Data Governance Lead

Security Benefit Business Services / Everly Life•Topeka, KS

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Data Governance Lead is the primary operational owner of Security Benefit’s enterprise data governance program, serving as the critical bridge between the strategic direction set by leadership and the day-to-day execution carried out by other roles on the governance team. This senior individual contributor leads the governance program without formal management authority — setting work priorities, integrating execution across the governance team, and ensuring governance standards, catalog operations, and data quality practices operate as a cohesive, enterprise-grade program. This role translates enterprise data strategy into operational governance programs, owns governance program health and maturity, and serves as the organization’s primary point of accountability for data catalog integrity, data quality framework adoption, and data stewardship program effectiveness. This position reports to the AVP, Data Strategy & Enablement. This position will be based at Security Benefit’s headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, with periodic travel to the Overland Park, Kansas office as needed. We work a hybrid schedule, offering flexibility to work both remotely and on-site.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive experience in data governance, information management, or data management, with demonstrated enterprise-level program ownership and a track record of operationalizing governance strategy.
5+ years owning enterprise data catalog and data quality programs at scale — from framework design through operationalization, adoption, and sustained maturity.
Demonstrated experience providing work direction and program leadership to senior peers and cross-functional workstreams without formal management authority; proven ability to integrate execution across multiple specialists toward a unified program outcome.
Deep, hands-on familiarity with Collibra Data Intelligence Cloud — Business Glossary, Data Catalog, Data Quality & Observability, Policy Center, and workflow configuration — sufficient to set standards, evaluate architecture decisions, and hold technical team members accountable for quality outcomes.
Experience with Snowflake or equivalent modern cloud data platforms; ability to evaluate governance frameworks across ELT pipeline layers and assess cross-system data lineage documentation.
Ability to manage multiple enterprise workstreams and drive results in a matrixed, fast-paced environment with minimal strategic oversight.
Exceptional stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and executive communication skills; able to present governance program health and strategic recommendations to C-suite and senior leadership audiences.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Management, Business Administration, Data Science, or related field, or equivalent work experience. Financial services or insurance industry experience in a regulated data environment preferred.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Information Management, Data Science, Business Administration, or related field.
CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional), DGSP (Data Governance and Stewardship Professional), or equivalent data governance certification.
Collibra certification (Ranger, Expert, Workflow Engineer, or equivalent).
Experience with AI/ML governance practices, including dataset cataloging, model documentation standards, and responsible AI governance frameworks.
SQL for data profiling and quality validation; Python or Collibra REST API experience for metadata automation.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end operational execution of the enterprise data governance program — translating strategic direction from leadership into concrete programs, initiatives, and deliverables with measurable outcomes across catalog, data quality, and stewardship workstreams.
Integrate and coordinate the work of other roles on the governance team into a unified, coherent governance program — setting shared priorities, resolving cross-workstream dependencies, and ensuring consistent application of governance standards without formal management authority.
Own governance program health and maturity reporting — tracking progress against governance metrics, KPIs, and maturity milestones; surfacing risks, gaps, and opportunities to leadership; and presenting program health to senior leadership audiences.
Operationalize the enterprise data governance framework — translating governance policies, standards, and procedures set by leadership into adopted practices across the organization’s full data lifecycle, ensuring consistent application from raw data layers through to business consumption.
Set enterprise data catalog program standards, priorities, and quality thresholds — directing technical catalog build and steward coordination across the governance team to ensure data asset documentation, lineage, and classification meet enterprise standards in Collibra Data Intelligence Cloud.
Own the enterprise data quality framework — establishing data quality dimensions, business rules, remediation accountability, and adoption targets; directing technical quality implementation and holding team members accountable for monitoring and reporting; participating in the cross-team Data Quality Feedback Loop to drive root cause analysis and remediation.
Govern the data stewardship program operating model — overseeing stewardship community design, steward engagement standards, and stewardship workflow effectiveness; ensuring day-to-day steward coordination operates within a well-defined, scalable framework.
Own the governance tooling roadmap — evaluating capability gaps, directing optimization priorities, and making strategic recommendations to leadership on Collibra platform evolution; partnering with technical team members on implementation approach while maintaining accountability for overall tooling alignment with program objectives.
Ensure governance tooling and automation support scalable, enterprise-grade operations — working with technical team members to align Collibra configurations, workflow designs, and platform integrations to program standards and Snowflake/AWS platform architecture.
Drive enterprise adoption of data governance practices — developing training programs, stewardship communities of practice, and governance communications that embed governance as a business enabler across IT, business units, Legal, and Compliance.
Serve as the governance program’s primary subject matter expert and escalation point for data definition disputes, stewardship conflicts, and cross-domain governance issues — mentoring data stewards and guiding team members on governance integration.
Lead AI and data governance integration efforts — establishing dataset cataloging standards, model documentation requirements, and responsible AI governance practices in alignment with the enterprise AI governance framework and Security Benefit’s AI Democratization initiative.
Ensure data governance practices align with applicable regulatory requirements including GLBA, CCPA, insurance industry data standards, and internal audit and compliance expectations.
Collaborate with leadership to inform and refine enterprise data strategy based on governance program insights, maturity findings, and cross-organizational data quality patterns.

Benefits

Competitive salary and annual incentive bonuses to reward your contributions.
33 days of paid time off (including PTO, holidays, Volunteer Day, and days of significance).
Paid parental leave after 90 days of service.
Comprehensive medical, dental & vision insurance.
401(k) with company match, plus Profit Sharing & Savings Plan.
Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance to give you peace of mind.
Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care.
Life Insurance to protect your loved ones.
Educational assistance to support your career development.
Associate assistance programs for your personal and professional well-being.