Director - Data Governance

Vertex Inc.

1d

About The Position

The Director of Data Governance is a senior enterprise leader responsible for establishing and scaling a unified, organization-wide governance program that ensures trustworthy, compliant, and high-quality data for analytics and AI. This role defines the enterprise governance strategy, builds policies and standards, implements data quality and lifecycle controls, and aligns all practices with Responsible AI principles. The Director partners closely with Legal, Compliance, Security, Risk, and Technology teams; leads the Corporate IT Data Governance function; embeds governance-by-design into delivery workflows; and enables measurable business value through trusted, well-managed data.

Requirements

• 6–8 years of leadership experience in enterprise-scale data governance, data management, data quality, metadata, or MDM.
• Proven success designing and operationalizing enterprise data governance strategies, frameworks, stewardship models, and operating structures.
• Deep expertise across governance domains: metadata, lineage, data lifecycle, data quality, MDM, taxonomy and standards, and policy development.
• Understanding of Responsible AI principles and how data controls—quality, privacy, security, traceability, and explainability—enable AI governance.
• Strong ability to influence senior stakeholders across Legal, Compliance, Security, Risk, Finance, and Technology in matrixed environments.
• Demonstrated ability to drive data literacy, adoption, and change management across diverse business and product teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Data Analytics, Business, or a related field.
• Equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant professional or leadership experience accepted in lieu of a formal degree.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Information Management, Data Science, Computer Science, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience embedding governance into data platforms, catalogs, pipelines, MDM systems, taxonomies, and data access controls.
• Background defining and monitoring enterprise governance KPIs, OKRs, and measurable value metrics.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams including data stewards, data quality analysts, metadata specialists, and MDM practitioners.
• Professional certifications such as CDMP, CIPP/CIPM, CISA/CISM, PMP/PRINCE2, or Prosci.
• Experience managing AI and machine learning governance, including tracking data flow, monitoring models, and implementing human review processes.
• Demonstrated strong business acumen in translating governance outcomes into measurable business value, mitigating risks, minimizing rework, and enhancing time-to-data.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director