Senior Privacy Counsel & DPO Germany

About Shine

Shine exists to help freelancers and small business owners reclaim the joy of working for themselves.
Running a business shouldn't mean drowning in financial admin – it should be inspiring and rewarding. Our app brings banking, invoicing, accounting and admin together in one place, so entrepreneurs can focus on what matters most: growing their business and enjoying the freedom of working for themselves.

We're a multicultural team of over 400 people across France, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. By bringing together leading European fintechs like Shine, Kontist and Tellow, we've built a single, intuitive platform designed for simplicity, speed and accuracy ,backed by local, award, winning support.

Your hiring experience matters

Just as we respect our customers' time, we respect yours. Your experience with Shine should feel simple, transparent and genuinely supportive.
If this sounds like somewhere you want to grow, we'd love to hear from you.

The Banking & Compliance team at Shine

Over the next year, we will build a best-in-class banking & compliance unit from the ground up, automating reporting cycles, eliminating noise, and freeing our team to do what matters most: generating the sharp, forward-looking insights that drive growth. This is a rare opportunity to shape not just a function, but a high-performing team culture, one where we consistently deliver and exceed our top-line targets.

The Legal & Privacy function sits within Shine's Banking & Compliance division, operating across our European entities; France, Germany, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands.

We are a lean, senior team navigating real regulatory complexity: post-merger integration, AI governance, and rapidly evolving data protection landscapes. Privacy here is not a box-ticking exercise, it is a core part of how we scale responsibly across borders, and we expect the same standard from everyone who joins us.

Your role as a Senior Privacy Counsel & DPO Germany

As we scale rapidly across Europe, we are looking for a Senior Privacy Counsel & DPO Germany to join our legal and privacy function. You will be the officially designated Data Protection Officer for all German entities, declared to the relevant supervisory authorities, while also serving as a hands-on senior privacy expert across day-to-day operations and group-wide projects.

You will report directly to the Lead Privacy and you will have real influence in shaping how the group privacy function is built, while being the go-to privacy authority for everything Germany-specific. In addition to that, you will bring only deep legal expertise, but a genuine drive to implement privacy management tools, design scalable processes, and identify where automation and AI can replace manual effort entirely.

Job located in Berlin, with possibility of two remote working days per week.

What You'll Be Doing:

Day-to-Day Privacy Operations & Statutory DPO

• Act as the officially designated DPO for our German subsidiaries before the relevant supervisory authorities, managing regulatory interactions and inquiries.

• Take full ownership of daily privacy operations: lead Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Legitimate Interest Assessments (LIAs), and manage internal privacy workflows and requests.

• Draft, review, and negotiate Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) and privacy clauses with clients, vendors, and strategic partners.

• Own and continuously optimise the German Records of Processing Activities (ROPAs), ensuring accuracy, scalability, and audit readiness.

• Investigate and manage data breaches, security incidents, and complex Data Subject Requests (DSRs).

• Identify opportunities to automate privacy processes and implement scalable tools, ensuring efficiency and consistency in a lean team environment.

Cross-functional Business Partnering (Privacy by Design & AI Enablement)

• Partner closely with Product and Engineering to embed Privacy by Design and by Default, particularly within AI-driven products and features.

• Act as a key advisor on AI-related privacy risks and opportunities, ensuring compliant and responsible use of data in AI systems.

• Provide pragmatic, business-oriented legal guidance to Marketing and Sales (e.g., cookie compliance, outreach regulations, consent frameworks).

• Collaborate on the adoption of AI and automation tools within privacy operations, enabling smarter workflows and faster decision-making.

Group Privacy Construction, Automation & Scaling

• Work closely with the Lead Privacy to build and scale a transversal Group Privacy program across multiple regions.

• Drive the standardisation and automation of privacy processes, templates, and policies, reducing manual effort and increasing consistency.

• Take a hands-on role in implementing scalable frameworks, including AI Governance policies aligned with the EU AI Act.

• Act as a builder, designing and embedding tools, systems, and processes that allow a small team to operate with high impact.

M&A and Organisational Transformation

• Lead operational privacy workstreams during post-merger integrations and organisational scaling initiatives.

• Conduct privacy due diligence and assess existing frameworks across acquired entities.

• Execute the migration and integration of privacy infrastructures, ensuring alignment with Group standards.

• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate legacy processes, accelerating integration and reducing operational complexity.

What You Bring

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience in a privacy role, preferably within a fast-paced B2B tech company, SaaS environment, or a top-tier law firm. Experience working with automation tools, AI-driven solutions, or building scalable processes is a strong advantage.

Operational Grit

• You are an individual contributor who enjoys the day-to-day operational work (drafting DPAs, updating ROPAs, answering product questions) just as much as high-level strategy, and you proactively identify opportunities to streamline and automate workflows in a lean team environment.

M&A/Integration Expertise:

• Proven track record of working through complex integration phases, major organisational restructurings, or M&A activities in a pan-European context, with the ability to simplify, standardise, and scale processes.

Legal Background:

• Strong, practical knowledge of German (BDSG) and European (GDPR) data protection laws. A legal degree (First/Second State Examination or equivalent) is highly preferred.

Business Acumen

• Ability to translate complex legal requirements into actionable, business-friendly solutions. Experience with AI regulations, AI governance, and SaaS products, as well as an interest in leveraging AI to enhance privacy operations, is a significant plus.

Languages

• Full professional proficiency in English and German is required.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We follow the principle of equal treatment to consider all job applicants and do not discriminate based on their gender, sexual orientation, colour, racial or ethnic origin, religion, disability, etc. as per applicable law.

Our recruitment process

1️⃣ Initial call (30 min) with a Talent Partner

2️⃣ Interview with hiring manager (45-60 min)

3️⃣ Case study interview + personality and logic assessment feedback

4️⃣ A 30' introduction with the Chief Banking & Compliance Officer, followed by a soft skills conversation to explore how we can best support your growth at Shine.