Data Governance Strategy Enablement & Change Management Specialist

The Canada Life Assurance Company • Toronto, ON

2d • CA$80,400 - CA$130,400 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for a Data Governance Strategy Enablement & Change Management Specialist to champion and operationalize our Data Governance (DG) framework across the enterprise. This role is highly collaborative and strategic, with a strong focus on influencing mindset shifts, embedding governance practices, and enabling business teams to treat data as a critical enterprise asset. As a key member of the Data Governance function, you will act as the face of DG to the business, leading change, building engagement, and driving adoption of governance capabilities. You will work closely with data owners, data stewards, business leaders, and technical teams to execute the DG roadmap, promote data literacy, and ensure sustained alignment with enterprise priorities in privacy, security, quality, and compliance.

Requirements

• A university or college education in Business, Information Management, Communications, Data, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in data governance enablement, communications, training, or change management, with a proven ability to build programs from the ground up.
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational change initiatives, particularly within data governance or data management domains.
• Strong ability to influence and drive adoption across diverse stakeholder groups, including senior leadership.
• Experience developing training content, communication strategies, and stakeholder engagement plans.
• Solid understanding of data governance principles, including data quality, metadata, risk, privacy, security, and compliance.
• Strong communication, storytelling, and facilitation skills, with the ability to simplify complex concepts.
• Proven ability to work through ambiguity, demonstrate creativity, and apply critical thinking to solve problems.
• Excellent collaboration and relationship‑building skills across technical and business teams.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results.
• Reliability Status Security Clearance – this can only be completed with candidates who receive an offer of employment. This is a personal security status that is required as a condition of employment before an employee can gain access to Protected B information, assets or work sites as outlined by the Government of Canada website. The cost of submitting these checks will be covered by Canada Life.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with or supporting data governance platforms (e.g., Informatica or similar tools) is an asset.
• Experience implementing or scaling enterprise data governance frameworks.
• Background in change management methodologies (e.g., Prosci, ADKAR, or similar frameworks).
• Experience supporting data‑driven transformation or culture change initiatives.
• Familiarity with AI/analytics enablement and modern data platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute data governance change management strategies, driving adoption across business units and stakeholder groups.
• Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for Data Governance, representing the function to business stakeholders, including senior executives.
• Oversee and support the execution of DG strategy, mandates, and roadmap, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with Data Owners, Lead Data Stewards, Data Stewards, Data Custodians and data practitioners to drive accountability, engagement, and delivery of governance requirements.
• Design and implement communication, training, and enablement programs to promote data literacy and reinforce governance best practices.
• Develop high‑impact training materials, communications, presentations, and visual content (e.g., slides, diagrams, infographics) to support adoption.
• Assess organizational readiness for change and lead end‑to‑end change lifecycle activities (planning, communication, implementation, and sustainment).
• Establish monitoring, tracking, and reporting mechanisms to measure adoption, engagement, and program effectiveness.
• Promote a culture of data awareness and accountability, embedding principles of metadata, data quality, privacy, risk, and compliance.
• Collaborate with platform and business teams to support data governance rollout across domains.
• Support the implementation and scaling of data governance tools and capabilities (e.g., data cataloging, metadata management, lineage, AI enablement platforms).
• Build strong stakeholder relationships to position Data Governance as a trusted advisor and strategic partner within the organization.

Benefits

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry-leading learning programs and up to $2,000 annually towards education reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness: Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being.
• Time Off: In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day.
• Financial Security: Company-matching pension plan, share ownership program and additional investment options.
• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis on Community: We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree