Senior Counsel, Privacy & Data

About the teamZillow Group’s Legal & Compliance team is a collaborative, high-performing group of professionals who thrive at the intersection of technology, data, and law. We support Zillow’s mission to make home a reality for more people by delivering trusted, forward-thinking legal counsel in a fast-moving, data-driven environment.
We’re looking for an experienced and business-oriented Privacy & Data Counsel to help shape how Zillow collects, uses, and safeguards data across our products and operations. This role will sit within our Privacy Legal team and collaborate closely with our Privacy Compliance, Information Security, Product, and Data Science partners to enable innovation while protecting consumer trust.

About the role

As Senior Counsel, Privacy & Data, you will serve as a key advisor on privacy, data protection, and responsible data use across Zillow’s suite of products and platforms. You’ll partner with product and engineering teams to embed privacy-by-design principles, enable compliant data-driven innovation, and support operational privacy programs across the company.

You will also contribute to Zillow’s broader privacy and data governance initiatives, helping design scalable processes, align legal frameworks with technical practices, and guide responsible data use across teams and systems.

What You’ll Do

Product and Data Counseling

• Advise product, engineering, and data teams on privacy, data protection, and responsible data use in connection with new features, products, and initiatives.
   

• Partner with teams throughout the product lifecycle to implement Privacy by Design and Responsible Data Use principles.

• Counsel on issues related to data collection, sharing, retention, analytics, and AI/ML model training, including de-identification and synthetic data.

• Review customer-facing services, disclosures, and terms to ensure transparency and compliance with applicable data and privacy laws.

• Counsel transactional teams on data use rights, cross-border transfers, information security obligations, and vendor risk management.

Operational and Enterprise Privacy Support

• Collaborate with the Privacy Compliance and Information Security teams to operationalize privacy programs and governance frameworks.

• Provide legal guidance and support on the implementation and improvement of key privacy and data governance processes, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), data inventories, DSARs, and data retention practices.

• Contribute to cross-functional efforts around data classification, governance, and accountability across business units.

• Help design and scale enterprise data governance tools and playbooks.

Education and Enablement

• Develop and deliver internal training, guidance, and tools to raise awareness on privacy, data protection, and responsible AI.

• Serve as a thought partner to product, data, and engineering leaders to drive a culture of privacy and trust.

This role has been categorized as a Remote position. “Remote” employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions.

In California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Washington DC the standard base pay range for this role is $160,900.00 - $257,100.00 annually. This base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations. In Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont the standard base pay range for this role is $152,900.00 - $244,300.00 annually. The base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations.

In addition to a competitive base salary this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. Employees in this role will not be paid below the salary threshold for exempt employees in the state where they reside.

Who you are

• 8+ years as an attorney, including at least 5 years’ in-house experience at a technology company advising on privacy, data protection, or data governance issues.

• Deep understanding of U.S. state and federal privacy laws and familiarity with global frameworks (GDPR, LGPD, DPDPA, etc.).

• Demonstrated experience advising on data-driven technologies, including analytics, personalization, and machine learning.

• Skilled at translating complex legal concepts into actionable advice for technical and business partners.

• Strong negotiation skills and experience drafting privacy and data-related contract provisions.

• Collaborative, pragmatic, and energized by solving complex, cross-functional problems.

• Comfortable navigating a fast-paced, highly matrixed environment while balancing strategic and tactical work.

• A clear communicator with a bias for clarity, efficiency, and practical solutions.

Get to know us

At Zillow, we’re reimagining how people move—through the real estate market and through their careers. As the most-visited real estate platform in the U.S., we help customers navigate buying, selling, financing and renting with greater ease and confidence. Whether you're working in tech, sales, operations, or design, you’ll be part of a company that's reshaping an industry and helping more people make home a reality.

Zillow is honored to be recognized among the best workplaces in the country. Zillow was named one of FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2025, and included on the PEOPLE Companies That Care® 2025 list, reflecting our commitment to creating an innovative, inclusive, and engaging culture where employees are empowered to grow.

No matter where you sit in the organization, your work will help drive innovation, support our customers, and move the industry—and your career—forward, together.

Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.