Senior Governance Specialist

What You'll Do

Make an impact where privacy, technology, and governance intersect. We're looking for a Senior Governance Specialist – Privacy to help strengthen and mature our enterprise privacy program. In this highly visible role, you'll serve as a key first line of defense, partnering across technology, business, compliance, legal, and privacy teams to ensure privacy requirements are effectively integrated into processes, systems, and decision‑making.

This is an opportunity to influence how privacy governance is executed across the organization—building new processes, driving accountability, and helping teams navigate an evolving regulatory landscape.

• Serve as a trusted privacy governance advisor, helping business and technology teams identify, assess, and mitigate privacy risks.
• Partner closely with the Enterprise Privacy Office, Compliance, Legal, Risk, and business stakeholders to ensure privacy requirements are understood and effectively implemented.
• Provide thoughtful challenge and guidance on privacy‑related initiatives, controls, and compliance obligations.
• Evaluate operational processes and technology solutions to identify privacy risks, compliance gaps, and improvement opportunities.
• Design, implement, and mature governance processes, controls, metrics, and reporting that strengthen privacy oversight.
• Help define roles, responsibilities, and accountability across stakeholders involved in privacy activities.
• Monitor emerging privacy regulations and translate requirements into practical business and technology solutions.
• Lead or support audits, examinations, assessments, and remediation activities related to privacy governance.
• Influence and drive change across the organization, building strong relationships and alignment among diverse stakeholder groups.

• 8+ years of experience in privacy, governance, risk, or compliance.
• Strong understanding of privacy principles, regulations, and industry best practices, with the ability to apply them in a technology environment.
• Experience partnering with business, technology, legal, compliance, and risk stakeholders to address complex governance challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to build and improve processes, implement controls, and drive organizational change.
• Skilled at navigating ambiguity, influencing without authority, and balancing compliance requirements with business objectives.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making capabilities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.

• Bachelor's degree.
• Experience supporting privacy governance programs within financial services or other highly regulated industries.
• Knowledge of U.S. privacy laws and regulations and global privacy experience.
• Familiarity with technology governance, data management, cloud platforms, or information security concepts.
• Privacy certifications (CIPP, CIPM, CIPT, or similar).

You'll have the opportunity to shape and mature a growing privacy governance program, influence enterprise‑wide decisions, and help ensure privacy protections are embedded into how we operate and innovate. This role offers significant visibility, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and the chance to create lasting impact across the organization.

Salary Range (Exempt): $110,200 - $130,000 / year.

Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried employees, allowing paid vacation, personal, or short‑term illness days. Employees do not accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided.

Pension is eligible.

This role will be located at Principal World Headquarters in Des Moines, IA and will benefit from a hybrid work arrangement with 3 days a week in the office.

At this time, we’re not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc.

Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.