Data Compliance & Privacy Consultant

Role Overview

The Data Compliance & Privacy Consultant assists clients in understanding and implementing legal, regulatory, policy, and control requirements related to data management. This role converts complex obligations into practical guidelines involving data collection, classification, access, sharing, retention, analytics, security, and disposal. The consultant also helps establish practices for evidence gathering, monitoring, exception handling, and remediation to ensure responsible data management.

Working closely with various teams including data governance, security, legal, risk, records, architecture, and operations, the consultant undertakes assessments, drafts requirements for controls, supports privacy and data-sharing reviews, and generates compliance recommendations. This role does not provide final legal opinions nor assumes responsibility for client risk acceptance. Its goal is to embed compliance within data processes and technical execution while escalating unresolved legal matters to authorized advisors.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify relevant legal, regulatory, policy, and contractual obligations related to client data activities and document their operational implications.
• Map these requirements across data lifecycle phases, business processes, systems, controls, evidence, and responsible client roles.
• Assist in assessments concerning privacy, data protection, classification, handling, access, sharing, retention, and disposal.
• Review data-sharing agreements, processing contracts, notices, consent stipulations, and evidence requirements alongside authorized legal personnel.
• Create compliance matrices, define control requirements, design assessment questions, specify evidence documentation needs, and track remediation efforts.
• Evaluate control design and corresponding evidence to clearly identify confirmed compliance, gaps, and areas needing legal interpretation.
• Support privacy and security requirements in technology architecture, analytics, integration, and data product initiatives.
• Lead compliance workshops and convey obligations in accessible language to business and technical staff.
• Document exceptions, residual risks, decisions, and escalation necessities without assuming client risk acceptance.
• Aid in compliance monitoring plans, reporting, corrective actions, and periodic reviews.
• Coordinate with governance, security, records, audit teams, system owners, and external advisers as necessary.
• Prepare guidance for implementation and facilitate knowledge transfer to client personnel.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in law, information systems, cybersecurity, risk, audit, or related disciplines. Equivalent combinations of relevant education and consulting or implementation experience may be considered.
• Typically, 4 to 8 years of experience in data protection, compliance, audit, governance, or technology risk domains.
• Experience in translating regulatory and policy obligations into controls, process mandates, and evidence expectations.
• Proven ability to collaborate with legal, security, technology, and business stakeholders on sensitive data issues.
• Preferred experience includes exposure to government or regulated-sector data-sharing and classification standards.

Technical and Domain Expertise

• Understanding of privacy and data-protection principles covering the entire data lifecycle.
• Knowledge of data classification, handling, access, sharing, retention, and disposal practices.
• Expertise in compliance mapping, control frameworks, evidence collection, and exception management.
• Familiarity with data-sharing and processing agreement provisions.
• Awareness of privacy and security considerations related to analytics and system integration.
• Competence in risk assessment, remediation tracking, and compliance reporting.
• Understanding interfaces with records and content management compliance requirements.
• Recognizing when formal legal advice or authority is necessary.

Core Competencies

• Interpreting regulatory frameworks accurately.
• Designing effective compliance controls.
• Managing privacy operations.
• Collecting and assessing audit evidence.
• Performing risk assessments and maintaining risk awareness.
• Producing clear advisory documents and findings.
• Demonstrating professional skepticism and confidentiality.
• Analyzing complex obligations and expressing them as actionable requirements.
• Conducting sensitive interviews and evidence evaluations.
• Facilitating communication among legal, business, and technical teams.
• Maintaining independence and an auditable evidence trail.
• Escalating uncertain matters properly rather than assuming legal conclusions.
• Supporting client decision-making without assuming legal or risk authority.

Preferred Certifications

• International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) CIPP or CIPM credentials.
• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) or Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).
• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) Associate level.