Assistant General Counsel, Head of Privacy

Korn Ferry; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 250,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Korn Ferry has been retained for a confidential search in Dallas for an Assistant General Counsel, Head of Privacy. This senior, director-level role shapes and scales the privacy function across technology, media, data, and AI portfolios.

The candidate will lead privacy strategy, governance, and global regulatory compliance, partnering with executives to turn privacy into a competitive advantage and trusted customer outcomes.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of progressive experience in privacy and data protection.
• Proven track record building, implementing, and scaling privacy programs.
• Experience in a lean legal environment.
• In-house experience with technology, SaaS, travel, media, AI, or data-intensive companies.
• Experience advising C-suite executives on privacy risk and strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead the continued development and scaling of the privacy program and governance structures.
• Advise executive leadership and boards on privacy strategy, regulatory exposure, and program maturity.
• Guide GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and emerging U.S. state privacy laws, and cross-border data transfers.
• Embed privacy by design across product, technology, marketing, and operations.
• Oversee DPIAs, DPIAs, vendor risk reviews, and cross-border data transfer initiatives.
• Support enterprise sales and customer relationships by handling privacy questionnaires and DPAs.
• Serve as the primary privacy representative with regulators, auditors, and customers.
• Draft and negotiate privacy provisions in contracts and DPAs.
• Develop privacy training and awareness across the portfolio.

Skills

Privacy leadership

Regulatory expertise

GDPR/CCPA

Contract negotiations

Data protection

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

J.D. degree

CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM preferred

Job description

Korn Ferry has been retained by a Dallas-based strategic investment and operating platform company for a confidential search for an Assistant General Counsel, Head of Privacy. Reporting to the General Counsel, this is a director-level opportunity for an accomplished privacy leader to shape and scale the privacy function across a growing portfolio of businesses operating at the intersection of technology, media, commerce, data, and artificial intelligence.

The Company

The company is a strategic investment and operating platform that builds, acquires, and scales businesses across technology, media, commerce, data and AI, and consumer sectors. Acting as both an investor and an active operator, the company provides its portfolio companies with capital, shared infrastructure, proprietary technology platforms, strategic direction, and operational expertise. Its portfolio includes businesses spanning global marketing and digital transformation, SaaS-based commerce media technology, and enterprise data, cloud, and AI consulting.

The Opportunity

This position is located in Dallas, Texas and requires working in the office four days per week. Candidates must be able to meet the on-site requirement, including relocating if needed.

The Assistant General Counsel, Head of Privacy will lead and continue to evolve the privacy function across the company and its portfolio companies. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has previously built or materially scaled privacy programs in a lean legal environment and is comfortable moving between strategy and execution.

This is a compelling opportunity to become the senior privacy authority for a complex, technology-enabled portfolio. The successful candidate will work closely with executive and business leadership to make privacy a competitive advantage, supporting innovation, enterprise growth, responsible data use, and customer trust.

The successful candidate will partner closely with the General Counsel, portfolio company leadership, legal colleagues, and go-to-market teams. Privacy will be positioned not simply as a compliance requirement, but as a commercial capability that supports enterprise sales, customer due diligence, responsible innovation, and sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the continued development and scaling of the company’s privacy program, including governance structures, policies, standards, controls, operating procedures, and reporting mechanisms.
• Serve as the senior privacy adviser to executive leadership and boards regarding privacy strategy, regulatory exposure, risk, and program maturity.
• Advise the company and its portfolio companies on GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, emerging U.S. state privacy laws, international privacy requirements, AI regulation, and cross-border data transfers.
• Embed privacy by design and privacy by default across product, technology, marketing, commercial, and operational activities.
• Lead privacy impact assessments and data protection impact assessments, vendor and third-party risk reviews, and cross-border data transfer initiatives.
• Support enterprise sales and customer relationships by responding to privacy and security questionnaires, negotiating data processing agreements, participating in RFPs, and advising during customer audits.
• Serve as the primary privacy representative in interactions with regulators, auditors, and enterprise customers.
• Review, draft, and negotiate privacy and data protection provisions in commercial agreements, DPAs, and vendor contracts.
• Oversee the strategic use and continued development of privacy technology supporting records of processing, assessments, data subject rights, consent management, and privacy operations.
• Develop and scale privacy training and awareness programs across the portfolio.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments globally and translate them into practical business guidance.
• Partner with technology, product, marketing, sales, customer success, procurement, HR, and other functions to integrate privacy into day-to-day operations.
• Help build and lead the privacy team as the function grows.

The Candidate

The ideal candidate will be a pragmatic, commercially minded privacy leader who has successfully built privacy capabilities within a fast-moving, resource-conscious organization.

Candidates should bring:

• At least 10 years of progressive experience in privacy and data protection.
• A demonstrated record of building, implementing, and scaling privacy programs, rather than solely maintaining an established program.
• Experience working in a lean legal environment, with the ability and willingness to personally drive execution while also setting strategy.
• Meaningful in-house experience with technology, SaaS, travel, media, AI, or similarly data-intensive companies.
• Experience advising businesses with complex technology, data, marketing, enterprise customer, or AI-related privacy considerations.
• Direct experience supporting enterprise B2B customers during sales cycles, RFPs, privacy and security due diligence, contract negotiations, and customer audits.
• Experience managing regulatory inquiries, audits, investigations, or enforcement matters.
• Strong command of GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, emerging U.S. state privacy laws, AI regulations, and cross-border data transfer requirements.
• Experience advising C-suite executives and boards on privacy risk and strategy.
• The ability to influence and build alignment across businesses with different operating models, resources, and risk profiles.
• Strong judgment and the ability to translate complex legal requirements into clear, practical business guidance.
• Experience building and leading teams.
• A J.D. degree. CIPP/US, CIPP/E, and/or CIPM certification is strongly preferred.

Leadership Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• A builder who is energized by the opportunity to develop capabilities and improve a privacy program.
• Strategic and commercially oriented, with the ability to make privacy an enabler of growth and customer trust.
• Hands-on and comfortable operating without extensive layers of staff or infrastructure.
• Collaborative and influential across legal, technical, product, marketing, and commercial teams.
• Calm and credible when advising senior leaders, boards, regulators, auditors, and enterprise customers.
• Effective in an environment characterized by growth, complexity, autonomy, and change

For the right privacy leader, this is an opportunity to build lasting privacy capabilities across a portfolio of businesses and support responsible data use and enterprise growth.

Compensation:

$250K to $280K base + 25% bonus