Patient Privacy Officer & Counsel

Sanofi; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanofi is seeking a Patient Privacy Officer & Counsel to act as the global privacy expert across R&D and medical departments. You will promote privacy-by-design, monitor risks, and ensure compliance with US privacy laws while protecting patient rights and enabling innovative science.

Ideal candidates have a JD or equivalent, 7+ years in data privacy, and privacy certifications (CIPP/US/CIPM). Collaboration with Legal, R&D and Government Affairs is essential.

Qualifications

• JD or equivalent degree and US license to practice law.
• Minimum of 7 years in data privacy with regulatory exposure.
• Deep knowledge of US privacy laws (CCPA, HIPAA) and AI ethics.
• Privacy certifications preferred (CIPP/US, CIPM).
• Experience with R&D data life cycles and regulatory inspections.

Responsibilities

• Act as global officer and privacy expert for data protection.
• Drive privacy-by-design across projects and monitor risk.
• Lead transversal privacy initiatives with regulatory alignment.
• Oversee patient rights requests and respond to investigations.
• Co-author internal papers and engage with regulators and trade bodies.

Skills

Privacy leadership

Stakeholder management

Regulatory knowledge

Communication skills

Crisis leadership

Education

Juris Doctorate (JD) or equivalent

CIPP/US or CIPM certification

Job description

Job title: Patient Privacy Officer & Counsel

Location: Morristown, NJ / Cambridge, MA

About the Job

Join the engine of Sanofi’s mission — where deep immunoscience meets bold, AI-powered research. In R&D, you’ll drive breakthroughs that could turn the impossible into possible for millions.

Are you ready to shape the future of medicine? The race is on to speed up drug discovery and development to find answers for patients and their families. Your skills could be critical in helping our teams accelerate Progress. Join our Privacy team as a Patient Privacy Officer to shape the Sanofi Privacy strategy towards Patients, preventing risks to materialize, protecting Patients fundamental rights whilst enabling trustworthy innovation .

We are an innovative global healthcare company with one purpose: to chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. We’re also a company where you can flourish and grow your career, with countless opportunities to explore, make connections with people, and stretch the limits of what you thought was possible. Ready to get started?

About Sanofi

We’re an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. Our deep understanding of the immune system – and innovative pipeline – enables us to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world. Together, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives.

Main Responsibilities

In this role you will act as a global officer and expert on Data Privacy, promote and maintain a culture of privacy at every stage of the patients data life cycle, mastering TRT (Thoughtful Risk Taking) and a Patient centric approach

• As the business partner for several R&D and/or Medical departments, you will have end-to-end accountability to drive all privacy activities within your area, from driving privacy-by-Design of new projects to the effective monitoring and reporting of the risk management strategies to senior R&D leaders.
• As a Subject Matter Expert of patient data, you will drive transversal privacy initiatives to foster responsible use of patient data, informed by patient perspectives, ethical and regulatory standards, and cross-functional alignment to protect patient rights and maintain trust while enabling innovation
• You will monitor privacy risks in your area
• You will partner with the local Privacy Officers and Legal teams in ensuring the Global Patients initiatives you support are compliant with local practices and regulations, and offering local resolutions,
• You will co-author internal position papers with Legal, R&D and Government Affairs, representing Sanofi in industry advocacy efforts with Trade associations, Patient Associations Groups and Data Protection Regulators;
• You will oversee patients rights requests coming from your respective areas, ensuring patients’ rights are upheld in line with regulatory requirements and Sanofi’s commitments to privacy;
• You will drive the effective closure of action plans originating from regulatory inspections and internal audits

Qualifications

About you

• Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from an accredited law school, (or an equivalent advanced degree in law) and a valid license to practice law in the US
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience, including significant experience in data privacy
• In depth knowledge of U.S. State and federal privacy laws/regulations: California Consumer Privacy Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, familiarity with AI regulations and ethical frameworks
• Relevant privacy certification: CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM or equivalent is preferred
• Excellent understanding and working experience of the R&D journey of a new drug from the definition of the drug candidate to product registration and safety, in a regulated research and development setting (i.e. subject to Good Clinical Practices)
• Demonstrated experience in applying privacy principles and regulations in Research and Development, additional experience in patient programs if a plus
• Proven crisis leadership with strong accountability, and the ability to navigate tensions, align stakeholders, and drive coordinated action toward resolution.
• Solid communication skills and stakeholder management to establish credibility and drive decision making with senior internal stakeholders, balancing authority (executive presence) with solutions orientation.
• Advanced advocacy skills with external stakeholders (regulators and industry peers) to influence future regulations and shape Healthcare ecosystem.
• Ability to translate how the regulatory, societal and technological changes in biomedical research are impacting the patient privacy risk profile to proactively identify long term risk mitigations and opportunity strategies.

Why Choose Us?

• Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.
• Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.
• Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.
• Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.

Sanofi US Services and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity employers committed to a culturally inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law.

All compensation will be determined commensurate with demonstrated experience. Employees may be eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs, and additional benefits information can be found here.