Manager of Compliance and Legal Operations

Planning Center

2d•$130,000 - $155,000•Remote

About The Position

Planning Center is hiring for a Manager, Compliance and Legal Operations to own and grow both functions end to end. On the compliance side, the foundation is already in place — you'll maintain, mature, and expand existing programs rather than start from zero. On the legal operations side, you'll largely build the function from the ground up, standing up contract workflows, request tracking, and coordination with outside counsel. This isn't a practicing attorney role, and a law degree isn't required. It's an operational role for someone who understands that compliance exists to serve the business, not the other way around. You'll keep the customer and employee experience front of mind, think in principles rather than checklists, and move at the pace of a growing company. You'll partner closely with Finance, HR, Security, and Engineering to turn regulatory requirements into processes that work for people.

Requirements

6+ years of experience in compliance, legal operations, risk management, or a related field
Experience maintaining and expanding compliance programs (e.g., privacy, PCI, SOC 2) in a fast-moving SaaS or technology company environment
Experience partnering closely with outside counsel and managing legal spend
Business-first mindset and an understanding that compliance exists to enable the business, protect customers, and support employees, not eliminate all risk
Principled and pragmatic approach to compliance — you see the intent behind regulations and apply them with judgment, building processes rather than checklists
Comfort working at speed in a scaling environment — this role is probably not the right fit if your background is primarily in large, risk-averse organizations
Sound judgment in knowing when to escalate to outside counsel versus handling matters internally
Ability to make legal and compliance topics accessible to non-legal stakeholders

Nice To Haves

Contract drafting and negotiation experience (vendor, customer, employment)
Experience using tools like Drata, Vanta, or OneTrust
Strong technical understanding of web applications, SaaS architecture, and data flows
Certifications such as CIPP, CIPM, or similar are a plus

Responsibilities

Maintain and expand existing PCI, GDPR, and CCPA programs, keeping policies, documentation, audit readiness, and internal controls current as the business evolves
Manage SOC 2 controls in partnership with Engineering and Security, and run the annual audit with external partners
Oversee vendor compliance reviews and risk assessments
Monitor regulatory changes, lead privacy impact assessments, and serve as the point person for edge cases and gray areas
Be the go-to person the company turns to for compliance, privacy, and legal questions, while proactively equipping teams so they have fewer questions over time
Build the legal operations function from the ground up — contract intake, review workflows, repository organization, templates, playbooks, and risk-tiering processes
Coordinate contract review with outside counsel for complex matters, leveraging existing relationships
Oversee trademark filings, renewals, and IP strategy, including expansion and enforcement of existing IP
Serve as the primary internal liaison to external law firms, routing matters appropriately, managing spend, and translating outside advice into actionable internal processes