Senior Counsel, Technology & Privacy

United States Soccer Federation 1•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The Senior Counsel, Technology & Privacy is a new role at U.S. Soccer responsible for developing, supporting, and advancing the organization’s data governance program, with a focus on privacy, data protection, and product counseling. Reporting to the Deputy General Counsel, Commercial & Business Affairs, this role provides practical, risk-based legal guidance, leads privacy and data initiatives, and builds systems that support responsible innovation and compliance with evolving regulatory and ecosystem expectations. The role partners with Product, IT, Sporting, Soccer Services, and other teams to integrate privacy into products and platforms; counsel on data use, emerging technologies, and commercial agreements; and lead cybersecurity and privacy legal strategy, regulatory readiness, and incident-response legal support. The position also supports transactional work and legal operations, mentors junior staff, and contributes to contract templates and playbooks. The ideal candidate has deep privacy expertise, sound business judgment, and the ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. U.S. Soccer offers a comprehensive compensation package, a casual work environment, an inclusive culture, and an atmosphere for professional development. The organization is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited law school and an active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, in good standing.
8–10 years of legal experience, with significant focus on privacy, data protection, and technology-related matters.
At least 5 years of in-house experience.
Demonstrated experience providing product counseling and advising engineering, product, and technical teams.
Solid understanding of data protection, cybersecurity, and information security principles.
Ability to translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Experience designing and implementing policies, standards, controls, and metrics in a complex organization.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Exceptional drafting, negotiation, analytical, and communication skills.
High commitment to quality work product, organizational ethics, integrity, and compliance.
General knowledge of soccer.
Ability to work in fast-paced and demanding environments and connect detailed considerations to the organization’s broader vision and mission.
Proficiency with Microsoft Suite, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook.

Nice To Haves

Sports industry experience.
Experience in an engineering or technical project management role.
Knowledge of HIPAA and other healthcare privacy requirements.
Familiarity with security frameworks and control environments such as NIST and ISO 27001.

Responsibilities

Monitor and assess evolving privacy and data protection laws, regulatory guidance, and enforcement trends, and advise on their business impact.
Assess U.S. Soccer’s privacy and data protection compliance posture and lead scalable governance processes, documentation standards, monitoring approaches, and reporting practices.
Advise on the collection, use, sharing, retention, and protection of personal and health data across products and operations.
Respond to data-sharing and ecosystem questions, including governance and contractual expectations.
Support data governance uplift efforts, including roadmap development, milestone tracking, stakeholder alignment, and executive reporting.
Work with IT and Product teams to develop and deliver privacy training and awareness, identify needs and audiences, and create or update course materials.
Partner with Product, IT, Sporting, and Soccer Services teams to embed privacy into product and platform design, development, and deployment.
Review and advise on privacy implications of products, features, technologies, and data uses, including privacy impact and risk assessments.
Counsel on data-driven initiatives, including analytics, marketing technologies, and AI, from privacy and data governance perspectives.
Draft, review, and negotiate technology and data agreements, including SaaS, cloud services, software development and licensing, master services agreements, statements of work, integrations, data processing, and information security agreements.
Draft, review, and negotiate privacy and data protection provisions in commercial agreements, including data processing agreements and vendor contracts.
Own cybersecurity and privacy legal strategy and operating model; establish standards, playbooks, escalation paths, and risk tolerances aligned with company goals.
Advise on data subject requests, regulatory inquiries, and privacy-related incidents.
Lead legal readiness for enterprise incident response, including tabletops, playbooks, and training; advise on third-party breach response and serve as lead legal contact for significant cybersecurity and privacy incidents.
Lead regulatory readiness, audits, and internal assessments related to privacy and data security compliance.
As time permits, assist with other transactional agreements, including services, event-related, content acquisition, licensing, and facility-related agreements.
Assist with development and maintenance of contract templates and playbooks.
Mentor junior staff and contribute to their professional development and a culture of intellectual curiosity and high standards.
Provide thought leadership on legal operations, including efficiency, technology use, service to internal clients, and cost control.
Contribute to the creation and maintenance of the standard forms library.
Treat others with respect, kindness, patience, and empathy.