Jobs That Make a Difference: Ben Hayden
At Cengage Group, our mission-driven culture creates jobs that make a difference in the lives of learners. Working here means having a direct impact by helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. From SVPs of Research, User Experience and Design to Sales Consultants our people help give learners the choice in how, where and what they learn.
We spoke with Ben Hayden, VP, Legal Operations, about why he is passionate about using legal operations to drive responsible innovation, protect learner data and support equitable access to education.
How does your role and the work you do help students and teachers?
While I don’t work directly with students or teachers on a regular basis, the work my team does behind the scenes plays a critical role in supporting them. We manage the operational side of our Legal function, helping ensure that Cengage Group can adapt and innovate quickly and responsibly. By creating, managing and continuously improving legal processes -- including contract management, data privacy and compliance --we enable the business to deliver high-quality, affordable learning solutions. We also help safeguard the personal data of our learners and educators, ensure regulatory compliance, and support sustainable content development and creation efforts.
What is something you're proud of that has impacted learners?
I’m particularly proud of the work we’ve done to support our Privacy team in implementing tools and processes that strengthen how we manage data responsibly. With more learners engaging online, privacy is essential, not just from a legal standpoint, but as a fundamental part of building trust. By operationalizing and streamlining these protections, we help ensure our content and platforms reach learners more quickly and securely.
What motivated you to work at Cengage Group and in edtech?
My mom, aunt, uncle, and grandmother are all educators, and through them I’ve observed firsthand how education can be a powerful force for equity. Cengage Group’s mission to make education more accessible and affordable really resonated with me. Seven years ago, while exploring job opportunities, I came across what would become my role at Cengage Group and immediately recognized it as a chance to apply my LegalOps skills in a way that supports not just legal outcomes, but learner outcomes as well.
Based on your experience, what is the strongest element of Cengage Group’s culture?
Without a doubt, it’s purpose-driven collaboration. Teams across the company, including Legal, share a deep commitment to supporting learners. There’s a real sense that no matter your function, your work should ultimately help someone teach or learn more effectively. That alignment around a common mission creates a culture where teams like mine, those “behind the scenes,” can have a direct impact—whether by helping the company move faster and smarter or by reinforcing our commitment to customers by encouraging responsible, ethical business practices.
In what ways have the opportunities at Cengage Group contributed to your career growth?
Cengage has given me the opportunity to build my skills as a leader and to empower the folks on my team to lead from within their own functions. I’ve been able to expand my role—and that of my team—beyond the traditional scope of Legal Operations and transform it into one of the strategic engines of the Legal department.
I’ve also had the opportunity to lead cross-functional initiatives in areas like Privacy, Compliance and Risk, collaborate with senior leaders and drive change that directly supports both the business and our customers. These experiences have accelerated my professional growth and deepened my sense of purpose in the work I do.
Learn more:
Cengage Group employees make an impact and change the world. Here, transparency and collaboration are core values. We provide challenging careers, competitive benefits, a strong technology focus and a great team of co-workers and customers.
To learn more and apply for an open role, visit the careers section of our website.