Program Manager, Compliance and Risk Manager

Program Manager, Compliance and Risk Manager
Location: Preference for candidates in California, particularly the Bay Area / San Francisco / Menlo Park. 
Contract: 6 months
Pay Rate: $100/hr on W2
Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, 401k, PTO

Job Overview

We are seeking an experienced Compliance and Risk Manager / Program Manager to lead complex risk assessment and compliance initiatives across privacy, employment compliance, and product-facing programs.

This role will partner closely with technical and cross-functional teams to understand how products, infrastructure, and data-processing systems operate, identify potential compliance and risk exposure, and influence solutions through a compliance-by-design approach.

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in risk assessment, compliance, assurance, privacy/data protection, and structured risk analysis with strong technical literacy and the ability to operate with speed, precision, and sound judgment.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct deep-dive risk assessments across privacy, employment compliance, and data protection, particularly for product-facing initiatives.
• Apply and maintain rigorous risk and compliance frameworks to evaluate complex and evolving risks.
• Partner with technical and product teams to understand product architecture, infrastructure, data flows, and data-processing activities.
• Evaluate compliance and privacy risks associated with how products and systems are designed, built, and operated.
• Support People Data Review initiatives and manage high-intensity workflows requiring exceptional accuracy and attention to detail.
• Promote compliance-by-design principles by influencing product development and risk mitigation strategies early in the product lifecycle.
• Translate complex technical, regulatory, and business considerations into clear risk assessments and actionable recommendations.
• Identify, assess, prioritize, document, and mitigate compliance and operational risks.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders and influence decisions without direct authority.
• Take end-to-end ownership of complex projects, deliverables, and risk-management activities.
• Maintain a high standard of execution in fast-paced environments where accuracy and responsiveness are critical.

Must-Have Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in risk assessment, assurance, compliance management, governance, or a closely related discipline.
• Deep expertise in privacy and/or employment compliance, data protection, and regulatory risk.
• Strong knowledge of privacy and data protection regulations such as GDPR and CCPA/CPRA.
• Strong technical and data literacy, including an understanding of infrastructure, data flows, data processing, and technology environments.
• Demonstrated experience performing complex risk assessments and developing practical risk mitigation strategies.
• Exceptional analytical, critical-thinking, and structured problem-solving skills.
• Ability to evaluate complex issues quickly while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Proven ability to manage high-intensity, deadline-driven workflows.
• Strong ownership and accountability, with the ability to independently drive work from assessment through resolution.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting technology, software, digital products, platforms, or highly technical environments.
• Experience partnering with engineering, product, data, security, privacy, or infrastructure teams.
• Experience implementing or maintaining formal risk management, compliance, assurance, or governance frameworks.
• Experience with privacy-by-design or compliance-by-design methodologies.
• Experience reviewing employee or people data and supporting employment-related compliance programs.
• Experience assessing risks associated with data processing, data governance, or complex data ecosystems.
• Experience working across multiple regulatory frameworks or geographic jurisdictions.
• Experience influencing product, engineering, or technical decisions without direct authority.
• Experience operating effectively in ambiguous, rapidly changing environments.
• Experience within a large technology company, enterprise organization, or similarly complex environment.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The strongest candidates will combine senior-level compliance and risk expertise with technical fluency.

This is not a purely policy-oriented compliance position. Candidates should be comfortable engaging with technical teams, understanding infrastructure and data-processing concepts, evaluating complex risk scenarios, and translating findings into practical recommendations.

Candidates with primarily administrative compliance experience, limited hands-on risk assessment experience, or minimal exposure to technical/data environments are unlikely to be a strong fit.