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IMMUNITYSEC

Privacy Analyst

Privacy analysts assess how systems, programs, and data sharing handle personally identifiable information (PII). They write privacy compliance documents such as privacy threshold analyses, privacy impact assessments, and system of records notices, and advise on compliance with privacy laws such as the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002.

Updated

Career track
Privacy
Certification topic
GRC and Privacy
Also called
Privacy program analyst, Government information specialist (privacy)

What They Do

12 tasks
  • Assess the privacy and security risk of information systems and confirm that existing and new services comply with privacy and data security obligations.
  • Conduct privacy threshold analyses (PTAs) and privacy impact assessments (PIAs), and write privacy disclosure statements such as system of records notices (SORNs).
  • Analyze new or proposed IT systems, programs, data intakes, data sharing, research projects, and procurements, and document their privacy implications, impacts, and risks with recommendations.
  • Review information sharing agreements to confirm that PII is shared in line with applicable laws and policies.
  • Develop privacy policies, standard operating procedures, and guidance, and review proposed policies that have a privacy component.
  • Monitor federal law, regulation, and policy for changes that affect the privacy program.
  • Respond to suspected privacy breaches, track privacy incidents and complaints, and give guidance on remediation and mitigation.
  • Analyze breach reports and system documentation to identify root causes and corrective actions.
  • Review system security plans to align security and privacy practices, acting as a liaison between IT staff, business users, and the organization.
  • Carry out ongoing privacy compliance monitoring and identify privacy compliance gaps.
  • Prepare and deliver privacy training, briefings, and awareness communications for agency stakeholders.
  • Coordinate requests to amend records under the Privacy Act and support the handling of privacy complaints.

Knowledge and Skills

  • Privacy laws and regulations, including the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002
  • Privacy principles and practices, and organizational privacy policies and procedures
  • Privacy impact assessment (PIA) principles and practices
  • Personally identifiable information (PII) attributes
  • Privacy technologies
  • Privacy and data security regulators
  • Risk management processes and security controls
  • Federal security and privacy requirements such as FISMA, FedRAMP, OMB memorandums, and NIST SP 800-53 and SP 800-39
  • Cybersecurity principles, threats, and vulnerabilities

How to Become a Privacy Analyst

In the U.S. federal government, privacy analyst is a specialty title on positions in several job series. Federal postings have used it for an IT Specialist (INFOSEC) (Privacy Analyst) in the 2210 information technology management series and a Government Information Specialist (Privacy Program Analyst) in the 0306 series. A Management and Program Analyst (Privacy Compliance) posting in the 0343 series describes the job as an expert privacy analyst. OPM's standard for the 0306 series says many government information specialists focus on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Privacy Act, or both.

Federal privacy postings qualify applicants on a year of specialized experience at the next lower grade. A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau posting at a grade broadly equivalent to GS-12 asked for experience supporting the development of privacy policies, assessing IT systems or programs for privacy risk with PIAs and PTAs, assisting with responses to suspected privacy breaches, and preparing privacy trainings or briefings. It had no education requirement. It also said that applicants selected at a lower grade would receive training to grow into the position.

Senior postings ask for compliance and assessment experience. A National Labor Relations Board GS-13 posting required a year of specialized experience leading governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) programs, working with NIST special publications and the Privacy Act of 1974, coordinating cybersecurity audit assessments, and assessing federal information systems against NIST SP 800-53 and SP 800-39 requirements. At that grade, education could not replace the experience. The posting required a background investigation, and a Department of Homeland Security privacy compliance posting required a top secret clearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a privacy analyst do?→

A privacy analyst assesses the privacy risk of systems and programs, writes privacy impact assessments, privacy threshold analyses, and system of records notices, reviews information sharing agreements, develops privacy policies and guidance, responds to suspected privacy breaches, and advises leadership on privacy compliance.

How do I become a privacy analyst?→

Federal privacy analyst postings ask for specialized experience such as supporting privacy policy development, assessing IT systems for privacy risk with privacy impact assessments and privacy threshold analyses, assisting with breach responses, and preparing privacy training. Senior postings add experience with GRC programs, the Privacy Act, and assessing systems against NIST SP 800-53.

Do you need a degree to be a privacy analyst?→

Not always. A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau privacy program analyst posting stated that it had no education qualification requirement and qualified applicants on specialized experience. A National Labor Relations Board GS-13 privacy analyst posting did not allow education to substitute for its specialized experience requirement.

What is a privacy impact assessment?→

NIST defines a privacy impact assessment (PIA) as an analysis of how information is handled to ensure it conforms to legal, regulatory, and policy requirements regarding privacy, to determine the risks of collecting, using, storing, sharing, and disposing of information in identifiable form, and to evaluate protections that mitigate privacy concerns. A PIA is both an analysis and a formal document of its process and outcome.

Which NICE Framework work role covers privacy compliance?→

The NICE Framework's Privacy Compliance work role (OG-WRL-008) is responsible for developing and overseeing an organization's privacy compliance program and staff, including privacy-related governance, policy, and incident response needs. Its tasks include conducting privacy impact assessments, conducting privacy compliance monitoring, and identifying privacy compliance gaps.

What is the NIST Privacy Workforce Taxonomy?→

The NIST Privacy Workforce Taxonomy is a set of task, knowledge, and skill statements aligned with the NIST Privacy Framework and the NICE Framework. NIST published it as an initial public draft (CSWP 38) on November 21, 2024, to help organizations achieve privacy outcomes, support recruitment, and inform the education and training of professionals.

Role descriptions follow the sources listed above: U.S. government workforce data first, then standards bodies and, where named in the text, certification issuers. This site is not affiliated with CISA, the Department of Labor, or the Department of Defense.