Data Privacy and Ethics Lead

Embark on a rewarding career with Sobeys Inc., celebrated among Canada’s Top 100 employers where your unique contributions drive success.

Sobeys is full of exciting opportunities, and we are always looking for bright new talent to join our team! We currently have a full-time opportunity for an Data Privacy and Ethics lead works. This role can be based out of any of our offices located in Stellarton, NS, Mississauga, ON.

Position Summary

The Privacy Compliance Specialist is responsible for leading the day-to-day oversight of the organization's compliance with regulatory Privacy controls. This role ensures compliance with applicable privacy laws and regulations, supports privacy risk management activities, and partners with business, technology, legal, cybersecurity, and data teams to embed privacy requirements into business processes, products, systems, and AI initiatives.
The successful candidate will act as a subject matter expert on privacy compliance, helping the organization navigate an evolving regulatory environment while enabling responsible innovation and data-driven business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Privacy Compliance Management

• Partners with Cybersecurity and Enterprise Risk and Audit teams to lead the execution and maintenance of the enterprise privacy compliance program.
• Monitor compliance with applicable privacy legislation and regulatory requirements, including PIPEDA, provincial privacy legislation, Quebec Law 25, and other applicable regulations.
• Assess impacts of new and emerging privacy laws and develop implementation plans to address compliance gaps.
• Partner with Cyber Security to update privacy policies, standards, procedures, controls, and supporting documentation.

Privacy Risk Assessment & Data Governance

• Support Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) and related privacy reviews.
• Review new business initiatives, technologies, AI solutions, and data-sharing arrangements to identify privacy risks and recommend mitigations.
• Partner with Data Governance, Cyber Security, Risk Management, and Legal teams to ensure effective privacy controls are implemented.
• Support data lifecycle management activities, including retention, disposal, consent management, and data minimization practices.

Incident Response & Breach Management

• Support privacy incident and breach response activities.
• Assist in investigations related to privacy events and potential regulatory reporting requirements.
• Document incidents, root causes, corrective actions, and lessons learned.
• Coordinate with Legal, Security, and Business stakeholders during incident management activities.

Training & Awareness

• Develop and deliver privacy awareness and compliance training programs.
• Provide guidance and consultation to business and technology teams on privacy requirements and best practices.
• Promote a culture of privacy accountability across the organization.

AI, Data & Emerging Technology Compliance

• Support privacy compliance requirements for AI, analytics, data science, and emerging technology initiatives.
• Review data usage practices involving automated decision-making, profiling, machine learning, and generative AI solutions.
• Ensure appropriate privacy safeguards, transparency requirements, and regulatory obligations are incorporated into AI governance processes.

#LI-Hybrid

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in law, Privacy, Information Management, Business, Risk Management, Information Security, or related field.
• Relevant privacy certifications preferred (CIPP/C, CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT).

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in privacy, compliance, risk, audit, governance, legal, or regulatory functions.
• Experience managing privacy compliance programs within a large, complex organization.
• Experience conducting PIAs and managing privacy risk assessments.
• Experience supporting regulatory audits, compliance reviews, and investigations.
• Knowledge of privacy requirements related to cloud technologies, data platforms, analytics, and AI solutions.

Technical Knowledge

Strong understanding of:

• PIPEDA
• Quebec Law 25
• Provincial privacy legislation
• Privacy by Design principles
• Data Governance frameworks
• AI governance and responsible AI principles
• Information security and cybersecurity fundamentals
• Regulatory compliance and risk management frameworks

Key Competencies

• Privacy regulatory expertise
• Compliance monitoring and testing
• Risk assessment and mitigation
• Regulatory interpretation
• Audit and control management
• Stakeholder management
• Executive communication and reporting
• Policy development
• Investigation and problem-solving
• Influencing without authority
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Success Measures

The Senior Privacy Compliance Specialist will be successful when they:

• Maintain compliance with applicable privacy regulations and obligations.
• Ensure timely completion of privacy assessments and compliance reviews.
• Reduce privacy risk exposure through proactive monitoring and remediation.
• Successfully support regulatory examinations, audits, and investigations.
• Drive adoption of privacy-by-design practices across business and technology initiatives.
• Improve privacy awareness and accountability across the organization.

Who we are
Sobeys is one of Canada’s leading grocery retailers, with more than 1,600 stores across all 10 provinces and banners including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and Lawtons Drug Stores. Our 128,000 teammates and franchise affiliates are passionate about delivering great food and exceptional experiences to our customers and communities.
Learn more about our story and culture:
Who We Are | Why Work With Us
Total Rewards
We offer a Total Rewards package designed to support teammates at work and in life. Depending on role and eligibility, teammates may receive health and dental benefits, retirement and savings programs including an Employee Share Ownership Plan, a 10% in-store discount at participating banners, virtual healthcare and an Employee and Family Assistance Program, learning and development opportunities, parental leave top-up, and paid vacation.
Sobeys is committed to providing a compensation structure that is flexible, equitable and competitive in the market to enable performance and growth. To learn more about this opportunity including the expected range of compensation in accordance with Pay Transparency Legislation where required please click the “I’m interested” or "Apply" button above. Individual compensation is determined based on qualifications, experience, and internal equity within the range provided.
Additional Information
External websites may share our organization's job postings which includes compensation information based on similar roles and market benchmarks. These figures are provided for general comparison purposes only and are not issued or verified by our organization.
We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to support efficiencies in the candidate screening, assessment, and recruitment processes. These AI tools do not make hiring decisions on behalf of the Company. Hiring decisions are made by our Hiring Teams.
Sobeys is committed to creating accessible and inclusive hiring processes. We will work with applicants requesting accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process.
Please note: Successful candidates will be required to provide documentation to prove their legal ability to work in the position during the onboarding process. Documentation will be assessed by the employer prior to commencement of work.