Senior Specialist (Tech Law, AI & Privacy)APAC & ME

The Adecco Group is looking for Senior Specialist-APAC & ME(Tech Law, AI & Privacy), based at Malaysia office. The Regional Data Privacy, AI and Tech Law Specialist acts as the primary point of contact for all Data Privacy, AI and Tech Law queries within the business. You will act as a subject matter expert with a regional remit for all business units in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, collaborating closely with the local legal teams. 

The Regional Data Privacy, AI and Tech Law Lead will work as part of the Legal & Compliance APAC & Middle East team and will report to the General Counsel APAC & Middle East with a functional reporting to the Group Data Protection Officer of The Adecco Group based in EU. 

Key responsibilities but are not limited to:

•    Lead and coordinate the Global Privacy Program in the APAC and ME regions following Group DPO and Group Privacy Office priorities, in close collaboration and support to the Local Privacy Leads
•    Act as legal business partner with internal clients and stakeholders and advise various stakeholders in relation to day-to-day tech legal and data privacy queries by giving appropriate and pragmatic legal support 
•    Negotiate and draft tech procurement contracts, provide ad hoc legal advice in relation to these contracts (e.g. contract enforcement, litigation), while working hand in hand with ITD Procurement, IT Security, IT & Digital (ITD) teams and business, and support local legal teams when implementing these contracts at local level 
•    Provide legal advice on tech, digital and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives/projects and secure them from a data privacy and AI legal perspective in accordance with applicable laws, internal rules and policies 
•    Actively support the Local Privacy Leads with the assessment of applications, websites, systems and AI tools from a data privacy standpoint when these applications and tools impact several countries in the APAC and ME regions, implement privacy-by-design and privacy-by-default principles and manage non-compliance / remediation in collaboration with IT and business
•    Assess new suppliers from a data privacy perspective and provide recommendation
•    Handle data breaches in close collaboration with Local Privacy Leads/local legal teams, IT security and liaise with the local data protection authority where necessary, unless the issue is Group or enterprise-wide where there would be escalation to the Group DPO, to liaise as necessary and appropriate
•    Act in full coordination and close collaboration with the APAC & ME General Counsel (solid reporting), Group DPO (dotted reporting) and the Local Privacy Leads 
•    Act as the liaison between Group DPO / Group Privacy Office and the countries
•    Onboard and train new privacy colleagues in the APAC & ME regions 
•    Monitor/assure registration/notification to the relevant regulators as required by local laws and maintain related documentation
•    Conduct / coordinate training to relevant business and supporting functions on privacy requirements
•    Provide guidance for external local stakeholders relating to internal privacy compliance activities 
•    Utilize the group-wide privacy management tool (OneTrust) and document assessments 
•    Facilitate the execution of legal mechanisms and ensure compliance of cross border data transfers, e.g. by conducting transfer impact assessments
•    Attend risk and compliance committees as appropriate
•    Monitor changes on privacy topics to local laws and regulations in the APAC & ME regions
•    Contribute, support and collaborate on various privacy matters, working with other privacy colleagues in the Adecco Group and Privacy Ambassadors
•    Provide regular information to the local Privacy Ambassadors and maintain close collaboration with them 
•    Review and approve local policy exemption
•    Carry out periodic reviews to check accuracy of data inventory (RoPA)
•    Maintain relevant documents within the privacy document repository
•    Maintain relevant content on the local privacy intranet sites to provide proactive guidelines on key privacy topics
•    Assist periodical internal controls and audits and prepare for upcoming internal audits to ensure privacy compliance

Required Skills

•    Minimum 3-year experience in a similar role or as in-house Legal Counsel in an international organization 
•    Fluent in English
•    Expertise in Commercial law, Contract law, Tech law, Data protection/privacy law and IP law 
•    Strong drafting and negotiation skills in English 
•    Strong leadership skills
•    Problem-solver with a customer driven/customer centricity approach 
•    Self-confident when working with people from various countries, work functions and hierarchical levels 
•    Ability to work in a fast-paced environment 
•    Ability to prioritize multiple requests and proactiveness
•    Adaptability and agility 
•    Rigor, self-organization, and methodology 
•    Strong communication skills 
•    Strong customer service drive and dedication to quality and success
•    Intellectual curiosity and appetite to learn and be open to digital innovation 
•    Tolerance to stress, and ability to work as team 

Posting date: 18-05-2025