Senior Counsel, Privacy

A Little Bit About Us:

Certn is a growing global technology company that’s revolutionizing background screening and reinventing the way businesses build trust. We’re proud to be backed by over $114M in funding and have been named Deloitte Canada’s second-fastest-growing company on the Technology Fast 50™..

Who are Certonians?

We’re soccer players, DIY creators, spicy food lovers, karaoke superstars, wine connoisseurs, and so much more! We are a team of 300+ people currently living the dream at Certn and we’re looking for more team members to level us up. If you’re excited about working with a group that values accountability, working collaboratively across time zones, being inclusive of different perspectives, and approaching problems with compassion and empathy – we want to hear from you!

The Opportunity:

We’re looking for a Senior Counsel, Privacy who will report directly to our VP, Corporate Affairs & General Counsel. 

In this role, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that Certn's products and services align with all privacy and data protection regulations across all markets, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPEDA (and CPPA).

For you to knock this role out of the park, you will need to leverage your deep expertise in global privacy regulations, your exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, and your ability to navigate complex legal environments. You excel in drafting, negotiating, and coordinating privacy provisions in agreements, and you have a proven track record of maintaining and updating privacy policies and procedures. Your leadership in fostering a high-performance culture within your team, coupled with your ability to provide guidance and training to employees at all levels, will be key to improving privacy awareness globally.

As our Senior Counsel, Privacy you can expect to:

Strategic Leadership:-

• Develop and implement a comprehensive compliance strategy that aligns with Certn's objectives and ensures adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards.
• Develop and maintain privacy policies, procedures, controls and guidelines that align with legal requirements and industry best practices, and are communicated effectively across the organization
• Stay informed on evolving global privacy and artificial intelligence laws, including but not limited to  PIPEDA, GDPR, UK-GDPR, EU-GDPR, CCPA and other applicable provincial, state and federal privacy laws; and communicate key privacy risks and considerations to senior leadership.

Subject Matter Expertise & Delivery:-

• Conduct privacy impact assessments (PIAs) to identify potential privacy risks; and recommend measures to mitigate them and ensure ongoing compliance with privacy standards.
• Oversee and support the handling of data subject rights requests, including requests for access, rectification, erasure, and objection, and ensure compliance with legal timeframes
• Review, negotiate, and provide guidance on contracts, agreements, and partnerships with third parties, such as vendors, suppliers, and clients.
• Develop and maintain an incident/ data breach response plan., collaborating with internal stakeholders to investigate, address and report breaches and/or audits
• Serve as the primary point of contact for privacy, data protection, and compliance related inquiries from regulatory authorities, clients, data protection agencies and internal stakeholders

Teamwork and collaboration:-

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including legal, IT, and operations, to ensure compliance considerations are integrated into business processes and technology systems.
• Conduct compliance training programs for employees at all levels, raising awareness of compliance requirements and fostering a culture of ethics and integrity.

People Leadership:-

• Lead a global team of compliance specialists, fostering a high performance positive working environment

We’re hoping you’ll bring:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and active law society membership in Canada (or equivalent)
• Extensive experience in private practice, complemented by some in-house corporate experience, with a focus on Privacy, Data Protection, or Technology
• Proven experience advising on data protection impact assessments, incident response, and breach notification procedures.
• Experience working with regulatory bodies and managing regulatory inquiries and investigations.
• In-depth knowledge of privacy laws and regulations across North America and the EMEA region, including GDPR, CCPA, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and other relevant privacy and consumer reporting frameworks.
• Exceptional organizational skills with impeccable attention to detail
• High degree of professionalism in dealing with diverse groups of people, including Board members, senior executives, staff, community leaders, and clients.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex privacy concepts to various audiences.
• Ability to understand and design privacy structure, process and policy development, across global regions
• Agile problem solving, finding effective and workable solutions while collaborating with non-specialist colleagues

The following will be considered an asset:

• Privacy certification (e.g., CIPP/E, CIPP/US) is highly desirable.

Why choose Certn for your next career move?

At Certn, our mission is clear: we're committed to creating an exceptional workplace that meets your needs and career aspirations. To achieve this, we're continually seeking your input, exploring industry best practices, and introducing innovative initiatives and improvements in our work environment. Our aim is for each of us to finish every day with a sense of pride in being part of the Certn story!

Some of the benefits you can expect at Certn are...

• 4 weeks of paid vacation
• 12 wellness days
• Remote-friendly and supportive flexible remote arrangements
• Work-from-home allowance
• Flex allowance
• Professional development budget
• And a few more goodies!

Certn takes pride in being an advocate for equal opportunities in the workplace. Our commitment is reflected in how we’re creating a workplace that’s respectful, inclusive, and free from barriers — a place where each member of our team can achieve their full potential. We firmly believe that the strength of our company is rooted in diversity, and we encourage every individual to bring their authentic selves to work. We extend a warm welcome to all qualified candidates and hope that you'll consider Certn as your preferred employer, where you can thrive and contribute to our collective success.

If you have a disability that requires accommodation during any stage of our recruitment process, please let us know how we can best assist you.

Note - Just so you know…the selected candidate will be required to complete a background check. This means you’ll get to see first hand what we do (and trust us, we do it REALLY well)!