Vice President, Data Governance

Syndio•Home, WV

11h

About The Position

Syndio is seeking a Vice President, Data Governance to serve as a thought leader and bridge the gap between customer needs, policy, and product. This role is crucial for delivering data governance as a primary value proposition, addressing customer concerns around AI governance, data usage, and privacy. The position aims to accelerate deals by building trust and navigating complex customer requirements. The role involves significant customer engagement, acting as a senior voice in AI and security reviews, data processing negotiations, and driving aggregated & anonymized data (AAD) opt-in. It also includes developing customer-facing governance artifacts and enabling Sales, CX, and Legal teams. On the policy and thought leadership front, the role will own and refine the Data Philosophy & Usage Framework, maintain mappings to external regulatory frameworks, and convert Syndio's posture into external thought leadership through publications and conference talks. Product alignment is key, ensuring customer signals inform product development and that policy translates into concrete product requirements, maintaining a tight loop between customer commitments, product, and messaging.

Requirements

Ability to change the shape of customer conversations from a checkbox exercise to a real discussion about customer needs without compromising ground.
Ability to leave a customer better equipped to lead their own internal reviews and advocate for the approach within their organization.
Ability to assess customer objections in real-time and determine if policy, product, or a reframing is needed.
Ability to write and defend a defensible, plain-English policy position under pressure to counsel, a CISO, and an analyst.
Ability to move the AAD opt-in needle by making the value exchange clear and the consent path clean.
Ability to read a PRD, identify governance gaps, and get them fixed before shipping.
Ability to turn objections into an industry position that draws customers toward Syndio.
Ability to operate as a peer to Product, Engineering, Security, Legal, CX, and Sales.
Ability to translate fluently between regulator language, customer-procurement language, and engineering language.
Ability to differentiate between customer requests and customer needs, and close that gap with empathy and authority.

Nice To Haves

Experience in AI governance, data usage, and privacy reviews.
Experience in negotiating data processing agreements (DPAs).
Familiarity with regulatory frameworks like NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act, ISO 42001, SOC 2, state privacy laws, and EU pay transparency / EUTPD.
Experience in product development and translating policy into product requirements.

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior voice in customer AI reviews, security reviews, DPAs, and data processing negotiations.
Lead customer conversations with empathy and curiosity to understand their needs and map them to Syndio's policy.
Help customers become thought leaders within their own organizations by providing framing, language, and artifacts for internal reviews.
Drive AAD opt-in by making the value exchange clear and designing a frictionless consent experience.
Partner with Sales, CX, and Legal on enablement, including talk tracks, objection handling, and playbooks for AI review calls.
Own customer-facing governance artifacts such as trust center content, model cards, audit/access narratives, and questionnaire libraries.
Own and land the Data Philosophy & Usage Framework, including data classifications, permitted/restricted/prohibited uses, AI Governance Policy, retention, and cross-tenant rules.
Update policy, positioning, and enablement when customer conversations reveal gaps.
Convert Syndio's posture into external thought leadership through published positions, conference talks, whitepapers, and analyst briefings.
Maintain the mapping between Syndio's controls and external frameworks (NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act, ISO 42001, SOC 2, state privacy laws, EU pay transparency / EUTPD) and keep it current.
Carry the customer signal into the product process (design reviews, PRD reviews, architecture discussions) to ensure product components are fit-for-purpose.
Translate policy into concrete product requirements, such as audit trails, privilege handling, discoverability, AI approval workflows, data lifecycle controls, and Decision Graph logging semantics.
Ensure a clear verification path for customer commitments and update policy, enablement, and customer messaging in lockstep with product releases.