Ascension LLC is seeking a Privacy Safeguards & Risk Management Specialist to support a federal education client in strengthening privacy protections, managing data risk, and ensuring compliance with federal privacy and information security requirements. This role is critical to safeguarding sensitive student, family, and institutional data while enabling the responsible use of data for program oversight, analytics, and technical assistance.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in privacy frameworks, risk management, and compliance, paired with practical experience translating regulatory requirements into actionable safeguards, controls, and guidance. This position is well suited for professionals who thrive at the intersection of policy, technology, and operations and who are motivated by mission-driven work that directly impacts public trust and data protection outcomes.

Summary of the Contractor Role

The Privacy Safeguards & Risk Management Specialist supports the design, implementation, and monitoring of privacy and risk management practices across programs, systems, and technical assistance activities. The role focuses on identifying privacy risks, assessing safeguards, advising stakeholders, and ensuring alignment with federal laws, regulations, and guidance, including FERPA, PPRA, FISMA, OMB Circular A-130, and NIST standards.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, analytical, and self-directed, with the ability to work effectively in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment. The specialist is expected to anticipate privacy risks, recommend mitigation strategies, support compliance assessments, and contribute to continuous improvement of privacy governance and risk management processes. Tools and processes commonly used in this role include privacy impact assessments, risk registers, control assessments, policy documentation, and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft 365.

Position Day-to-Day Activities

• Conduct privacy risk assessments and analyze data handling practices across programs and systems
• Develop, review, and update privacy safeguards, policies, procedures, and supporting documentation
• Support Privacy Impact Assessments and related compliance artifacts
• Map program activities and systems to applicable privacy and security requirements
• Identify gaps in privacy controls and recommend risk mitigation strategies
• Advise technical and non-technical stakeholders on privacy-by-design and data minimization practices
• Support incident response planning related to privacy and data protection issues
• Track privacy risks and remediation actions using structured risk management tools
• Collaborate with program, IT, legal, and data teams to ensure consistent application of safeguards
• Contribute to training materials, guidance, and technical assistance resources related to privacy compliance
• Monitor changes in federal privacy and information security guidance and assess impact to client operations