Senior Manager, Client Data Permissions & Privacy Governance

Job Summary:

Mercer Advisors is transforming its client data permissions model to deliver a more secure, scalable, and client-centric experience. While foundational frameworks are being built, we need an analytical and curious leader to govern permissions, enforce policy, and operationalize access across the firm. 
 
This role will serve as the single accountable leader for client data access and privacy, ensuring the firm operates with a consistent, role-based, and auditable permissions model across all systems and workflows. 

Today, permission decisions are fragmented across teams, systems, and workflows—creating risk, inefficiency, and inconsistency. This role centralizes ownership, drives accountability, and ensures Mercer Advisors can scale its client experience while upholding the highest standards of privacy, security, and trust.

Essential Job Functions for this role include:

• Own the Permissions & Privacy Framework – Serve as the single business owner of client data permissions and governance, defining role-based access principles and clear decision rights.  Evolve the framework as appropriate  

• Operationalize Access & Policy Management – influence the design and manage workflows for access provisioning, deprovisioning, temporary access, advisor transitions, and confidential client handling 

• Govern Ongoing Permission Decisions – Act as the central project manager for complex access requests.  Maintain clear policy guidance for recurring scenarios. 

• Build Audit, Monitoring & Risk Controls – Establish audit processes, reporting, and monitoring to ensure consistency and detect inappropriate access 

• Drive Cross-System Alignment – Partner with Product and Technology teams to standardize permissions across all platforms and products 
• Enable the Organization – Partner to create training, guidance, and FAQs to ensure employees understand access policies and processes. 

Success Measures 

• Reduction in unnecessary access and overexposure 

• Clear, consistent access model across systems 

• Decrease in manual and exception-based decision making 

• Improved audit readiness and compliance posture 
• Increased employee and client trust in data privacy 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong working knowledge of role-based access controls, data privacy principles, and access management practices in a regulated or highly controlled environment.
• Ability to convert business needs, risk considerations, and policy requirements into clear access rules and decision criteria.
• Strong analytical skills to investigate complex permission scenarios, assess risk, and recommend practical solutions.
• Demonstrated project management and process design skills, including the ability to organize ambiguous work and drive cross-functional follow-through.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and comfort handling confidential or sensitive client and employee information.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create policy guidance, FAQs, and executive-ready updates.
• Strong relationship-management skills with the ability to influence Product, Technology, Compliance, Legal, Operations, and business stakeholders.
• High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple complex requests, escalations, and improvement efforts simultaneously.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and workflow/reporting tools.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with data governance, privacy operations, risk management, compliance, wealth management operations, or financial services preferred.
• Experience supporting system-access design, access request workflows, audit/remediation routines, or enterprise transformation initiatives preferred.
•  Familiarity with CRM, portfolio management, or client data platforms used in a wealth management environment is a plus.

Work Schedule:

This professional role requires availability during standard business hours of Monday through Friday from 8AM to 5PM.  At times, the role may have early or late hours to meet business tasks and deadlines for external and internal client needs.    

All roles classified as a non-exempt are required to record working time into the timekeeping system daily at the start and end of each workday plus a 30-minute unpaid lunch period.

Working Conditions:

This position may be in a professional office environment or a dedicated home office workspace which is free of interruptions.  Whether position is in a dedicated office space or home office workspace, basic technology needs will be provided to satisfy position requirements.  Routinely sitting and standing for periods of time. No heavy lifting over 10 lbs.