Data Strategy Program Manager

Troutman Pepper•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The firm is continuing its evolution into a data‑driven decision organization, building on a strong foundation of enterprise reporting, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Fabric. The Data Strategy Program Manager will own the business processes, product, and communication aspects of the firm’s data strategy. The Data Strategy Program Manager is responsible for helping to define what needs to be done, assign relative priority, and assist with progress and outcome communication. The Data Strategy Program Manager will partner closely with data practitioners, project managers, people managers, vendors, business stakeholders, and the Data Council to translate strategic data goals into actionable plans, clear roadmaps, and measurable outcomes. The Data Strategy Program Manager acts as the product and program owner for the data strategy, ensuring that data initiatives are well‑sequenced, properly governed, clearly communicated, and effectively consumed across the firm.

Requirements

Strong data product and program management experience, with demonstrated success owning roadmaps, prioritization, and cross-functional delivery.
Ability to lead through influence rather than authority, coordinating work across project managers, technical teams, business stakeholders, and vendors.
Solid understanding of data, analytics, and reporting platforms (e.g., SQL-based environments, BI tools, Microsoft Fabric) sufficient to answer solution-level questions and guide strategy discussions.
Proven ability to design and operate data governance, quality, and change management processes in complex organizations.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate data strategy into clear narratives for technical and non-technical audiences.
Strong organizational skills, with comfort managing ambiguity, competing priorities, and evolving strategy.
Bachelor's degree in information systems, data, business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Minimum of five (5) years' experience in leading data strategy, data product management, analytics program management, or business intelligence leadership.
Demonstrated success enabling data-driven decision-making through process, communication, and governance, rather than hands-on technical delivery alone.

Nice To Haves

Experience in professional services or regulated environments preferred; legal industry experience very beneficial.

Responsibilities

Partner with IT leadership to shape strategic objectives, success measures, and execution priorities.
Help define and maintain the data strategy roadmap, including initiatives, milestones, dependencies, and timelines required to deliver strategic outcomes.
Translate strategy into executable work, collaborating with project managers and people managers to break strategy down into actionable tasks and workstreams; align work to available resources; and track progress, risks, and dependencies.
Serve as the primary product owner for data initiatives, ensuring that data services, reporting, and platforms are designed and delivered with clear business purpose and measurable value.
Establish and run data-related operating processes, including intake and prioritization of data council requests; change management and release communication; data product lifecycle management; and standards for documentation and service consumption.
Own data governance within established firm guidelines, partnering with Information Governance and Security teams to define, negotiate, and operationalize governance practices that balance control, usability, and risk.
Own data quality practices, working with the data subject matter experts to establish data quality gates and practices.
Lead communication and adoption efforts, developing clear messaging, artifacts, and forums that explain what data products and services exist; how they should be used; what changes are coming; and why they matter.
Work directly with vendors and partners to propose strategy-aligned initiatives, define scope and deliverables, and ensure vendor work aligns with firm priorities.
Monitor and report on data strategy execution, including progress against roadmap, delivery health, adoption, and business impact.
Continuously refine how the organization consumes data, incorporating stakeholder feedback and lessons learned to improve trust, quality, and decision-making effectiveness.