Senior Counsel, Privacy - Blockchain & Digital Assets

Our Purpose

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Title and Summary

Senior Counsel, Privacy - Blockchain & Digital Assets

Who is Mastercard? Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses realize their greatest potential.

Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

Overview Mastercard is looking for an experienced privacy lawyer to support its evolving digital assets ecosystem from a privacy and data protection standpoint, including the integration and ongoing operation of BVNK and initiatives involving digital assets, blockchain, crypto payments, stablecoins, fraud, cross-border payments, embedded finance, and other emerging payment solutions. This role will partner closely with teams across Mastercard and BVNK, including Product, Compliance, Regulatory, Security, and Legal stakeholders, to help enable compliant product development, integration readiness, and ongoing business support.

The ideal candidate will have the ability to think and act both strategically and tactically with respect to the needs of tech-focused business clients and their objectives while ensuring that the corporation remains compliant with privacy, cyber, and data-related laws and regulations. The candidate should be practical, intellectually curious, and comfortable providing hands-on privacy advice in a rapidly evolving technology and regulatory environment.

The position will report to the Senior Managing Counsel and will be a member of the Law Department, supporting the Blockchain & Digital Assets team under Mastercard’s Core Payments business.

Role

• Analyze payment, digital asset, blockchain, stablecoin, fraud, and related technology solutions in light of privacy and data protection requirements with the aim of identifying the relevant process and infrastructure requirements to ensure compliance with applicable privacy and data protection laws globally, including GDPR, UK GDPR, and related European privacy and data protection requirements.

• Provide day-to-day support to business teams supporting digital assets, crypto payments, stablecoins, fraud, cross-border payments, and other emerging payment initiatives, and perform privacy and data protection law assessments in line with Mastercard’s privacy and data protection policies and processes.

• Support the integration and ongoing operation of BVNK and related acquired or strategic businesses, including by helping identify and address privacy compliance needs, control requirements, and remediation activities.

• Support the development and implementation of GDPR and UK GDPR compliance measures, including privacy impact assessments, privacy by design, international data transfer requirements, and legally required recordkeeping.

• Increase awareness among business clients, global privacy and legal teams regarding privacy and cyber security pertaining to payment, digital asset, blockchain, stablecoin, fraud, and related technology solutions through training and other initiatives.

• Monitor regulatory and legislative developments pertaining to crypto payments, stablecoins, blockchain technology, cross-border payments, embedded finance, identity verification, GLBA, DOJ bulk data transfer rules, and support the engagement with key policymakers and stakeholders to influence developments in that space.

• Develop contract structures that address privacy and data protection requirements, review and negotiate applicable privacy language in agreements with vendors, customers, partners, and other third parties, including DPAs and contractual data rights with UK/EEA customers and partners.

• Identify opportunities to improve privacy processes, controls, and governance for emerging payment and digital asset products, including to support speed to market while maintaining compliance with Mastercard policies and applicable law.

All About You

• Law degree required. Membership to a Bar (if permitted by law). Any additional qualifications (e.g. Master of Laws degree) considered an asset

• Solid expertise in and track record dealing with privacy law

• Experience advising on privacy or data protection issues involving financial services, fintech, digital asset products, stablecoins or other digital currencies, and the use of public and private blockchains is preferred.

• Experience advising on GDPR, UK GDPR, international data transfers, DPAs, or related UK/EU privacy and data protection requirements is preferred.

• Familiarity with financial services industry and payment processing.

• Ability to gain rapid familiarity with complex products, services, and legal frameworks, and to apply privacy requirements in a practical, business-oriented way.

• Superior time management, planning, and organizational skills

• Strong analytical, writing, and speaking skills. Attention to detail is a must.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills with proven experience in relationship building and partnering. Must work well in both team and individual settings

• Ability to motivate and influence highly skilled professionals to achieve major organizational goals

• Strong business acumen.

• Language: Fluent English.

Corporate Security Responsibility All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

• Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;

• Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;

• Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and

• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

• Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;

• Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;

• Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and

• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.