Senior Director, Enterprise Data & Analytics

Graco•Minneapolis, MN

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Graco manufactures and markets premium equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray a wide variety of fluid and powder materials. This role is currently based at our Minneapolis office and will transition to our new headquarters in Dayton, MN, in 2027. The Senior Director, Enterprise Data & Analytics leads Graco’s enterprise data strategy, ensuring the business operates from trusted, consistent and well-governed core data. The position sets enterprise-wide data standards, and defines how data is owned, governed, structured and used across the organization to support reliable operations, informed decision-making and scalable growth. A core focus of this position is Master Data Management (MDM), focused on defining the strategy, architecture, platforms and delivery of a multi-year roadmap that establishes authoritative, governed records across Graco's critical business data domains. With a strong focus on embedding data foundations directly into core business processes, the individual in this position ensures analytics and AI initiatives are built on high-quality enterprise data and deliver measurable business impact. Additionally, this position partners across business and technology teams to establish data standards, improve data accessibility, quality, and reuse, while also ensuring our data capabilities effectively support Graco’s operations, customers and long-term growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in IT/IS, Computer Science, Statistics, Business (data/IS focus), or related field
12+ years of experience leading or owning enterprise data strategy, including data ownership, governance, and standards across multiple functions
Strong understanding of how core enterprise data (customer, product, order, supply chain, finance) supports daily operations and decision making.
Demonstrated ability to partner with business leaders to improve how data is captured, managed, and embedded into business processes.
Experience establishing practical data governance models that are adopted and used by the organization.
Ability to prioritize data initiatives based on business impact, risk reduction, and reuse across the enterprise.
Working knowledge of modern data platforms and architectures, with the ability to guide strategy and investment decisions.
Experience leading across functions and aligning business and technology teams without direct authority.
Strong communication skills and the ability to explain data concepts clearly and practically.
Experience building, leading, and developing teams, including setting goals and managing budgets.

Nice To Haves

Industrial Manufacturing experience
Experience supporting data strategy in a complex, global, or multi‑system environment.
Familiarity with cloud‑based data platforms, integration approaches, and enterprise reporting environments.
Exposure to data privacy, security, and regulatory considerations impacting enterprise data management.
Background working closely with IT, digital, or technology organizations on enterprise initiatives.

Responsibilities

Lead the enterprise data strategy with a foundation-first mindset—prioritizing clean, reliable core data over stand-alone analytics solutions
Define how critical enterprise data (e.g., customer, product, pricing, installed base, supplier) is created, standardized, governed and reused across the company
Establish clear enterprise data standards, definitions and systems of record so teams operate from consistent and trusted data
Prioritize and drive resolution of high-impact data quality issues that affect operations, revenue and customer experience (e.g., pricing discrepancies, order-to-cash errors, duplicate customers)
Establish Graco's MDM vision and multi-year roadmap, defining which data domains are managed, the systems that own them, the fidelity standards applied, and the business stakeholders accountable for their governance
Define the MDM operating model and architecture with deliberate, documented decisions aligned to Graco’s enterprise applications and data platforms
Lead MDM delivery as an enterprise program: engage stakeholders in data stewardship, match/merge rules, hierarchy design, and exception management; with an initial focus on Product and Customer MDM delivery
Measure MDM program health with visible, business-relevant KPIs such as: Golden record completeness rate attribute fill rate by domain, duplicate rate, re-dirty rate, match confidence, stewardship SLA compliance, and downstream system adoption
Establish a data governance model that embeds accountability in the business and prevents re-dirtying of enterprise data
Ensure clear business ownership for data quality and definitions, with stewardship embedded in functions - even within an IT-owned data operating model
Define decision rights for data standards and exceptions, with governance that is lightweight, practical, and aligned to business cadence
Embed data quality controls directly into core business workflows (CRM, ERP, etc.), emphasizing front-end prevention over downstream cleanup
Ensure data platforms and architecture support trusted foundations, reducing duplication, manual reconciliation and conflicting reports
Enable analytics, reporting and AI only where underlying data is fit for purpose, scalable and aligned to business priorities
Partner with business leaders to apply clean data to a small set of high‑value use cases, translating data improvements into commercial, operational and digital impact
Ensure analytics and AI practices comply with privacy, security, regulatory, and risk management requirements in partnership with IT, Legal and Cybersecurity
Lead, mentor, manage and staff a team of leaders, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and promoting a culture of leadership excellence.
Develop and implement strategies for talent acquisition and management, succession planning, and leadership development to build a pipeline of future leaders
Drive team performance by setting clear goals, providing ongoing feedback, and facilitating professional growth opportunities
Establish, manage, and be accountable for the annual Data, Analytics and MDM strategy budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources and alignment with organizational strategic objectives.