Senior Privacy Counsel (m/f/d)

This role exists to build and own the privacy and data protection agenda in a fast-moving tech business. You’ll be the senior legal lead driving how personal data is governed, protected and used responsibly across products and operations - bridging legal, engineering, compliance and risk to keep the business ahead of shifting regulatory expectations.

This is a senior individual-contributor role. Despite the Head of title, you won’t have direct reports and will lead through influence rather than hierarchy.

Tasks

Set the direction, lead execution

• Own the end-to-end privacy and data protection framework across the group, with accountability for how it operates in practice.
• Turn complex EU and UK privacy law into clear, usable guidance for product, commercial and operational teams.
• Embed privacy by design into new products and major initiatives, balancing regulatory risk with commercial reality.

Operational ownership

• Keep the business compliant day-to-day: DPIAs, RoPAs, audits, reviews and ongoing monitoring of processing activities.
• Act as the internal authority on data subject rights, breach response and regulator engagement where required.
• Manage incidents calmly and decisively, owning escalation and remediation.

Enable the business

• Build practical training, playbooks and tools that teams actually use.
• Partner closely with engineering, product, security and leadership to keep privacy aligned with how the business operates.

Requirements

• German-qualified lawyer with, 5+ years of hands-on data protection experience in a commercial environment (in-house or top-tier private practice).
• Deep working knowledge of GDPR, UK GDPR and German data protection law, with a strong grasp of how it plays out in real businesses.
• Comfortable operating independently in a senior role without a team, setting priorities and making judgement calls.
• Clear, pragmatic communicator who can influence senior stakeholders without relying on formal authority.

This is not a compliance box-ticking role. It’s a chance to own privacy end-to-end in a scaling tech business, with direct exposure to leadership and real influence over how products are built and launched.

You’ll define the function, set standards, and play a central role in managing risk while supporting growth.