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Sr. Counsel, Privacy Compliance

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92% of candidates apply because they are a Most Loved Workplace®
Bellevue, Washington; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; Washington, D.C.
Legal

About the Role

At Databricks, a Most Loved Workplace® certified employer in the Technology space, Democratizing data and AI for every organization worldwide.

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">GAQ327R249</p>

<h3><strong>About the Team</strong></h3>

<p>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.</p>

<h3><strong>About the Role</strong></h3>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<h3><strong>The impact you will have</strong></h3>

<ul>

<li><strong>Legal advice and regulatory interpretation. </strong>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. </li>

<li><strong>Privacy Program & Governance Leadership:</strong> 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.</li>

<li><strong>Risk assessments.</strong> 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)<strong>.</strong></li>

<li><strong>Contract Negotiation and Transactions:</strong> 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.</li>

<li><strong>Policies, training, and governance. </strong>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.</li>

<li><strong>Cross-Functional Collaboration & Legal Partnership:</strong> Build deep cross-functional relationships and collaborate with other legal leaders in commercial, go-to-market, compliance, corporate, and public affairs on privacy issues.</li>

<li><strong>Business and Legal Judgment: </strong>Exercise practical judgment about when to approve, approve with conditions, decline, or escalate.</li>

<li><strong>Team Contribution:</strong> 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 Databricks.</li>

</ul>

<h3><strong>What we look for</strong></h3>

<ul>

<li>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)</li>

<li>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). </li>

<li>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</li>

<li>Technical proficiency in using AI tools to build skills, agents, and other automated tasks.</li>

<li>Capacity to be a generalist and learn new areas of law and legal skills quickly as the business evolves</li>

<li>Deep understanding of cloud and software technology, and a strong desire to work on legal issues in these areas</li>

<li>Experience working for a company offering platform services to business customers is a plus</li>

<li>Familiarity with privacy management tooling (e.g., OneTrust or comparable) is a plus</li>

<li>J.D. from a top-tier law school</li>

<li>State bar membership required, in good standing</li>

<li>One or more privacy certifications (e.g., CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM, CIPT, FIP) preferred; CIPM is particularly valued for a program-leadership role</li>

</ul>

<h3><strong>What you bring</strong></h3>

<ul>

<li>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.</li>

<li>You exercise good judgment in raising issues, assessing risk, and providing concise, actionable, business-focused legal advice and counsel.</li>

<li>You build strong, deep working relationships with internal stakeholders across multiple geographies and functions, and are comfortable working with distributed teams.</li>

<li>You are a self-starter who operates independently and interacts confidently with senior management, influencing without authority.</li>

<li>You have a strong work ethic, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to manage many cross-functional projects simultaneously with minimal supervision.</li>

<li>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.</li>

</ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p> </p>

<p><strong>Pay Range Transparency</strong></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 14px;">Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles.  Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipates utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page <a href="https://www.Databricks.com/sites/default/files/2024-08/us-pay-zone-mapping.pdf">here</a>.<br></span></p>

<p> </p></div><div class="title">Zone 2 Pay Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$219,800</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$302,300 USD</span></div></div><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p> </p>

<p><strong>Pay Range Transparency</strong></p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 14px;">Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles.  Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipates utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page <a href="https://www.Databricks.com/sites/default/files/2024-08/us-pay-zone-mapping.pdf">here</a>.<br></span></p>

<p> </p></div><div class="title">Zone 3 Pay Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$207,600</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$285,450 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p><strong>About Databricks</strong></p>

<p><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/Databricks">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://x.com/Databricks">X</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Databricks">YouTube</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/databricksinc/?hl=en">Instagram</a>.<br><br><strong>Benefits<br><br></strong></span>At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/154un3e8Xav4BceOSlcYFZRGEuQI54xMxVydRwQn54eQ/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>.<br><br></p>

<p><strong>Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion</strong></p>

<p>At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.</p>

<p><strong>Compliance</strong></p>

<p><strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.</span></strong></p>

<p><a href="https://www.Databricks.com/legal/applicant-privacy-notice" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">Applicant Privacy Notice</span></strong></a></p></div>

Want to learn more about what it's like to work at Databricks? View our full profile.

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Why This Is a Most Loved Workplace® Certified Job

S

Systemic Collaboration

As Databricks continues our rapid growth, we strive to maintain a culture as open and transparent as it was in Databricks’s early days. Making sure employees have regular access to our CEO and co-founders to hear directly about our vision and priorities helps our employees forge a connection between Databricks priorities and their daily work.

P

Positive Vision for the Future

Databricks’ culture principles are derived from an internal study of the behaviors that have led to high impact work at Databricks. These values have a direct impact on company culture and play a large part in connecting teams across the organization. We believe in being customer-obsessed, truth-seeking, operating from first principles, having a bias for action, and putting Databricks first. Our co-founders are fully involved in day-to-day operations, including business and technical reviews, working alongside our team members to ensure that we are always aligned with our values.

A

Alignment of Values

Databricks’ CEO and Co-founder, Ali Ghodsi leads by example with a focus on truth-seeking and first principles thinking, two of Databricks’ core values that stay true to Databricks’s origins in academia. He champions the importance of data and reason to question biases and inform decisions. Ali remains hands-on with research and development and hosts company-wide weekly all hands, with a CEO “ask me anytime” session at the beginning of every agenda. His transparency and accessibility are core to the open and collaborative culture of Databricks.

R

Respect

At Databricks, we cultivate an environment where all employees can bring their unique selves and are empowered to do the best work of their careers. To ensure all voices are heard and ideas are valued, we conduct annual culture and pulse surveys and host all-hands Q&As to collect feedback from all employees. We then report back to Databricks on the specific changes implemented from the feedback collected to ensure employees feel heard and that their feedback is valued. In addition, we invest in our seven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that offer support and employee engagement events for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds and allies.

K

Killer Outcomes

Databricks prioritizes offering an exceptional employee experience by investing in tools, workspaces, and community-building. Our collaboration-first, hybrid model offers flexibility with in-person touchpoints like our annual employee kickoff, weekly CEO all-hands with happy hours, and monthly team building budgets. We are especially focused on maintaining a culture of transparency, honesty, and trust, with leaders actively engaging across channels like Slack and all hands while also championing inclusion efforts through ERG sponsorship. These initiatives help our team feel connected, valued, and empowered to do their best work.

What It's Like to Work Here

zap Bias for Action
lightbulb First Principles Innovation
users Collaborative Excellence
target Truth-Seeking Rigor
compass Generational Mission Focus
Certified for: Global Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces®, Certified Most Loved Workplaces® 2025, Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® 2025

Frequently Asked Questions About Working at Databricks

Common questions candidates ask about this role and Databricks's workplace

With the Data Intelligence Platform, Databricks democratizes insights to everyone in an organization. Built on an open lakehouse architecture, the Data Intelligence Platform provides a unified foundation for all data and governance, combined with AI models tuned to an organization’s unique characteristics. Now, anyone in an organization can benefit from automation and natural language to discover and use data like experts, and technical teams can easily build and deploy secure data and AI apps and products. With origins in academia and the open source community, Databricks was founded in 2013 by the original creators of the lakehouse architecture and open source projects Apache Spark™, Delta Lake, MLflow and Unity Catalog.

Please review the specific job listing or contact Databricks's recruiting team for details on remote or hybrid work options for this role.

Salary information may vary by role and location. Please check the specific job listing or discuss compensation during the interview process.

Databricks is an established organization in its industry. The company is a certified Most Loved Workplace®, highlighting a strong, positive culture and committed workforce.

Key benefit categories include: Health & Wellness, Work-Life Balance, Office & Lifestyle, Professional Development, Financial. You can view more details on their CertCheck profile.

The day-to-day environment is guided by core values such as Bias for Action and First Principles Innovation and Collaborative Excellence.

The company has committed to inclusive practices including: Customer Obsession with Integrity and Empowering Every Team Member.

They score particularly well in the area of Systemic Collaboration. They have earned Most Loved Workplace® certifications including: Global Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® and Certified Most Loved Workplaces® 2025.

Databricks currently has 810 open positions. They are hiring across departments like Field Engineering - Other, Delivery Solutions Architects, Enterprise Sales. You can view all current openings at certcheck.mostlovedworkplace.com/companies/databricks/jobs.

The interview process typically involves an initial recruiter screen followed by team interviews. Please contact Databricks's recruiting team for specific details on this role's process.

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