Principal Counsel, Regulatory & Privacy

United States Posted 3d First seen 3d
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Join the Sleep Fitness Movement

At Eight Sleep, we’re on a mission to fuel human potential through optimal sleep. As the world’s first sleep fitness company, we’re redefining what it means to be well-rested and building the most advanced hardware, software, and AI technology to make it possible. Our products power peak mental, physical, and emotional performance by transforming every night of sleep into a personalized, data-driven recovery experience.

Every role at Eight Sleep is a chance to create cutting-edge technology, collaborate with world-class talent, and help shape a future where sleep isn’t passive — it’s a powerful tool for living better. If you’re tired of the ordinary and driven to build at the edge of what’s possible, this is your moment. Join us and lead the movement that’s transforming how the world sleeps and what we’re all capable of when we wake up.

High Standards. No Apologies.

We operate with intensity because our mission demands it. At Eight Sleep, we bring the same mindset as the world’s top performers: focused, relentless, and always pushing to be in the top 1% of our craft. This isn’t a 9-to-5. Our team is deeply committed, often putting in the extra effort — not because we’re told to, but because we’re invested in building something category-defining.

The Role

Eight Sleep's legal team is one person: our Head of IP and Legal Counsel, who today handles everything from patents and litigation to privacy, regulatory, commercial, and corporate work. You would be the second lawyer. For a while, the team will be the two of you.

Your main area is regulatory and privacy, and you'll own it: the privacy program, FTC and consumer protection, advertising claims, subscription compliance, market-entry and product regulatory questions, and the healthcare-regulatory work our newer product lines bring. You build it, you run it, and you don't wait to be handed scope.

A two-person team doesn't split cleanly by specialty, though. In practice you'll also draft commercial agreements, take corporate and governance questions, help on litigation, and counsel product teams, whatever is in front of the department that week. You and the Head of IP will divide the work based on what's urgent, not by whose title it sits under, and when one of you is buried the other will pick it up.

The legal function is relatively new at Eight Sleep. Eight Sleep operated for ten years without in-house counsel, so much of this is first-time work: the program you stand up, the processes you create, and how Legal fits with the rest of the company. That's a good fit for some lawyers and a bad one for others. If you want a fixed mandate, a mature program to maintain, or a team reporting to you, this isn't the role for you.

We want someone with real depth in privacy and regulatory who is also a strong generalist and doesn't mind the range. You've built or run a compliance program before and worked across more than one area in-house. You're comfortable telling executives no, deciding without a committee, and working as a genuine partner to the person who leads the team.

How You’ll Contribute

Regulatory Compliance & Consumer Protection

  • Own FTC compliance strategy: health and wellness claims substantiation, advertising review, influencer disclosures, and unfair or deceptive practice risk

  • Manage subscription and auto-renewal compliance across all markets

  • Support marketing and product teams on advertising copy, promotional mechanics, and health-adjacent claims before they ship

Market Operations Compliance

  • Own the standing question across all global markets: are we legally permitted to sell and operate here, and are we doing it correctly?

  • Maintain a living regulatory map covering product registration, import/customs compliance, consumer protection obligations, distance selling rules, and mandatory disclosures by jurisdiction

  • Advise on hardware certification and labeling requirements across key markets; coordinate with Engineering and Operations

  • Monitor for medical device regulatory risk as the company's biometric feature set expands; support healthcare regulatory scoping for new product categories, including FDA device classification, corporate practice of medicine, anti-kickback, and HIPAA compliance

  • Advise on import/export compliance and sanctions touchpoints arising from our manufacturing footprint

  • Build and maintain a new market entry legal checklist so regulatory clearance precedes launch

Privacy Program

  • Build and own Eight Sleep's global privacy compliance program across all applicable frameworks

  • Maintain privacy disclosures, consent architecture, records of processing, and data subject request workflows

  • Own DPA drafting, negotiation, and execution across the vendor base

  • Lead cross-border data transfer compliance, including active localization obligations in multiple jurisdictions

  • Develop and own the breach response playbook; lead incident response

Biometric & Health Data

  • Own compliance strategy for biometric and health data across applicable US and international frameworks

  • Conduct PIAs and DPIAs for new features, data pipelines, integrations, and models

  • Advise on data architecture, purpose limitation, and cross-border transfer mechanisms

AI/ML Governance

  • Develop AI/ML data governance policies as Eight Sleep expands AI-driven product features

  • Advise on training data usage rights, model output governance, and algorithmic transparency obligations

  • Monitor and assess emerging AI regulation across key markets

Product & Engineering Integration

  • Serve as embedded regulatory and privacy counsel for Product and Engineering

  • Review data architecture decisions, third-party integrations, and telemetry collection

  • Develop and deliver privacy and regulatory training for Engineering, Product, Marketing, and CX

Broader Legal & Cross-Functional

  • Act as a versatile second attorney across the in-house docket, stepping into commercial contracting, corporate and governance matters, and litigation support as priorities require

  • Partner directly with the Head of IP on department build-out, legal operations, and cross-functional legal strategy

  • Provide product counseling for new and more highly regulated business lines as the company expands its offering

What You Need to Succeed

  • JD + active bar membership in at least one US state

  • 10–12 years of relevant experience; law firm and in-house combination strongly preferred

  • Proven ability to own a regulatory or privacy function independently — this role reports to the Head of IP, not to a privacy team

  • Deep working knowledge of CCPA/CPRA and GDPR — both, not one

  • Hands-on FTC experience: health/wellness claims, consumer protection, and/or subscription/auto-renewal compliance

  • Experience drafting and negotiating Data Processing Agreements at volume

  • Experience building or materially owning a privacy or compliance program from scratch or at an early stage

  • Demonstrated range across more than one in-house legal domain (commercial, corporate, employment, or litigation) beyond privacy and regulatory. This is a two-person team; you will flex across the full docket, not sit in a single lane.

  • Track record of advising product and engineering teams directly, not through intermediaries

  • Sound independent judgment; comfortable making calls and advising executives without escalation on routine matters

Nice to Have

  • Prior in-house experience at a consumer technology, healthtech, wearable, or DTC subscription company

  • Experience as a first or early regulatory/privacy hire

  • Biometric data regulation experience

  • International cross-border transfer and data localization experience across multiple frameworks

  • Advertising law, health claims, FDA/FTC intersection, or healthcare regulatory experience (HIPAA, corporate practice of medicine)

  • AI/ML governance experience or active familiarity with emerging AI regulation

  • CIPP/US or CIPP/E (useful signal, not a hiring criterion — we weight experience over credentials)

Why join Eight Sleep?

Innovation in a culture of excellence

Join us in a workplace where innovation isn’t just encouraged - it’s a standard. Our flagship product, the Pod, is a testament to our culture of excellence, beloved by hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide. At Eight Sleep, you will be part of a team that continuously pushes the boundaries of technology in sleep fitness.

 

Immediate responsibility and accelerated career growth

From your first day, you’ll take on substantial responsibilities that have a direct impact on our core business and product success. We are a small team that empowers you to own your projects and see the tangible effects of your efforts, enhancing both your professional growth and our company’s trajectory. Your path will be challenging but rewarding, perfect for those who thrive in fast-paced environments aiming for high standards.

 

Collaboration with exceptional talent

Work alongside other bright minds like you: at Eight Sleep exceptional intelligence and a passion for breakthroughs are the norms. Our team members are not only experts in their fields but also avid innovators who thrive in our dynamic, fast-paced environment.

 

Equitable compensation and continuous equity investment

We extend equity participation to every full-time team member, recognizing and rewarding your direct contributions to our success. This includes periodic equity refreshments based on performance, ensuring that as Eight Sleep grows and succeeds, so do you – perfectly aligning your achievements with the broader triumphs of the company.

 

Your own Pod - and other great benefits

  • Every Eight Sleep employee receives the very product that defines our mission: a Pod of their own. If you join us you’ll get your own Pod, along with*:

  • Full access to health, vision, and dental insurance for you and your dependents

  • Supplemental life insurance

  • Flexible PTO

  • Commuter benefits to ease your daily commute

  • Paid parental leave

*List of benefits may vary depending on your location

 

At Eight Sleep we continually celebrate the diverse community different individuals cultivate. As an equal opportunity employer, we stay true to our values by ensuring everyone feels they can flourish and grow. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.