Senior Legal Counsel - Cybersecurity & Data Protection

The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards. Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade.

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary:

This job participates in complex problem resolution and leads complex projects of diverse scope requiring an understanding of current business trends. They determine methods and procedures for new or special assignments, and their initiatives often result in global process improvements.

Job Description:

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provide clear, pragmatic, and solution-oriented legal advice to enable business strategy while managing legal risk.
• Participate in complex problem resolution, providing expert legal advice on high-stakes issues and disputes.
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Partner with business counterparts across the enterprise to help drive the delivery of effective legal services.
• Manage legal risks and safeguard PayPal's legal interests, developing comprehensive risk management frameworks.
• Escalate complex issues to senior legal leadership where appropriate.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 8+ years relevant experience and a Juris doctorate degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications:

PayPal's Legal team is looking for an experienced, highly-engaged, and collaborative cybersecurity lawyer to serve as Legal Counsel, Cybersecurity & Data Protection. this role will include: helping manage data security incidents, providing guidance to global teams on cybersecurity issues, researching global regulatory obligations & tracking global regulatory submissions, and generally providing relevant guidance.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years of incident response, crisis management, data security, data protection, and cybersecurity governance experience and a strong grasp of online technologies. They must be skilled at translating legal concepts into practical advice and an active driver of solutions. They must thrive in a cross-functional, fast-moving environment.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Lead functional projects and programs, ensuring alignment with business objectives and legal requirements.
• Provide specialized legal advice and support, particularly in high-demand areas such as incident response, data privacy, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance.
• Identify issues and recommend best practices, leveraging industry knowledge and legal expertise to guide decision-making.
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, implementing robust compliance programs and conducting regular audits.
• Manage legal risks and safeguard PayPal's legal interests, developing strategies to address emerging legal challenges.
• Represent PayPal in litigation and other legal proceedings, collaborating with external counsel and managing case strategies.

Expected Qualifications:

• Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience and a Juris doctorate or equivalent degree.

Preferred Qualifications:**

• Demonstrated experience managing data security incidents from a legal perspective and operating within an enterprise incident response program, including incident scoping, privilege preservation, identifying applicable legal obligations, coordinating cross-functional teams, and managing outside counsel under compressed timelines.
• Proven ability to manage concurrent multijurisdictional incidents involving cross-border notification obligations across legal, regulatory, and merchant/consumer communication workstreams.
• Experience managing regulatory reporting timelines and drafting notifications compliant with ICO, EU supervisory authority, FCA, and U.S. regulatory requirements.
• Cybersecurity subject matter expertise with knowledge of cybersecurity and data protection regulations and frameworks (e.g., NIST Cybersecurity Framework, ISO 27001, GDPR, SOC 2, or CCPA) especially those related to financial institutions.
• Knowledge of cutting-edge IT, web, mobile, and payment ecosystem technologies (especially those used in the collection, storage and analysis of data) and their data security implications.
• Excellent project management skills, well organized, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment and manage numerous projects simultaneously under deadline pressure.
• A high-level of intellectual, professional and interpersonal agility and flexibility, combined with sound judgment, curiosity, and high tolerance for ambiguity.
• Team oriented, with ability to keep a cool head, empathy, and a sense of humor in busy and high-pressured environments.
• Fintech experience preferred but not required.

Subsidiary:

PayPal

Travel Percent:

0

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we're committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can't do this without our most important asset-you. That’s why we offer comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io.

Belonging at PayPal:

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.