Director, Master Data Governance

Grocery Outlet Career•Emeryville, CA

About The Position

As the Director, Data Governance, you will lead Grocery Outlet’s master data governance program — the people, processes, and standards that ensure our vendor, item, cost, retail, and purchase order data is accurate, consistent, and trusted from the moment it is created through to the point it reaches the store shelf. This is a hands-on, build-from-the-ground-up role. You will start by defining the data fields and standards required to correctly set up a vendor, set up an item, and write a purchase order. You will then establish the right way to create and maintain that data natively within SAP — working with the system rather than around it — and lead two connected bodies of work: remediating the existing bad data created through years of workarounds, and standing up the intake processes and controls that keep all new data clean as it flows through our end-to-end systems. Critically, this role protects the speed of our buying process. Grocery Outlet’s success depends on moving quickly on opportunistic deals, so you will balance doing it right at the front end with cleaning it up at the back end — building governance that enables the buy, never blocks it. You will operate as a cross-functional leader, partnering closely with Merchandising, Finance/FP&A, IT/Business Technology, and Store Operations to establish clear ownership, enforce standards, and embed governance into day-to-day workflows. This role requires both strategic leadership and hands-on execution to build and sustain a scalable governance model that supports our growing business. The Director, Data Governance will report to the VP of Supply Chain Systems, Data and Engineering and will lead a team, including a direct-report Manager who oversees a team of four.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in master data management, data governance, data/process management, or related fields
Ability to thrive in a fast paced start up like environment
Proven experience leading cross-functional initiatives in complex, matrixed organizations
Hands-on functional SAP master data experience (e.g., vendor master, material/item master, purchasing); SAP MDG experience strongly preferred
Deep understanding of how master data is created, maintained, and flows across enterprise systems end-to-end — and how data quality issues manifest downstream at the store level
Experience defining data standards, designing data entry and validation processes, and leading large-scale data remediation efforts
Ability to operate as a cross-functional influencer in a complex, matrixed organization, often without direct authority
Proven people-leadership experience, including managing managers, with a track record of building and developing high-performing teams
A business-facing leader who understands operational and financial impact — functionally deep in SAP master data, but not an IT/data-engineering or coding role; strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a relentless focus on business impact

Nice To Haves

Retail, grocery, or consumer industry experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Define the data fields, attributes, and standards required to correctly set up a vendor, set up an item, and write a purchase order — the foundational master data model for the enterprise
Establish the correct, repeatable way to create and maintain master data natively within SAP, eliminating the workaround culture and designing processes that work with the system rather than against it
Designate and enforce clear system-of-record ownership for each master data domain (vendor, item, cost, retail, PO)
Partner with IT/Business Technology to ensure SAP configuration, validation rules, and data entry workflows support clean data by design
Lead the cleanup and remediation of existing bad master data created outside of standard, including incomplete, inconsistent, or workaround-driven records
Define and track data quality KPIs tied to business impact (e.g., UPC scan accuracy, cost/retail accuracy, vendor funding capture, inventory accuracy)
Lead root cause analysis and resolution of systemic, recurring data issues at their source
Stand up the intake processes, validation workflows, and controls that ensure all new vendor, item, and PO data is set up correctly the first time and flows cleanly through the system
Balance data quality discipline against the speed of the buying process — governance controls must protect and accelerate, not slow, opportunistic purchasing
Embed governance into day-to-day business workflows rather than operating as a standalone, bureaucratic function
Monitor the flow of master data across the end-to-end system landscape, ensuring data moves correctly between SAP and downstream systems through to the store level
Ensure clean, accurate data reaches stores so UPCs scan correctly and costs and retails are set up properly — shifting the burden of catching upstream data issues off of store teams
Identify and close the gaps where stores are currently catching errors that should be prevented upstream
Partner with senior leaders across Supply Chain, Merchandising, Finance, Store Operations, and IT to align on data ownership, standards, and definitions
Establish and drive a clear data ownership model, holding Data Owners and Data Stewards accountable to defined standards
Establish a structured process for logging, tracking, and resolving data quality issues, escalating critical issues to leadership when needed
Serve as the central point of coordination across data domains as the enterprise lead for master data governance
Lead, coach, and develop a team of data governance professionals, including a direct-report Manager who oversees a team of four
Build a high-performing, accountable team culture that treats clean data as a shared responsibility and a driver of business results
Set clear goals, priorities, and standards for the team, developing functional SAP and process-design depth as the function scales
Model a service-oriented, business-partnering mindset across the team — enabling the buy, never blocking it
Support the long-term selection and implementation of governance tooling (MDM, data quality monitoring, data catalog) in partnership with IT/Business Technology — leading the program first, then guiding tool selection
Ensure technology enables governance processes without replacing business accountability
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, automation, and visibility across master data management processes