Principal Counsel, Data & Privacy

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation•Seattle, WA

About The Position

We are seeking a seasoned privacy attorney to support our enterprise data privacy program and provide legal guidance across the foundation and its subsidiaries (currently, Gates Medical Research Institute, Gates Philanthropic Partners, and Gates Agricultural Innovations) on processes, transactions, and initiatives relating to personal data, data access and sharing, information management, and data governance. This position supports teams as they develop and implement strategies and technologies to achieve operational effectiveness and enable charitable impact.

Requirements

JD degree and current bar membership in good standing.
At least 15 years’ legal experience, with a primary focus on data privacy.
Extensive experience with leading or advising global data privacy programs.
Extensive experience with GDPR/UK GDPR and at least one major US data protection framework (e.g., HIPAA or FERPA).
Demonstrated experience with negotiating simple to complex transactions involving data, including data licenses, data protection addendums, and data sharing agreements.
Demonstrated experience with managing outside counsel across jurisdictions and translating legal advice into practical, operational, risk-based guidance.
Proven ability to develop and deliver engaging and accessible training across subject matter expertise, cultures, time zones, functions, and levels.
Proven ability to translate legal requirements into practical guidance and processes to improve efficiency, scalability, and self-service while appropriately managing risk and enabling innovation and impact.
Highly skilled in advising on legal risk, collaborating across functions at all levels, and influencing senior leaders.
Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, and diplomacy both individually and collaboratively as part of a team effort and effortlessly transition between leading and supporting roles as required.
Quickly grasp and embrace new and rapidly evolving subject areas, demonstrating intellectual curiosity and excitement to engage proactively and confidently with unfamiliar topics.
Strong interpersonal skills, maturity, sound judgment, and ability to communicate in a clear and compelling manner with internal and external audiences across a variety of tools and forums.
Self-motivated and with a strong sense of ownership and urgency; able to take initiative (identify problems that need solving) and independently drive work forward and deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment where individuals manage their own portfolios and priorities.
Proficient in core and emerging productivity and collaboration platforms, including MS 365, Adobe Acrobat, Salesforce, Smartsheet, and Mural.
Eager to leverage emerging technology, including AI and ML tools, to enhance productivity.
Willing to perform administrative tasks as needed and be self-sufficient.
Strong commitment to the mission of the foundation and its subsidiaries.
Highest standards of ethics and integrity.
Sense of humility, curiosity, and perspective

Responsibilities

Support a global data privacy program, including global compliance, policy and guidance, notice and legal bases, data subject requests, agreements, records of processing activities, data impact assessments, and transfer impact assessments.
Continuously identify and implement process and tooling improvements to enhance data privacy program maturity and efficiency.
Provide legal guidance regarding a variety of enterprise data privacy issues.
Provide tactical and strategic legal guidance regarding the processing of personal data, including compliance, data classification, data protection, lifecycle management, and data governance.
Translate legal requirements into plain language policies, processes, and guidance that are risk-based, practical, and scalable.
Review, draft, and negotiate data-related agreements and terms, and develop related templates, playbooks, guidance, and processes.
Develop and deliver effective training across all functions, offices, and levels of the foundation and its subsidiaries.
Collaborate with technical, operational, and programmatic teams to translate privacy principles and responsible AI principles into pragmatic solutions.
Work with colleagues, outside counsel, and third parties across jurisdictions, cultures, time zones, and collaboration tools.
Integrate AI/ML tools into daily work to streamline research, drafting, and collaboration.