Director - Privacy Office (Deputy Chief Privacy Officer); Head of Advisory and RCM
ABOUT KOHO
We’re on a mission to make financial services better for every Canadian. That means no hidden fees, no predatory interest rates - just financial products designed to help our users spend smart, save more, and build real wealth. We’re a performance organization with a strong heart: we care deeply about outcomes, and everything ties back to our mission - to financially empower a generation of Canadians.
At KOHO, we’re not your average 9-5. We believe real impact comes from people who are trusted, empowered, and supported to do their best work - without sacrificing their lives to do it. We prioritize work-life integration, not just work-life balance. That means asynchronous collaboration, flexible hours, and a remote-first setup built around autonomy and high trust.
KOHO is entering its next chapter - leaner, smarter, more AI-integrated. We’re building for impact, not bureaucracy. If you thrive in environments that value clarity, ownership, and bold thinking, you’ll fit right in.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We’re looking for a seasoned Director - Privacy Office (Deputy Chief Privacy Officer); Head of Advisory and RCM to lead the advisory heart of KOHO’s Compliance function and to own our Privacy Office end to end. Reporting to the Chief Compliance Officer, you will be the trusted advisor to our business partners, such as product (lending, core banking, growth & onboarding), marketing, and user success, and before they build — translating a dense regulatory landscape into clear and useful guidance. You will also own KOHO’s privacy program, from Privacy Impact Assessments and consent design through to breach response.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who is energized by ambiguity, comfortable being the decision-maker in the room, and motivated by building durable programs rather than inheriting them. If you believe compliance should make good products possible rather than merely permissible, you’ll do your best work here.
WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING
COMPLIANCE ADVISORY
- Act as the primary compliance advisor to business partners such as Product (lending, core banking, growth & onboarding), Marketing, Technology, Payments, Partnerships, and User Success, providing timely, practical, risk-based guidance on new products, features, campaigns, and business arrangements.
- Own the regulatory advisory and interpretation function, resolving novel questions with clear written positions and a defensible rationale that stands up to regulatory and audit scrutiny.
- Lead compliance review and sign-off of marketing materials, disclosures, and customer communications, and embed obligations into product development early.
- Own the Whistleblower and Ethics programs, including intake, investigation oversight, non-retaliation, and ethics reporting to the Board.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
- In collaboration with Legal, own the regulatory compliance management program: horizon scanning, impact assessment, and coordinated implementation of new and amended regulatory requirements.
- Maintain KOHO’s regulatory obligations inventory and the mapping of obligations to responsible business owners, policies, and controls.
- Lead the development, refresh, and governance of compliance policies, standards, and procedures, including annual approval cycles.
PRIVACY OFFICE (DEPUTY CHIEF PRIVACY OFFICER)
- Own and mature KOHO’s enterprise privacy program, aligned to privacy legislation, and act as KOHO’s designated privacy lead.
- Establish and run the Privacy Impact Assessment process for new products, vendors, data uses, and technology changes, and govern consent, collection, use, disclosure, retention, and cross-border transfer of personal information on a privacy-by-design basis.
- Lead privacy incident and breach response, including containment coordination, real-risk-of-significant-harm assessments, regulatory and individual notification, and root cause remediation.
- Own privacy complaints and access and correction requests, the data inventory and privacy notices, and privacy training and awareness across the organization.
TEAM LEADERSHIP AND INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of compliance and privacy professionals, setting clear priorities and raising the technical bar of the function.
- Partner closely with Financial Crime, Compliance Testing, Operational Risk, Internal Audit, Legal, and Tech/Cyber to ensure integrated coverage and no gaps between mandates.
- Represent KOHO externally with industry associations, peer forums, and regulator outreach, staying ahead of emerging compliance, privacy, and conduct risk trends.
- Prepare and present clear, decision-ready materials for senior management and applicable Board-level committees.
AI, AUTOMATION AND INNOVATION
- Apply AI, automation, and data analytics to advisory intake, regulatory horizon scanning, marketing review, and privacy assessments.
- Advise the business on the responsible use of AI, including model transparency, fairness, explainability, and personal information use.
- Evaluate and implement RegTech and privacy technology that improves speed and consistency without diluting rigour.
WHO YOU ARE
- You have 10+ years of progressive compliance, privacy, or regulatory legal experience in financial services, with meaningful time spent in an advisory capacity.
- You have deep working knowledge of Canadian consumer protection, retail banking or payments, and privacy legislation.
- You have built or substantially matured a privacy program or regulatory change program, not just operated one someone else designed.
- You are a strong people leader and a clear writer — you can give a straight answer to a hard question and explain the reasoning behind it.
- You’ve worked in regulated fintech, neobank, or direct-to-consumer financial institutions, you’re passionate about empowering financial wellness, and a relevant designation (CIPP/C, CAMS, CRCM, LL.B/JD, or equivalent) is an asset.
The budgeted salary range for this role is $190,000-230,000 CAD / year.
At KOHO, we are dedicated to providing pay transparency to all candidates. Compensation at KOHO is determined through various factors including but not limited to: comparable salary market data within Canada, technical skill assessment, a holistic view of previous work history, and internal pay equity with other KOHO team members.
DESCRIPTION DE POSTE EN FRANÇAIS
À PROPOS DU POSTE
Nous sommes à la recherche d’une personne chevronnée pour diriger les services-conseils — le cœur de la fonction Conformité de KOHO — et prendre en charge l’ensemble de notre Bureau de la protection des renseignements personnels. Relevant de la cheffe ou du chef de la conformité, vous serez la personne-ressource de confiance de nos partenaires d’affaires, notamment les équipes Produits (prêts, services bancaires de base, croissance et intégration), Marketing et Expérience utilisateur. Votre rôle consistera à traduire un environnement réglementaire complexe en conseils clairs et utiles, en amont de la conception de leurs produits et initiatives.
Vous serez également responsable du programme de protection des renseignements personnels de KOHO, de bout en bout : évaluations des facteurs relatifs à la vie privée, conception des mécanismes de consentement, gestion des incidents et intervention en cas d’atteinte à la protection des renseignements personnels.
Il s’agit d’un rôle de leadership très concret, pour une personne qui aime évoluer dans l’ambiguïté, qui est à l’aise de prendre des décisions et qui souhaite bâtir des programmes durables plutôt que de simplement assurer le maintien de programmes existants. Si vous croyez que la conformité doit rendre possibles de bons produits — et pas seulement les rendre permis —, vous pourrez vous épanouir pleinement dans ce rôle.
CE QUE VOUS FEREZ
SERVICES-CONSEILS EN CONFORMITÉ
- Agir comme principale personne-conseil en conformité auprès des partenaires d’affaires, notamment les équipes Produits (prêts, services bancaires de base, croissance et intégration), Marketing, Technologie, Paiements, Partenariats et Expérience utilisateur, en fournissant des conseils rapides, pratiques et fondés sur les risques pour les nouveaux produits, les fonctionnalités, les campagnes et les ententes commerciales.
- Diriger la fonction de conseil et d’interprétation réglementaires, résoudre les questions inédites et formuler des positions claires, écrites et appuyées par une analyse défendable qui résiste à l’examen des organismes de réglementation et de l’audit.
- Diriger l’examen et l’approbation de conformité des documents marketing, des communications aux clients et des informations à fournir, et intégrer les exigences réglementaires dès les premières étapes du développement des produits.
- Être responsable des programmes de dénonciation et d’éthique, notamment la réception des signalements, la supervision des enquêtes, la protection contre les représailles et la présentation de rapports sur l’éthique au conseil d’administration.
GESTION DE LA CONFORMITÉ RÉGLEMENTAIRE
- En collaboration avec le service juridique, être responsable du programme de gestion de la conformité réglementaire : veille réglementaire, évaluation des répercussions et mise en œuvre coordonnée des exigences nouvelles ou modifiées.
- Tenir à jour l’inventaire des obligations réglementaires de KOHO et établir la correspondance entre ces obligations, les responsables d’affaires, les politiques et les contrôles en place.
- Diriger l’élaboration, la mise à jour et la gouvernance des politiques, normes et procédures de conformité, y compris les cycles annuels d’approbation.
BUREAU DE LA PROTECTION DES RENSEIGNEMENTS PERSONNELS
- Prendre en charge et faire évoluer le programme d’entreprise de protection des renseignements personnels de KOHO, conformément aux lois applicables, et agir à titre de personne responsable de la protection des renseignements personnels désignée par KOHO.
- Mettre...