Principal Staff Software Engineer - Data Privacy & Governance Infrastructure

LinkedIn is the worlds largest professional network, built to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. Our products help people make powerful connections, discover exciting opportunities, build necessary skills, and gain valuable insights every day. Were also committed to providing transformational opportunities for our own employees by investing in their growth. We aspire to create a culture thats built on trust, care, inclusion, and fun where everyone can succeed.

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Job Description

At LinkedIn, our approach to flexible work is centered on trust and optimized for culture, connection, clarity, and the evolving needs of our business. The work location of this role is hybrid, meaning it will be performed both from home and from a LinkedIn office on select days, as determined by the business needs of the team.

LinkedIn is seeking a Principal Staff Software Engineer to lead its Data Privacy and Data Governance Engineering team. This critical role involves ensuring LinkedIn meets privacy and data governance commitments made to regulators and end-users. You will be at the forefront of designing and implementing privacy-related systems and initiatives, including data minimization, data taxonomy, data retention, and purpose limitation.

As a key leader in Privacy Engineering, you will be responsible for creating scalable solutions for LinkedIn's universal policy catalog and integrating it with a high-performance native policy enforcement system. This system will enforce data policies across all execution environments. The role requires a deep understanding of data privacy principles, and technical expertise to collaborate with cross-functional teams in developing innovative solutions that balance business requirements with privacy compliance.

Responsibilities:

• Design and implement scalable, reliable, and high-performance backend systems focused on member privacy and data protection.
• Lead key privacy initiatives such as data minimization, data taxonomy, data retention, and purpose limitation.
• Collaborate with product management, legal, engineering, compliance, and security teams to ensure privacy considerations are integrated into LinkedIn's architecture and development processes.
• Develop technology roadmaps prioritizing members' data privacy.
• Identify and evaluate new technologies to enhance LinkedIn's privacy posture.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers within the team.
• Ensure systems comply with relevant privacy laws and regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).

What we are looking for

• Extensive software engineering experience with a proven track record of building large-scale systems.
• Deep understanding of privacy principles and regulatory frameworks (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Strong technical leadership skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience designing and implementing policy enforcement systems or privacy-centric architectures.
• Expertise in data governance, security, and encryption technologies.
• Excellent communication skills to translate complex privacy requirements into technical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing engineering teams.

Basic Qualifications:

• BS/BA in Computer Science or related technical field or equivalent technical experience
• 10+ years of experience in software design, building solutions
• 5+ years in a technical leadership position

Preferred Qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience in software design
• 5+ of those years in a technical leadership position
• Experience Data Privacy & Governance Infrastructure
• Experience leading and influencing within large, matrixed organization
• Experience leading high-impact, cross-organization initiatives.

Suggest Skills

• Data Privacy Infrastructure
• Data Governance Infrastructure
• Developing technology strategies at a company-wide scale.
• Technical leadership

LinkedIn is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range for this role is $290,000 to $440,000. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. The total compensation package for this position may also include annual performance bonus, stock, benefits and/or other applicable incentive compensation plans. For more information, visit https://careers.linkedin.com/benefits

Equal Opportunity Statement 

We seek candidates with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. LinkedIn considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

LinkedIn is committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to foster an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone has the opportunity to be successful.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, apply for a position, or participate in the interview process, connect with us at [email protected] and describe the specific accommodation requested for a disability-related limitation.

Reasonable accommodations are modifications or adjustments to the application or hiring process that would enable you to fully participate in that process. Examples of reasonable accommodations include but are not limited to:

• Documents in alternate formats or read aloud to you
• Having interviews in an accessible location
• Being accompanied by a service dog
• Having a sign language interpreter present for the interview

A request for an accommodation will be responded to within three business days. However, non-disability related requests, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

LinkedIn will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by LinkedIn, or (c) consistent with LinkedIn's legal duty to furnish information.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance ​

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, LinkedIn will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Pay Transparency Policy Statement ​

As a federal contractor, LinkedIn follows the Pay Transparency and non-discrimination provisions described at this link: https://lnkd.in/paytransparency.

Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates ​

Please follow this link to access the document that provides transparency around the way in which LinkedIn handles personal data of employees and job applicants: https://legal.linkedin.com/candidate-portal.