Lead Privacy Counsel

Grammarly team members in this role must be based in San Francisco, New York or Seattle and they must be able to collaborate in person 2 to 3 days per week.        
           

About Grammarly

Grammarly is the world’s leading AI writing assistance company trusted by over 30 million people and 70,000 teams. From instantly creating a first draft to perfecting every message, Grammarly helps people at 96% of the Fortune 500 and teams at companies like Atlassian, Databricks, and Zoom get their point across—and get results—with best-in-class security practices that keep data private and protected. Founded in 2009, Grammarly is No. 14 on the Forbes Cloud 100, one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies, one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in AI, and one of Inc.’s Best Workplaces.

The Opportunity 

To achieve our ambitious goals, we are seeking a Lead Privacy Counsel to become a vital part of our Legal team, setting a strategic vision for a world-class privacy function and turning that vision into reality. This role involves tackling novel legal and technical issues related to privacy and data protection and contributing to building a world-class Legal team. At the core of this position is a remarkable opportunity to make a significant impact by ensuring Grammarly maintains the trust of millions of daily users. This role will work cross-functionally across the company, including with our Trust, Engineering, Product, Marketing, Compliance, and Communications teams. 

As a Lead Privacy Counsel, you’ll excel by driving the evolution and maturation of our global privacy program - bringing a sense of mission and customer-first mindset to the intersection of law, business, and technology. As a member of the Grammarly Legal team, you will also help develop the team’s culture through exemplary care for others and a solid commitment to finding creative solutions to complex questions. This role reports to the Head of Product, Privacy, and Policy.

In this role, you will:

• Lead Grammarly’s ability to deliver on its company objectives through a best-in-class privacy program.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to integrate privacy by design and as a value-add in business roadmaps, systems, and initiatives.
• Communicate privacy requirements and offer guidance to other teams, including Engineering, Trust, Communications, Product, and other teams within the Legal department. Simplify and distill complex global privacy requirements into practical next steps.
• Own updates to Grammarly’s internal and external privacy documentation. Assist with customer and vendor contract escalations, business partnerships, and corporate matters through a privacy lens.
• Scale the function through process improvement, automation, legal technology, and new working methods.
• Set and deliver a long-term vision for privacy compliance, including OKRs, controls, risk tracking, and training.
• As a team leader, inspire and motivate others to learn and grow.
• Chart a course for making data-backed decisions - leverage metrics to suggest priorities and investments and provide updates on the function’s progress.
• Lead relationships with regulatory, governmental, industry, and peer groups on privacy legal issues. Serve as a key escalation point for Legal in response to privacy incidents. 

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of privacy laws, regulations, and frameworks (e.g. GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, ISO 27001) and insight into the generative AI industry and emerging trends. Experience with industry-specific privacy regulations is preferred (e.g., COPPA, FERPA, HIPAA).
• Passionate about Grammarly’s products and the intersection of technology, law, and business leverages this curiosity to think tactically and strategically.
• Experience scaling a B2B SaaS privacy program and the ability to think big and chart a strategic direction suitable to Grammarly’s business. Experience setting team objectives and roadmaps, with a record of on-time delivery.
• Strong interpersonal communication and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated ability to translate complex issues or problems into direct, actionable guidance.
• Demonstrated ability to support and collaborate with cross-functional executives (C-suite, Chief Trust Officer, CISO, etc.). A history of developing a culture of getting to “yes, if…”
• A team approach to management, leading with humility and a healthy sense of humor. Passion for leading and developing high-performing team members, both attorneys and legal professionals.
• JD degree from an accredited law school (or foreign equivalent) with membership in good standing in a US state bar.
• 10+ years practicing law.
• Embodies our EAGER values—is ethical, adaptable, gritty, empathetic, and remarkable.
• Is inspired by our MOVE principles, which are the blueprint for how things get done at Grammarly: move fast and learn faster, obsess about creating customer value, value impact over activity, and embrace healthy disagreement rooted in trust.

Compensation and Benefits

Grammarly offers all team members competitive pay along with a benefits package encompassing the following and more: 

• Excellent health care (including a wide range of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and fertility benefits)
• Disability and life insurance options
• 401(k) and RRSP matching 
• Paid parental leave
• 20 days of paid time off per year, 12 days of paid holidays per year, two floating holidays per year, and flexible sick time
• Generous stipends (including those for caregiving, pet care, wellness, your home office, and more)
• Annual professional development budget and opportunities

Zone 1: $320,000 – $440,000/year (USD)

We encourage you to apply

At Grammarly, we value our differences, and we encourage all to apply—especially those whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in tech organizations. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, political belief, or any other characteristic protected by law. Grammarly is an equal opportunity employer and a participant in the US federal E-Verify program (US). We also abide by the Employment Equity Act (Canada).