybersecurity incident response.
• Experience with AI governance and AI contracting.
• CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM, and/or CIPT certification.
• Experience supporting enterprise privacy or cybersecurity programs.
• At least 8 years of relevant legal experience may qualify candidates for consideration at the next level.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations of privacy, cybersecurity, AI, data use, and technology-related terms.
• Review and negotiate data processing agreements, security addenda, AI provisions, confidentiality agreements, and technology agreements.
• Support strategic transactions and data-sharing initiatives.
• Develop and maintain templates, negotiation playbooks, and guidance materials.
• Advise stakeholders on privacy, cybersecurity, and AI legal requirements.
• Provide practical guidance on implementing regulatory obligations.
• Support responses to customer, regulator, and business inquiries.
• Advise on emerging legal developments and their business implications.
• Partner with Privacy and Cybersecurity teams on governance initiatives.
• Support the development and maintenance of policies, standards, notices, and training materials.
• Assist with assessments of new products, services, technologies, and vendor relationships.
• Support incident response and related legal analysis when needed.
• Advise on AI contract terms and legal risks.
• Support implementation of AI governance requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve legal operations through responsible use of AI and automation.
• Provide legal counsel and strategic support to the Corporate Law team, partnering with business leaders on a broad range of legal and business matters.

Benefits

• Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program.
• Flexible Time Off (FTO) with pay for vacation, personal time, or short-term illness; salaried employees do not accrue a bank of time off and there is no set number of days provided.
• Pension eligibility.
• Principal offers comprehensive, competitive benefits intended to support employees’ physical, financial, and social well-being.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree