Project HOPE, Boston, Inc. Applicant Privacy Policy

Effective Date: June 8, 2026

Project HOPE Boston, Inc. ("we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us during the recruitment and application process. This Applicant Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information when you apply for a position with us, in accordance with applicable federal laws and the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

This Policy applies solely to job applicants and candidates for employment. It does not apply to our current employees, independent contractors, or users of our general public services.

1. Information We Collect

During the recruitment process, we may collect and process the following categories of personal information about you:

Identifiers and Contact Information: Your full name, email address, physical address, telephone number, and professional social media profiles (e.g., LinkedIn).
Professional and Employment-Related Information: Your resume/CV, cover letter, work history, educational background, professional certifications, licenses, and references.
Voluntary Self-Identification Data: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) data, such as race, ethnicity, gender, veteran status, and disability status, where permitted or required by law. Submission of this data is strictly voluntary and used solely for compliance and diversity reporting.
Background Screening Results: Information obtained through legally permissible background checks, credit checks (where applicable and job-related), and reference verifications, subject to your prior explicit consent.
Technical and Network Activity: If you use our online application portal, we may collect information about your IP address, browser type, and interaction with our recruiting system.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information strictly for legitimate business and recruitment purposes, including:

Assessing your qualifications, skills, and suitability for the role(s) for which you applied, or other open positions.
Communicating with you regarding your application, scheduling interviews, and managing the recruitment pipeline.
Verifying the information you provide and conducting reference and background checks (where applicable).
Complying with applicable legal, regulatory, and reporting obligations (e.g., federal and state equal opportunity laws).
Improving our recruitment processes, systems, and website functionality.

3. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We do not sell your personal information. We only share your information with third parties under the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers: We share your data with trusted third-party vendors who provide services on our behalf, specifically our recruiting platform host, Applicant Tracking System (ATS), and background check providers. These vendors are contractually restricted from using your data for any purpose other than providing services to us.
Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or government request.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or asset sale, candidate data may be transferred to the acquiring entity.

4. Data Security and Massachusetts 201 CMR 17.00 Compliance

We maintain a comprehensive Information Security Program designed to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

In strict compliance with the Massachusetts Data Privacy Regulations (201 CMR 17.00), we implement rigorous technical, physical, and administrative safeguards. This includes, but is not limited to:

Encryption of personal information stored on portable devices or transmitted across public networks.
Strict access controls limit access to your data solely to personnel involved in the hiring process or system maintenance.
Regular monitoring of our systems for vulnerabilities and unauthorized breaches.

5. Data Retention

We retain applicant personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to fulfill legal or regulatory requirements, or to defend against legal claims.

Unsuccessful Candidates: If you are not selected for the position, we may retain your application materials for a reasonable period (typically up to two years) to consider you for future opportunities, unless you request that we delete your information.
Successful Candidates: If you accept an offer of employment, the information collected during the application process will become part of your personnel file and will be retained in accordance with our Employee Retention Policy.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. You have the right to:

Request access to or copies of the personal information we hold about you.
Request the correction or update of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Request the deletion of your applicant profile, subject to our legal retention obligations.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Human Resources department at hrmanager@prohope.org

7. Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to update this Policy at any time to reflect changes in our legal obligations or recruiting practices. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Effective Date."

8. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Applicant Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please contact us at:

Project HOPE Boston, Inc.

Attn: Human Resources

550 Dudley Street, Boston, MA, 02119

hrmanager@prohope.org

(617) 442-1880

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