Senior Director of Data Governance

Emory•Atlanta, GA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director of Data Governance provides enterprise leadership for Emory University's data governance program and serves as the university's senior authority on the definition, quality, protection, and responsible use of institutional data. Reporting to the Corporate Director, Data and AI Governance, the role sets strategy for administrative, academic, research, and operational data across the university, in support of Emory's teaching, research, and service mission. It works with university leadership and coordinates with Emory Healthcare on data shared across the enterprise. The Senior Director develops a multi-year strategy and roadmap, establishes the program's operating model and governance bodies, defines performance measures, and reports progress, risks, and outcomes to senior leadership and governing bodies. The role leads the enterprise data stewardship structure and oversees data documentation, classification, quality, cataloging, metadata, lineage, data access, sharing, and use agreements. The position leads data policy and governance for AI and advanced analytics, partnering with security, privacy, compliance, architecture, and technology leaders. It also builds and develops a data governance team, manages the program budget and vendor relationships, leads institution-wide training and data literacy, and represents Emory in relevant professional organizations and consortia. The role is eligible for regular work from home, but requires the ability to commute to Emory University on a flexible weekly schedule according to business needs and department guidelines. Residency in Georgia is required. Emory reserves the right to change remote work status with notice.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in information systems, data science, analytics, business administration, or a related field, and eight years of progressively responsible experience in data governance, data management, or a related field, including four years of supervisory or managerial experience; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Exceptional executive presence, diplomacy, and facilitation skills, including the ability to build consensus among senior leaders, faculty, and staff.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex topics to executive leadership and governing boards.
Must reside in the state of Georgia.
Must be able to commute to Emory University on a flexible weekly schedule based on business needs.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree.
Professional certification such as CDMP or DGSP.
Demonstrated success building or leading an enterprise data governance program in a complex, decentralized organization.
Higher education or academic medical center experience.
Deep knowledge of data governance frameworks such as DAMA-DMBOK, data architecture, master data and metadata management, data quality, business intelligence, and analytics.
Working knowledge of data privacy and security regulations and frameworks relevant to higher education and research.
Familiarity with governance of data used in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Experience with enterprise data catalog and governance platforms and ERP systems such as Workday, PeopleSoft, or Banner.

Responsibilities

Set the strategic direction for a university-wide data governance program covering administrative, academic, research, and operational data.
Partner with the Office of the Provost, Chief Information Security Officer, Office of Compliance and Privacy, research administration, school and unit leadership, and Emory Healthcare data governance leadership.
Develop and execute a multi-year data governance strategy and roadmap aligned with university priorities, enterprise technology governance, and institutional risk tolerance.
Establish and lead the data governance operating model, including governance charters, decision rights, and escalation paths; serve as principal staff lead to the Data Advisory Committee and related executive governance bodies.
Define program performance measures and maturity targets and report progress, risks, and outcomes to university leadership and governing bodies as requested.
Translate complex data issues into clear business terms to support executive decision making.
Direct the enterprise data stewardship structure and define roles, accountabilities, and service expectations for Data Trustees, Data Stewards, Data Custodians, and Users.
Forge agreements across schools and units on data definition, documentation, classification, and appropriate use.
Oversee the enterprise business glossary, data catalog, metadata management, and data lineage capabilities.
Establish enterprise data quality standards, metrics, and remediation processes with data warehouse, business intelligence, and analytics teams.
Lead data policy development and advise on interpretation, implementation, and compliance with governance policies, standards, and regulatory obligations; formulate and propose policies to university governance bodies.
Partner with information security and compliance and privacy leaders on data classification, handling standards, retention, and protection controls, and support regulatory audits and inquiries.
Oversee internal and external data access, data sharing, and data use agreement processes.
Lead data governance for artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, including standards for data readiness, provenance, and permissible use in AI tools, models, and vendor platforms; serve as the data governance lead within the university's AI governance structure.
Partner with enterprise architecture and technology leadership to embed governance requirements in system selection, implementation, and integration decisions, including ERP modernization, enterprise data platforms, and third-party vendors.
Build, lead, and develop a data governance team, potentially including managers, analysts, and data quality and metadata specialists.
Manage the program budget and vendor relationships for data governance tools and services.
Lead institution-wide data literacy and governance training for Data Trustees, Data Stewards, Data Custodians, and Users.
Represent Emory University in peer university consortia, higher education associations, and data governance professional organizations.
Monitor trends and emerging practices and recommend strategic directions and priorities to university leadership.
Perform related responsibilities as required.