Legal Counsel, Privacy (Remote - Canada/US)

Job Description

PLEASE NOTE: This remote position is open to applicants across Canada and the United States. Shopify is now permanently remote and working towards a future that is digital by design. Learn more about what this can mean for you. Shopify is the world’s fastest growing commerce platform, with no plans to slow down, powering over 1 million stores in more than 175 different countries. Our mission within the Legal Team is to work behind the scenes to help Shopify make commerce better for everyone. We must be able to apply our knowledge and experience in order to protect Shopify’s interests in a way that allows our business to stay agile and competitive. About the team Shopify’s Privacy & Intellectual Property Team works closely with Shopify’s brilliant research and development teams to help them build and protect the innovative products that Shopify offers. More specifically, the team is responsible for managing Shopify’s privacy and data protection program, building Shopify’s IP portfolio, and managing disputes, regulatory inquiries, and litigation relating to either privacy or intellectual property. About you We’re looking for a curious, passionate and dedicated mid-level privacy lawyer, with real experience (ideally in-house) working on technically complicated privacy and data protection issues, working and communicating with product and engineering teams, and providing pragmatic and actionable legal advice that isn’t just a CYA memo or a farmed-out DPIA checklist. Because the most important part of this role is product counseling and working with sophisticated product and engineering teams, we would strongly prefer if you have in-house privacy experience. But, if you’re in private practice or doing something more off-the-beaten-path, that’s absolutely fine so long as you have real, applied privacy experience that goes beyond drafting privacy policies or negotiating a DPA or two. Your​ ​primary​ ​responsibility​ ​will​ ​be​ ​to​ help advise product, engineering, and business teams on privacy issues relating to Shopify’s products and services. This is not a “compliance” role - we want privacy lawyers who think big picture, who can help our R&D teams appreciate risks 5 to 10 years down the road, and who can provide pragmatic advice beyond the letter of the law. You will also spend your time assisting with privacy issues that may come up during commercial negotiations, helping with security incident response, and advising leaders at the company on the constantly evolving landscape of risks relating to privacy and data protection. We also want someone who can help us grow and mature how we handle privacy. Success on the Shopify legal team requires intellect, humility and a sense of humour. You need to take the work seriously, but not take yourself too seriously. You also need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, able to work with many different types of personalities, really connect with people and earn their trust, and enjoy working as a team player. You will handle complicated matters with empathy and professionalism, striking a balance between legal requirements while maintaining our kick ass workplace.

Responsibilities

• Product counseling on privacy and data protection issues in the realms of ecommerce, financial services, AI and machine learning, autonomous robotics devices, and ad tech.
• Working with our regulatory team to respond to inquiries from privacy regulators, data protection authorities, and other government authorities.
• Along with the rest of the Privacy team, spending some time on call to help respond to potential security incidents.
• Helping to train other parts of the company (e.g., our commercial legal team) so they can handle privacy issues that come up during negotiations, and serving as an elevation point during important negotiations.

Requirements for the role

• A J.D. or LL.B.
• A license to practice law in your jurisdiction (we are open to candidates in Canada or the United States)
• Strong knowledge of major privacy laws like GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, and/or PIPEDA.
• A solid understanding of relevant technologies, such as cookie-based tracking, encryption, hashing, tokenization, machine learning, etc.
• The​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​build​ ​and​ ​maintain​ ​strong​ ​relationships​ ​with​ ​a​ ​variety​ ​of​ ​people and teams, both internal and external.​ ​​​You​ ​will​ ​need​ ​to​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​gain​ ​the​ ​trust​ ​of​ ​a​ ​wide​ ​range​ ​of​ ​folks​ ​at Shopify,​ ​to​ ​speak​ ​to​ ​each​ ​team​ ​“in​ ​their​ ​language,”​ ​and​ ​to​ make them ​feel​ ​comfortable​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​reach​ ​out​ ​when things​ ​go​ ​wrong. You will also need to build trusted relationships with key external stakeholders. You will need to do all of this in a new “Digital by Design” (read, remote) workplace.
• The ability to talk about highly technical products and services with both technical experts and regulators with no technical background.
• A​ ​desire​ ​to​ ​work​ ​on​ ​an​ ​agile,​ ​pragmatic​ ​team ​providing pragmatic​ responses to product and engineering teams that are moving quickly and do not have the time for a law school lecture. The ability and interest in identifying and working through issues that may be privacy-adjacent, like competition, consumer protection, or cybersecurity.

Bonus experience

• A CIPP certification (CIPP/C, CIPP/US, and/or CIPP/E).
• Experience working with privacy and data protection authorities around the world.
• Experience working in-house, ideally in tech.
• Experience with policy work, particularly relating to privacy and data protection.
• An appreciation for Halloween, Karaoke and Trivia night (the Legal Team takes our Halloween costume contest very seriously).

We know that applying to a new role takes a lot of work and we truly value your time. Vivek Narayanadas, Director, Associate General Counsel, Privacy, is looking forward to reading your cover letter. In your cover letter, please include a paragraph on a privacy issue in the news that has caught your attention recently and what it might mean for Shopify. This posting will close on Monday, January 18, 2021 at 4 PM EST. You can expect to hear back from us (regardless of outcome) within 3 weeks from when you applied. At Shopify, we are committed to building and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. Our belief is that a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion enables us to truly make commerce better for everyone. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous people, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities and/or people with intersectional identities. Please take a look at our 2019 Sustainability Report to learn more about Shopify's commitments. Apply for this job