Privacy Officer - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, WA
About the Job
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization providing adult cancer treatment and groundbreaking research focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington.
With a track record of global leadership in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines, Fred Hutch has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading cancer, infectious disease and biomedical research centers. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and network affiliations with hospitals in five states. Together, our fully integrated research and clinical care teams seek to discover new cures to the world’s deadliest diseases and make life beyond cancer a reality.
At Fred Hutch we value collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity and respect. These values are grounded in and expressed through the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our mission is directly tied to the humanity, dignity and inherent value of each employee, patient, community member and supporter. Our commitment to learning across our differences and similarities make us stronger. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems. Fred Hutch is in pursuit of becoming an anti-racist organization. We are committed to ensuring that all candidates hired share our commitment to diversity, anti-racism and inclusion.
Reporting to the Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, the Privacy Officer works closely with the Office of Sponsored Research, Institutional Review Office, Shared Resources, Clinical Research Division, Office of General Counsel, Information Security, Office of the Chief Data Officer, Human Resources, Office of the Chief Medical Officer and other departments within the enterprise as well as external partners. The Privacy oversight and coordination responsibilities focus on research and clinical care to implement and maintain safeguards and a framework that will help to ensure compliance with all applicable privacy laws, regulations and Fred Hutch policies. The Privacy Officer is responsible for leading the development, implementation and maintenance of Fred Hutch’s privacy program, including compliance with federal and state privacy laws, international regulations, and any applicable contractual requirements, guidelines and industry best practices.
Most Fred Hutch jobs require some on-campus work. However, there may be flexibility for certain positions. Please check with the recruiter if you are an out-of-state applicant interested only in working outside of the Seattle area.
Responsibilities:- Act as an independent and objective resource to ensure that both research, clinical and administrative privacy concerns within Fred Hutch are being appropriately evaluated, investigated and resolved
- Identify potential areas of privacy vulnerability and risk, develop corrective action plans for resolution of problematic issues, and provide guidance on risk mitigation
- Partner with enterprise-wide senior management, including information security and compliance, to establish governance and oversight for the privacy program to ensure that Fred Hutch research, clinical and administrative workforce are compliant with applicable state, federal and international regulations, standards and industry best practices including but not limited to compliance with all applicable privacy regulations and contractual obligations, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, GDPR, etc.
- Oversees all elements of the privacy compliance program that serve Fred Hutch research and clinical missions, including privacy investigations, mitigation and remediation, and ongoing development and review of education initiatives, policies and procedures. The scope of responsibility for this position is enterprise-wide, advising on privacy issues related to both health care delivery and research, including working with outside entities as needed
- Perform enterprise-wide and department-specific research, clinical and administrative privacy risk assessments, conduct relevant audits and assist departments in establishing monitoring mechanisms
- Build close working partnerships with key research, clinical and administrative team members to effectively execute program priorities and, as appropriate, coordinate program initiatives with member institutions
- Oversee privacy department strategic planning, procedure development, budget and resource planning, and business decisions in coordination with the Director of Compliance Operations
- Monitor legal and regulatory activity regarding applicable local, state, federal and international privacy laws, rules and regulations, formulate strategy and implement privacy program objectives in order to meet those requirements
- Maintain current knowledge of applicable federal and state laws related to privacy to ensure appropriate organizational response to emerging laws
- Participate in the development, implementation, risk assessment and ongoing compliance monitoring of business associate agreements to ensure all privacy concerns, requirements, and responsibilities are addressed
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in a business or healthcare-related field or equivalency, and Master's degree in business, healthcare or related field, or Juris Doctorate
- Minimum 8 years of experience in research compliance, healthcare and privacy
- Privacy certification through the IAPP or HCCA or other nationally recognized compliance/privacy certification required
- Advanced knowledge of federal and state regulations applicable in a complex health care and research organization
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience in a Privacy Officer role
- Highest degree of credibility, integrity and discretion
- Demonstrated proficiency in project management methods and tools
- Demonstrated ability to work independently
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to present findings and recommendations as required
- Microsoft Office product knowledge including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Effective supervisory skills, including the ability to coach and mentor others
- Sound decision making ability, considering all information and utilizing a big picture approach
- Ability to collaborate with others to seek resolutions of problems
- Ability to gather information from multiple sources to gain a thorough understanding of problems
- Mastery of technical skills to manage integrity and privacy operations, such as ability to deploy and use compliance-related software and develop privacy metrics and reporting
- Ability to effectively multitask in an unpredictable environment
- Ability to innovate, develop or adopt best practices and manage change
- Ability to think strategically about organizational risks and continuously document, improve, and streamline processes to advance the Privacy program
A statement describing your commitment and contributions toward greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in your career or that will be made through your work at Fred Hutch is requested of all finalists.
The annual base salary range for this position is from $156,749 to $261,206, and pay offered will be based on experience and qualifications. This position may be eligible for relocation assistance. This position may be eligible for a sign-on bonus.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offers employees a comprehensive benefits package designed to enhance health, well-being, and financial security. Benefits include medical/vision, dental, flexible spending accounts, life, disability, retirement, family life support, employee assistance program, onsite health clinic, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation (12-22 days per year), paid sick leave (12-25 days per year), paid holidays (13 days per year), paid parental leave (up to 4 weeks), and partially paid sabbatical leave (up to 6 months).