Ancestry - Senior Counsel
About Ancestry:
When you join Ancestry, you join a human-centered company where every person’s story is important. We believe that by discovering the struggles and triumphs of our past, we can foster deeper bonds and more meaningful connections among families and communities. Our talented team of scientists, engineers, genealogists, historians, and storytellers is dedicated to empowering customers around the world from all backgrounds on their journeys of personal discovery.
With more than 27+ billion digitized global historical records, 100 million family trees, and 18 million people in our growing AncestryDNA database, Ancestry helps customers discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Passionate about dedicating your work to enriching people’s lives? You belong at Ancestry.
Ancestry is seeking a full-time Senior Counsel to join our dynamic and evolving Privacy/Product legal team supporting our global business. This is a permanent position and could be based in San Francisco or Lehi, Utah.
This role will focus on providing legal advice to Ancestry’s product, engineering, advertising, and security teams in order to identify and mitigate legal risk. You will need the ability to apply complex and evolving legal frameworks with a strong focus on privacy and consumer protection to new and innovative products and services. You must have excellent judgment in balancing legal risks with business strategy and a proven ability to quickly ramp, learn new areas of law, and independently manage multiple projects in a demanding, fast-paced environment. You must also be a skilled collaborator, as the role will include seeking appropriate input from other legal specialists. Ideal candidates will have in-house product or privacy experience.
What You'll Do:
Provide pragmatic day-to-day and strategic advice to minimize legal risks while advancing business interests and ensuring an excellent customer experience.
Advise product and engineering teams throughout the product development lifecycle, from initial idea to launch, on a broad range of compliance issues including cutting edge and first impression legal issues.
Work closely with marketing and advertising technology teams to understand the business goals and create processes, and policies in compliance with applicable privacy laws.
Research, analyze, advise, train, and provide legal direction to internal stakeholders on legal, regulatory, and compliance issues, including U.S. privacy, data security, and consumer protection laws.
Draft clear and concise disclosures, disclaimers, FAQs, terms of use, privacy statements, policies and implement related processes.
Coordinate effectively with varied stakeholders.
Manage external law firms cost-effectively.
Who You Are:
J.D. with excellent academic credentials from an ABA-accredited law school, with an active license to practice law in California or Utah (as applicable), and at least 5 years of experience.
IAPP certification preferred.
In-house experience advising business, product, or engineering teams on legal, regulatory, and compliance issues relating to the development of Internet and mobile products and services.
Knowledge of, and experience advising on U.S. and international privacy and data protection laws, regulations, and standards, including CCPA, GDPR, preferably in the technology context.
Experience with an online, consumer-focused, global company.
Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities with limited supervision.
Keen to understand, learn about and integrate with the business and to develop the role in line with business requirements.
Ability to develop and manage relationships at key levels in the business.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively at all levels both written and verbally.
Strong computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Slack, etc.
Pragmatic, credible, confident, and proactive contributor.
To apply: