Vera Therapeutics is a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on the pursuit of truth in science to transform medicine in autoimmune disease, starting with the kidney. Vera Therapeutics’ flagship commercial product is TRUTAKNA TM (atacicept-vymj), a B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and A proliferation-inducing ligand ( APRIL) inhibitor. Vera Therapeutics is evaluating multiple diseases where the reduction of autoantibodies through inhibition of BAFF and APRIL may prove clinically meaningful. Vera Therapeutics was founded in 2016 and is based in Brisbane, California. To learn more, visit www.veratx.com .
At Vera, our values are the cornerstone of our culture and guide how we work together every day. We lead with empathy, act with an owner’s mindset, demand clarity, work without fences, and execute with urgency because patients are counting on us. From how we hire and develop our people to how we advance rigorous science, we are building a team committed to transforming medicine in autoimmune diseases, starting with the kidney.
Location: Brisbane, California or Remote (Central/West Coast preferred)
Position Summary:
Vera Therapeutics is seeking Privacy Counsel to join its legal team and report to the SVP, Deputy General Counsel. This role is the company's in-house privacy expert, responsible for addressing the full range of Vera's privacy needs across clinical, commercial, corporate, and employee data, in the U.S. and globally.
The Privacy Counsel will serve as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders across R&D, Clinical, Commercial, Compliance, IT, HR, and Finance. The role requires someone who can work independently, exercise sound judgment, and deliver clear, practical recommendations even when the facts are incomplete. The ideal candidate brings deep life sciences privacy experience, understands the handling of protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII), and can balance risk mitigation with the business's need to move quickly. This is an opportunity to shape and build a privacy program at a growing biotech as it advances its pipeline and builds out its commercial operations.
Responsibilities:
Own privacy legal strategy: Serve as the company's primary privacy counsel, advising on all privacy matters across clinical development, commercial operations, corporate functions and IT.
Advise internal stakeholders: Provide timely, actionable guidance to business partners and leadership, including making clear recommendations when facts are incomplete and clearly communicating residual risk.
Navigate U.S. and global privacy law: Advise on compliance with CCPA/CPRA, CIPA, HIPAA, FTC requirements, other state privacy and consumer health data laws, GDPR, the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act, and other international privacy regimes as Vera's activities expand.
Develop policies and procedures: Identify gaps in Vera’s privacy and data governance framework and independently draft, implement, and maintain the policies, procedures, and guidance needed to meet company and legal requirements, tailoring them to the needs of each business function.
Address PHI and PII issues: Advise on the collection, use, storage, disclosure, and cross-border transfer of PHI and PII, including in clinical trials, patient support, commercial, and employee contexts.
Manage vendor and third party privacy risk: Review and negotiate data protection terms, business associate agreements, data processing agreements, and international transfer mechanisms; support vendor privacy and security diligence.
Build and maintain the privacy program: Develop and update privacy policies, notices, procedures, training, and records of processing; support data mapping, data protection impact assessments, and privacy by design in new initiatives.
Respond to privacy events: Support the assessment of, response to, and notification obligations for privacy incidents and data security events, and handle data subject and consumer…