Senior Counsel

GAQ327R249

About the Team

Databricks is at the forefront of data and AI innovation, and our Legal team plays a vital role in supporting this mission. We are dedicated to navigating complex legal landscapes and ensuring compliance within the rapidly evolving technology sector. Our team is composed of diverse legal professionals with expertise in technology, privacy, intellectual property, corporate law, cybersecurity, employment law, tax, regulatory compliance, and litigation.

About the Role

Databricks is seeking a talented and experienced Senior Counsel, Privacy to serve as a trusted advisor across the business.  In this role you will own and mature our privacy program,  lead legal initiatives that deliver cutting-edge, practical legal advice as we navigate rapidly evolving global privacy and AI laws. Reporting to the Director & Assistant General Counsel, Privacy, you will develop AI-enabled solutions for operating and maturing the privacy processes and controls that keep Databricks compliant.

You will be agile and highly organized, with the skills, drive, and flexibility to build and scale a program at a leading technology company, addressing cutting-edge legal issues and organizational challenges. A successful candidate will be an AI proficient builder, resourceful self-starter, comfortable working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, and excellent at building strong relationships and driving cross-functional execution.

The impact you will have

• Legal advice and regulatory interpretation. Advise on compliance with global privacy and data protection laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, ADMT, and other U.S. state laws, Monitor legal and regulatory developments, and translate them into actionable guidance for the business. 
• Privacy Program & Governance Leadership: Build and mature Databricks’ privacy program to continue meeting evolving regulatory expectations, including contributions to AI governance.  Develop core program components for compliance with new regulations,  including data subject rights requests, privacy notices, consent management, PIA/DPIAs, and policy management.
• Risk assessments. Conduct gap analysis and risk assessments, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs), and transfer impact assessments to identify, assess, and help mitigate privacy risk, and support the organization's records of processing activities (RoPA).
• Contract Negotiation and Transactions: Draft and update form agreements, and counsel on and negotiate data protection provisions in commercial contracts, including data processing addendums (DPAs), standard contractual clauses (SCCs), and related data-transfer instruments.
• Policies, training, and governance. Develop and maintain internal privacy policies, external privacy notices, and standards. Design and deliver privacy training and awareness programs, and help operationalize privacy and AI governance frameworks and cross-functional privacy committees.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Legal Partnership: Build deep cross-functional relationships and collaborate with other legal leaders in commercial, go-to-market, compliance, corporate, and public affairs on privacy issues.
• Business and Legal Judgment: Exercise practical judgment about when to approve, approve with conditions, decline, or escalate.
• Team Contribution: Provide general legal support on a flexible, as-needed basis across other areas of the business, and contribute as a team player to further the legal department's reputation as an effective, respected, and valued resource within the company.

What we look for

• 7+ years of relevant legal experience at a top law firm and/or in-house (a combination of both is a plus), with 5+ years focused on privacy and demonstrated experience building, operating, or leading a privacy compliance program (not solely advisory work)
• Deep, current knowledge of global privacy and AI frameworks, including the GDPR/UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, EU AI Act, and the growing patchwork of  U.S. state comprehensive privacy and AI laws, and familiarity with cross-border data transfer mechanisms (SCCs, IDTA, adequacy, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework). 
• Working knowledge of the operational building blocks of a privacy program — DPIAs/PIAs, ROPA and data mapping, data subject rights processes, privacy by design, and vendor/third-party risk management
• Technical proficiency in using AI tools to build skills, agents, and other automated tasks.
• Capacity to be a generalist and learn new areas of law and legal skills quickly as the business evolves
• Deep understanding of cloud and software technology, and a strong desire to work on legal issues in these areas
• Experience working for a company offering platform services to business customers is a plus
• Familiarity with privacy management tooling (e.g., OneTrust or comparable) is a plus
• J.D. from a top-tier law school
• State bar membership required, in good standing
• One or more privacy certifications (e.g., CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM, CIPT, FIP) preferred; CIPM is particularly valued for a program-leadership role

What you bring

• You can set the direction for a program and drive it into execution — prioritizing and managing time and client expectations amid competing demands, often without direct guidance, as we scale our rapidly expanding business.
• You exercise good judgment in raising issues, assessing risk, and providing concise, actionable, business-focused legal advice and counsel.
• You build strong, deep working relationships with internal stakeholders across multiple geographies and functions, and are comfortable working with distributed teams.
• You are a self-starter who operates independently and interacts confidently with senior management, influencing without authority.
• You have a strong work ethic, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to manage many cross-functional projects simultaneously with minimal supervision.
• You have outstanding written and verbal communication skills and can make complex privacy and regulatory concepts clear to both legal and non-legal audiences, including executives.