Data Privacy Officer

Valley Bank•Morristown, NJ

About The Position

The Data Privacy Officer will be responsible for owning and continuously enhancing the enterprise privacy program. This includes developing and maintaining policies, standards, procedures, controls, governance, tools, documentation, and reporting across the organization and its subsidiaries. The role involves monitoring and interpreting privacy laws and regulations, assessing their impact on the enterprise, and directing the implementation of necessary changes. A key aspect of this position is leading privacy risk management, conducting privacy impact assessments, privacy-by-design reviews, and providing independent challenge and risk mitigation recommendations for various products, services, systems, vendors, and technologies. The officer will also establish requirements for and oversee the accuracy of data inventories, data maps, and records of processing activities related to personal information. Governance of privacy operations, including consumer rights requests, consent management, privacy notices, and escalations, is crucial. Additionally, the role requires overseeing privacy reviews of third parties and data-sharing arrangements, governing privacy aspects of AI platforms, identifying and remediating privacy risks and incidents, and defining privacy metrics and reporting for executive leadership and governance committees.

Requirements

Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with experience communicating at the Executive level successfully.
Strong knowledge of privacy, compliance, risk management, and control frameworks.
Ability to translate legal and regulatory obligations into practical business and technology requirements.
Ability to establish policy, governance, accountability, monitoring, and reporting frameworks.
Ability to provide independent review, credible challenge, and clear risk-based recommendations.
Ability to communicate effectively with senior management, governance committees, auditors, and regulators.
Strategic thinking, sound judgment, and strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Ability to assess materiality, recommend risk acceptance, and escalate significant privacy concerns.
Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
High integrity, discretion, accountability, and professional judgment.
Ability to prioritize tasks and effectively manage multiple responsibilities in a dynamic environment.
Strong work ethic. Good use of discretion and judgment.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Law, Business, or a related field and eight years of progressively responsible experience in Privacy, Compliance, Legal, Information Security, Technology, or Operational Risk.
Demonstrated experience leading an enterprise privacy program and familiarity with the NIST Privacy Framework, GLBA, CCPA, CPRA, and applicable state privacy laws.
At least one recognized privacy certification, or ability to obtain within a defined period after hire.

Nice To Haves

Financial services experience
Experience advising senior management and interacting with auditors or regulators
Technical familiarity with applications, databases, data storage, access management, and AI-enabled technologies.
CIPP/US, CIPM, CDPSE, CISM, CISSP, or comparable privacy, risk, legal, or technology credential.

Responsibilities

Own and continuously enhance the enterprise privacy program, including policies, standards, procedures, controls, governance, tools, documentation, and reporting across the organization and subsidiaries.
Monitor and interpret applicable privacy laws and regulations (e.g., GLBA, Regulations P and S-P, CCPA/CPRA, and state privacy laws), assess enterprise impacts, and direct implementation of required changes.
Lead privacy risk management, including privacy impact assessments, privacy-by-design reviews, independent challenge, risk acceptance recommendations, and mitigation planning for products, services, systems, vendors, and technologies.
Establish requirements and oversee the accuracy of data inventories, data maps, and records of processing activities covering personal information collection, use, sharing, retention, notices, and disclosures.
Govern privacy operations, including consumer rights requests, consent and preference management, privacy notices, escalations, service levels, controls, and evidence retention.
Oversee privacy reviews of third parties, contracts, and data-sharing arrangements, ensuring appropriate obligations, controls, remediation, monitoring, and control testing are in place.
Partner with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Information Security, Technology, Marketing, Procurement, and business leaders to operationalize privacy requirements and resolve material issues.
Govern privacy aspects of AI platforms and use cases, including intake, risk tiering, assessments, incident management, data subject rights, and alignment with applicable AI risk management frameworks.
Identify, escalate, and oversee remediation of privacy risks, compliance gaps, incidents, complaints, and control weaknesses; represent the program in audits, examinations, breach response, and risk acceptance processes.
Define privacy metrics, KRIs, KPIs, training, and executive reporting; support governance committees and foster enterprise-wide privacy accountability and awareness.