Director of Data Governance

A leading organization in the financial services and advisory technology space is seeking a strategic and results-driven Director of Data Governance to lead the expansion of enterprise data governance capabilities, with a strong focus on data quality, stewardship, and master data management (MDM). This role is ideal for a collaborative leader who understands the impact of trusted data in reducing risk, enabling compliance, and driving advanced analytics.

The Director will be responsible for designing and executing governance programs, managing data ownership frameworks, and implementing best-in-class governance technologies to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and value of critical enterprise data across business lines.

Responsibilities:Lead the creation and execution of the organization’s data governance strategy with a focus on data quality, stewardship, and MDM practicesDefine and enforce policies, standards, and controls for enterprise data assets including metadata, lineage, reference data, and data qualityBuild a scalable data stewardship model by establishing ownership and accountability across key business unitsManage MDM initiatives including entity resolution, data modeling, domain prioritization, and workflow designOversee the accuracy and maintenance of golden records for core business entities such as clients, accounts, products, and representativesDevelop and manage a centralized data catalog and inventory of key data elements, hierarchies, and mappingsAdminister and drive adoption of governance technologies (e.g., Alation, Monte Carlo, Profisee)Partner with teams in engineering, product, analytics, cybersecurity, and compliance to embed governance into platforms, pipelines, and reporting toolsDefine and track data quality KPIs and scorecards to monitor health and drive continuous improvementServe as the data governance lead on major initiatives including platform modernization, transformation projects, and AI/ML enablementPromote a culture of data responsibility through education, internal advocacy, and cross-functional training Required Skills and Qualifications:Deep expertise in implementing enterprise data governance frameworks and best practices (e.g., DAMA-DMBOK)Proven experience leading MDM and reference data programs across multiple data domainsStrong knowledge of data quality techniques including profiling, cleansing, validation, and automated monitoringFamiliarity with tools such as Alation, Monte Carlo, Profisee, Databricks Unity Catalog, or similarExperience integrating governance into modern cloud data architectures (Azure, Databricks, etc.)Ability to influence across business and technical teams with strong communication and stakeholder management skillsOperational mindset with strong delivery skills and a drive to execute Education & Experience:Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Data Science, Business, or related field (Master’s preferred)At least 7 years of experience in data management, with 5 or more in data governance, MDM, or data quality leadership rolesPrior experience building governance programs from the ground up within large, matrixed environmentsBackground in financial services, wealth management, or other regulated industries strongly preferred