About Transcend

Transcend is the privacy platform that makes it easy to encode privacy across your tech stack.

We believe that engineering privacy rights and making them easily accessible to the world is one of the most high-impact ways we can spend our time. That's why we're building an ambitious team that’s passionate about solving the important problems of the future and having fun while doing it. We’re backed by Accel, Index, 01A, StepStone Group, and HighlandX growing fast, and are serving some of the most iconic brands in the world.

Role Summary

Transcend is launching a pioneering Chief Information Officer (CIO) in Residence program, seeking a visionary technology leader to guide the next evolution of enterprise data strategy and AI-driven transformation. As our CIO in Residence, you will operate at the critical intersection of modern IT infrastructure and data privacy, helping fellow technology executives strategically re-architect their data environments. Your expertise will be crucial in ensuring that real-time permissioning is not just a feature, but a foundational, built-in layer within the infrastructure that powers enterprise personalization, customer loyalty programs, and cutting-edge AI initiatives.

This short-term, high-impact role is designed for a leader who has successfully driven large-scale digital innovation and IT modernization at the executive level. You will share invaluable insights with the broader market as privacy infrastructure evolves from a compliance afterthought to a critical component of enterprise data readiness and trusted AI deployment. At Transcend, we’ve seen firsthand how leading enterprises are strategically re-architecting their data systems to enable ethical, real-time decision-making at scale. As our CIO in Residence, you’ll play a key role in accelerating this fundamental shift—guiding IT, data, product, marketing, and privacy leaders toward building intelligent, consent-aware, and scalable digital experiences within complex organizational infrastructures.

What You’ll Do:

• Advise the Field: Share expertise with Transcend customers and prospects, especially CIOs, CTOs, Chief Data Officers, and Heads of Enterprise Architecture, on how to integrate scalable, consent-aware permissioning into core IT systems, cloud data strategies, and AI/ML platforms to power responsible growth and trust.
• Elevate the Narrative: Help reshape the industry's understanding of consent and preference management, reframing it as an essential layer for data infrastructure modernization, AI readiness, and enterprise risk management, rather than solely a legal compliance function.
• Co-create with Transcend: Collaborate closely with our product, engineering, marketing, and leadership teams to shape our roadmap, voice, and go-to-market strategies around enterprise data governance, IT integration, and secure, scalable privacy infrastructure.
• Lead with Insight: Create and disseminate compelling thought leadership on topics such as consent in enterprise architecture, ethical AI infrastructure, personalization compliance, and scaling privacy technology within complex IT environments, informed by your real-world experience.
• Build Executive Bridges: Facilitate alignment between IT strategy, security operations, and overall business transformation initiatives (digital, product, marketing) within complex, data-heavy organizations.

What We’re Looking For:

• 10+ years of executive-level experience as a Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Data Officer (CDO), or VP of Enterprise Architecture in a large, data-rich enterprise of a Fortune 500 company. 
• Proven track record leading enterprise-scale efforts to modernize IT infrastructure, re-architect data environments, build cloud data platforms, or integrate AI/ML capabilities.
• Deep experience with strategic IT planning, data management, cloud strategy, AI/ML platform integration, and managing technology-related risk in complex, regulated, or data-heavy industries (e.g., SaaS, healthcare, fintech, consumer tech).
• No prior dedicated privacy or data governance experience required. We are seeking a technology visionary who understands the broader IT and business implications.
• Strong storytelling and communication skills, including experience presenting to boards, industry conferences, and executive peers.
• Deep empathy for both agile business leaders (e.g., product/marketing) and internal IT/security partners striving for innovation while maintaining control and compliance.

Engagement Details:

• 6-month initial engagement, with the option to extend
• Travel expectations between 20–40% depending on location and speaking engagements