Role Purpose
The Director of Data Governance will design, build, and lead the enterprise data governance program from the ground up. This is a greenfield build with no existing program, framework, or tooling in place today. The successful candidate will serve as the visionary who establishes the strategy, operating model, and foundational capabilities that enable the business to treat data as a trusted, well-managed enterprise asset.
Operating initially as an individual contributor, this leader will drive outcomes through influence and partnership rather than direct authority. Primary peer relationships include the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), the AI Leader, and the Data Management Leader, each of whom owns adjacent domains that intersect with governance. Success in this role depends on the ability to define a clear governance agenda, align these peer stakeholders around it, and execute with credibility and pragmatism.
The initial focus is on building foundational capabilities including data quality standards, data cataloging and classification, business glossary, stewardship model, and retention schedules, with a deliberate, outcome-oriented roadmap that scales the program over time. Privacy and data protection compliance is managed separately through a third-party vendor partnership and is not within the scope of this role.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Strategy, Vision and Roadmap
- Design, implement, and lead the enterprise-wide data governance strategy, vision, and multiyear roadmap
- Define and articulate a clear governance operating model that establishes how the business, IT, and data functions share accountability for enterprise data
- Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and maturity metrics that measure program effectiveness, adoption, and business value
- Support and contribute to the company's broader AI governance framework, specifically as it relates to data trust, lineage, classification, and fitness-for-use in AI and analytics workloads
Foundational Program Build
- Develop and roll out a practical business glossary, data classification schema, and enterprise data retention schedules
- Stand up an enterprise data cataloging and metadata capability, including tool evaluation, selection, and initial implementation in partnership with IT and the Data Management function
- Establish data quality standards, measurement practices, and remediation workflows for priority data domains
- Develop the policies, procedures, controls, and training needed to operationalize governance across the enterprise
Stakeholder Partnership and Influence
- Partner with the CISO to align data classification with information security controls and incident response processes
- Partner with the AI Leader to ensure data feeding AI and machine learning initiatives is governed, classified, and trusted
- Partner with the Data Management Leader to ensure a clean division of responsibility between governance (policy, standards, stewardship) and data management (platforms, pipelines, operations)
- Establish an effective system of federated stewardship whereby business functions embrace data governance responsibilities and integrate controls into day-to-day operations
- Educate and influence senior leaders on data-related risks, opportunities, and the business value of sustained governance
Qualifications
Experience
- 6+ years of experience in data governance, data management, or closely related disciplines, with demonstrated progression into program leadership
- Required: Proven track record of building a data governance program from the ground up, or leading a greenfield governance initiative inside a larger enterprise, including standing up the operating model, stewardship structure, and foundational artifacts (glossary, classification, catalog)
- Experience operating effectively as an individual contributor at the director level, delivering outcomes through influence across peer functions rather than direct reporting authority
- Hands-on experience evaluating, selecting, and implementing a modern data catalog and governance platform (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Atlan, Informatica, Microsoft Purview)
- Industry background in manufacturing, industrial, aerospace/defense, medical device, or other regulated or IP-sensitive environments strongly preferred
Core Competencies
- Strong understanding of data governance and data management principles, frameworks (DAMA-DMBOK), and maturity models
- Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business terms for executive audiences
- Strong influencing, facilitation, and communication skills; experience building alliances across IT, Security, Legal, and Business functions
- Pragmatic, roadmap-driven mindset, able to sequence a greenfield build so early wins fund long-term program maturity
- Comfort operating in ambiguity and defining structure where none exists today
Education and Certifications
- Bachelor's degree required. Advanced degrees and credentials demonstrating strong analytical and research skills are valued
- Preferred certifications: CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional), Practitioner or Master level
- CGEIT (Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT)
- DCAM (Data Management Capability Assessment Model) familiarity
- AIGP (AI Governance Professional) or ISO/IEC 42001 knowledge is a plus given the AI governance intersection
First-Year Outcomes
Within the first 12 months, this leader is expected to deliver:
- A published enterprise data governance strategy, operating model, and multi-year roadmap endorsed by executive leadership
- A working data classification schema and initial business glossary covering priority domains
- A selected and implemented data catalog platform with initial population across high-value data domains
- An established federated stewardship model with identified business data owners and stewards
- A defined set of KPIs and a baseline maturity assessment to measure program progress going forward
