Head of USDI Data Governance Practice Leader

The Vanguard Group•Charlotte, PA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

A. Governance Strategy & Operating Model Define and lead the USDI data governance strategy, aligned to business priorities and data strategy Design and implement a federated governance model (domain-based ownership, stewardship, councils) Establish roles, responsibilities, and decision rights (Data Owners, Data Stewards, Domain Leaders) Drive alignment across business and technology to ensure clear ownership and accountability B. Policy, Standards, and Controls Own data governance policies, standards, and frameworks Ensure consistent adoption of: Data classification & privacy controls Access and usage policies Retention and lifecycle standards Partner with Risk, Legal, and Compliance to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements Governance function is responsible for design, implementation, and enterprise coordination of governance standards and capabilities C. Data Quality & Issue Management Establish a data quality framework with KPIs, controls, and monitoring Drive enterprise-wide data issue management lifecycle : Intake → triage → root cause analysis → remediation → closure Define accountability model for data defects and control ownership Governance roles ensure data accuracy, consistency, and alignment with business objectives D. Metadata, Lineage & Transparency Establish and scale enterprise capabilities for: Business glossary and definitions Metadata management Data lineage and traceability Ensure data is: Discoverable Interpretable Trusted across domains Governance requires metadata, lineage, and data standards to support enterprise usage E. Data Domain Governance & Stewardship Stand up and lead Data Governance Councils / Working Groups Ensure domain-level governance execution via: Data Domain Leaders Data Stewards Drive adoption of governance practices at the data product level F. Governance Enablement & Adoption Drive data literacy, training, and change management Define measurable outcomes for governance adoption: Data quality improvements Metadata completeness Reduction in data issues Partner with Data Product, Engineering, and Analytics teams to embed governance in workflows G. Platform & Tooling Alignment Oversee governance tooling strategy (e.g., catalog, lineage, data quality platforms) Ensure governance capabilities are embedded into the data platform and pipelines Partner with engineering to translate policies into enforceable controls H. Executive Stakeholder Management Provide executive visibility into: Data quality health Governance maturity Risk exposure Lead cross-functional governance forums (e.g., Data SteerCo) Influence senior leadership decision-making on data priorities

Requirements

12–15+ years in data governance, data management, or data strategy leadership
Proven experience building enterprise-scale governance programs
Deep expertise in: Data governance frameworks (DAMA, DCAM, etc.)
Deep expertise in: Data quality, metadata, and lineage
Deep expertise in: Regulatory and risk environments (ideally FS)
Strong leadership across business and technology organizations
Experience in domain-driven / data product operating models
Minimum of eight years of related work experience.
Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience with enterprise data platforms and tools (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Purview)
Familiarity with AI/ML data governance and model data controls
Background in financial services or regulated industries
Graduate degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the USDI data governance strategy, aligned to business priorities and data strategy
Design and implement a federated governance model (domain-based ownership, stewardship, councils)
Establish roles, responsibilities, and decision rights (Data Owners, Data Stewards, Domain Leaders)
Drive alignment across business and technology to ensure clear ownership and accountability
Own data governance policies, standards, and frameworks
Ensure consistent adoption of: Data classification & privacy controls, Access and usage policies, Retention and lifecycle standards
Partner with Risk, Legal, and Compliance to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements
Establish a data quality framework with KPIs, controls, and monitoring
Drive enterprise-wide data issue management lifecycle: Intake → triage → root cause analysis → remediation → closure
Define accountability model for data defects and control ownership
Establish and scale enterprise capabilities for: Business glossary and definitions, Metadata management, Data lineage and traceability
Stand up and lead Data Governance Councils / Working Groups
Ensure domain-level governance execution via: Data Domain Leaders, Data Stewards
Drive adoption of governance practices at the data product level
Drive data literacy, training, and change management
Define measurable outcomes for governance adoption: Data quality improvements, Metadata completeness, Reduction in data issues
Partner with Data Product, Engineering, and Analytics teams to embed governance in workflows
Oversee governance tooling strategy (e.g., catalog, lineage, data quality platforms)
Ensure governance capabilities are embedded into the data platform and pipelines
Partner with engineering to translate policies into enforceable controls
Provide executive visibility into: Data quality health, Governance maturity, Risk exposure
Lead cross-functional governance forums (e.g., Data SteerCo)
Influence senior leadership decision-making on data priorities