Senior Counsel, Technology & Privacy

Description

U.S. Soccer Overview

The U.S. Soccer Federation exists in service to soccer. Our aim is to ignite a national passion for the game. Because we believe that soccer is more than a sport; it is a force for good.

We understand the importance and the power of teamwork, on and off the pitch. That is why we work closely with our Federation partners and members, to inspire, support and guide every level of the game: from the grassroots to the National Teams. We want to bring soccer into every home and every community, right across America. Because we believe that soccer can transform lives like no other sport. Soccer can represent the best of U.S.

U.S. Soccer is in a period of significant growth, with ambitious plans for U.S. Soccer in the near and far future. We are, therefore, looking for dynamic servant leaders to join us on this journey: in service to soccer. Applicants must be able to demonstrate visionary leadership, analytical decision-making, professional flexibility, and an empathic management style that builds bold teams and delivers globally significant results.

Position Description

The Senior Counsel, Technology & Privacy is a new role at U.S. Soccer and will be responsible for developing, supporting and advancing U.S. Soccer’s data governance program with a focus on privacy, data protection, and product counseling. Reporting to the Deputy General Counsel, Commercial & Business Affairs, you will provide practical, risk-based guidance, lead critical privacy and data initiatives, and build systems that enable U.S. Soccer to innovate responsibly while meeting evolving regulatory and ecosystem expectations. 

The ideal candidate brings deep privacy expertise, sound business judgment and experience operating with autonomy in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. The ideal candidate will also have experience counseling product, engineering and technical teams, translating complex privacy requirements into practical guidance, and supporting a fast-paced, technology-forward business. 

Primary Responsibilities

Privacy & Data Protection Counseling

• Monitor and assess evolving privacy and data protection laws, regulatory guidance, and enforcement trends, and advise on impacts to the business
• Assess U.S. Soccer’s compliance posture under applicable privacy and data protection laws and lead the development and maintenance of scalable governance processes, documentation standards, monitoring approaches, and reporting practices 
• Provide practical, business-focused guidance on the collection, use, sharing, retention and protection of personal data and health data across U.S. Soccer’s products and operations
• Respond to data sharing and ecosystem questions, including governance and contractual expectations
• Support the company’s data governance uplift efforts, including roadmap development, milestone tracking, stakeholder alignment, and executive reporting
• Working cross-functionally with the IT and Product teams, advise on, develop, and deliver privacy training and awareness; identify training needs, define content expectations and target audiences, create/update course materials

Product & Technology Counseling

• Partner closely with the Product, IT, Sporting and Soccer Services teams to embed privacy considerations into the design, development, and deployment of products and platforms, with the goal of implementing practical, scalable controls across the product lifecycle
• Review and advise on privacy implications of new products, features, technologies, and data uses, including conducting and supporting privacy impact and risk assessments
• Counsel on data-driven initiatives, including analytics, marketing technologies, and emerging technologies such as AI, from a privacy and data governance perspective

Commercial & Vendor Support

• Draft, review and negotiate a wide variety of technology and data-related agreements, including SaaS agreements, cloud services agreements, software development and licensing agreements, master services agreements, statements of work, and technology integration, data processing, and information security agreements. 
• Review, draft and negotiate privacy and data protection provisions in commercial agreements, including data processing agreements and vendor contracts.

Regulatory & Risk Management

• Own the cybersecurity and privacy legal strategy and operating model; establish standards, playbooks, escalation paths, and risk tolerances aligned to company goals
• Advise on responses to data subject requests, regulatory inquiries, and privacy-related incidents 
• Lead legal readiness for enterprise incident response (tabletops, playbooks, training) and advise on third-party breach response; serve as lead legal point of contact for significant cybersecurity incidents and privacy incidents
• Lead regulatory readiness, audits, and internal assessments related to privacy and data security compliance

Other Transactional Support

• As time permits, assist other transactional lawyers by drafting, reviewing and negotiating a variety of agreements in support of our business operations, including services agreements, event-related agreements, content acquisition agreements, licensing, and facility-related agreements
• Assist other transactional lawyers in developing and maintaining contract templates and playbooks to streamline technology and other contract processes

Expectations of all members of our Legal & Corporate Affairs Department

• Be a supportive mentor: share professional and industry knowledge generously, provide active guidance on professional development to staff that is more junior to you, and contribute to a culture of intellectual curiosity and high standards
• Provide thought leadership with respect to legal operations, including how to create efficiencies, use technology, serve our internal clients better, and control costs 
• Contribute to the creation and maintenance of our standard forms library 
• Treat others with respect, kindness, patience and empathy 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

•  J.D. from an accredited law school and an active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, in good standing
• Minimum 8-10 years of legal experience, with a significant focus on privacy, data protection, and technology-related matters
• Demonstrated experience providing product counseling and advising engineering, product and technical teams
• Solid understanding of data protection, cybersecurity and information security principles
• Minimum 5 years in-house experience 
• Sports industry experience preferred, but not required
• Experience in an engineering or technical project management role preferred, but not required 
• Strong ability to translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Knowledge of HIPAA and other healthcare privacy requirements preferred
• Familiarity with security frameworks and control environments (NIST, ISO 27001) 
• Experience designing and implementing policies, standards, controls, and metrics in a complex organization 
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Exceptional drafting, negotiation, analytical and communication skills
• High level of commitment to quality work product and organizational ethics, integrity and compliance
• General knowledge of soccer
• Capable of working in fast-paced and demanding environments
• Must be able to connect “micro” details to the “macro” vision and mission
• Proficient experience with Microsoft Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook)

U.S. Soccer offers a comprehensive compensation package, casual work environment, an inclusive culture, and an atmosphere for professional development.

U.S. Soccer is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, military status, political belief, or any other characteristic protected under the law. This policy applies to all our employment practices within our organization. We strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBTQIA, veterans, parents, and persons with disabilities to apply.