Head of Data Governance

Role Purpose

The Head of Data Governance owns and leads the enterprise-wide Data Governance function, defining the vision, strategy, operating model, standards and governance frameworks required to ensure that data, reporting, analytics and AI are trusted, consistent and effectively managed across the organization.

The role provides strategic leadership for Data Governance and establishes the principles, accountability structures and control mechanisms that enable high-quality decision-making, regulatory compliance and value realization from data as a strategic business asset.

The Head of Data Governance is responsible for building and continuously evolving the organization’s governance capabilities, including data ownership, stewardship, data quality, master data, metadata, reporting and analytics governance. The role works across business and technology domains to establish clear accountability, harmonize practices and embed governance into delivery and operational processes without creating unnecessary centralization or bureaucracy.

As the senior leader for Data Governance, the role acts as a strategic advisor to executive leadership and drives enterprise-wide adoption of trusted data and trusted insights.

Key Responsibilities

1. Data Governance Strategy & Executive Leadership

• Own and define the enterprise Data Governance strategy, vision and long-term direction.

• Establish and continuously evolve the Data Governance operating model, balancing enterprise standards with federated business ownership.

• Define the multi-year roadmap for governance maturity, organizational capabilities and adoption.

• Act as the senior advisor to executive leadership on data trust, governance risks, reporting integrity and data-driven decision-making.

• Establish Data Governance as a strategic business capability and ensure alignment with enterprise data, analytics, reporting and AI priorities.

• Drive executive sponsorship, organizational alignment and adoption of governance principles across business and technology functions.

2. Governance Frameworks, Policies & Standards

• Own the enterprise Data Governance framework, policies, principles, standards and control model.

• Establish clear standards for data ownership, stewardship, data quality, metadata, lineage, business glossaries and master data.

• Define governance requirements for enterprise reporting, dashboards, KPIs, analytics and AI-enabled solutions.

• Establish standards for trusted and certified data sources, semantic consistency and KPI harmonization.

• Define governance requirements for responsible analytics and AI, including accountability, transparency, documentation, reproducibility, monitoring and auditability.

• Ensure governance controls remain proportionate, practical and aligned with business needs.

3. Data Management, MDM & Data Quality

• Own the enterprise Data Quality strategy and governance framework.

• Establish standards for critical data identification, quality measurement, thresholds, ownership, remediation and executive reporting.

• Own the MDM Governance Framework, including ownership models, stewardship principles, golden record policies and governance requirements for implementation.

• Establish enterprise principles for data harmonization, integration and consistency across business domains.

• Drive continuous improvement of data quality and governance maturity across critical data domains.

• Ensure clear accountability for data quality issues and remediation activities.

4. Reporting, Analytics & AI Governance

• Own governance standards for enterprise reporting, including KPI ownership, business definitions, certification and trusted-source management.

• Establish governance principles for analytics, machine learning and AI-enabled solutions.

• Ensure analytical and AI outputs are appropriately controlled, documented, explainable and aligned with business, regulatory and risk requirements.

• Promote consistent definitions, trusted insights and reliable decision-making across the organization.

• Work with Analytics, AI, Data and Technology leadership to embed governance into the full data and analytics lifecycle.

5. Enterprise Data Accountability & Collaboration

• Establish and maintain the enterprise accountability model for Data Owners, Data Stewards and governance stakeholders.

• Define roles, responsibilities and decision rights across business and technology domains.

• Partner with Data Engineering, Data Operations, Advanced Analytics, Reporting, Architecture, Security, Privacy, Legal, Quality and Regulatory functions.

• Drive cross-functional alignment and ensure governance requirements are embedded within platforms, delivery processes and operational controls.

• Resolve cross-domain governance issues and facilitate decisions where ownership or priorities conflict.

6. Leadership, Organization & Capability Development

• Build, lead and develop the Data Governance organization and its future capabilities.

• Define the organizational structure, roles and competencies required to support enterprise Data Governance.

• Establish governance KPIs, KRIs, maturity measures and executive reporting mechanisms.

• Develop and maintain a culture of data accountability and governance across the organization.

• Identify capability gaps and drive initiatives to strengthen governance knowledge and adoption across business and technology teams.

7. Risk, Compliance & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure Data Governance capabilities support applicable regulatory, privacy, security and internal control requirements.

• Monitor governance risks and ensure appropriate mitigation and escalation mechanisms are in place.

• Ensure governance frameworks evolve with changes in business strategy, regulation, technology, cloud platforms, analytics and AI.

• Lead continuous improvement of the governance model, processes and organizational capabilities.

Key Requirements

Experience & Competencies

• 12+ years of experience across Data Governance, Enterprise Data Management, Data Quality, MDM, Information Management, Reporting Governance, Analytics Governance or related disciplines.

• Significant leadership experience owning or building an enterprise Data Governance function, strategy or operating model.

• Proven track record designing and implementing enterprise governance frameworks, policies, standards and accountability models within complex, multi-entity organizations.

• Deep expertise in data ownership, stewardship, data quality, metadata, lineage, business glossaries, MDM, reporting governance, KPI governance and analytics lifecycle management.

• Strong understanding of modern data platforms, cloud ecosystems, data cataloguing and governance tooling.

• Experience operating in complex or regulated environments.

• Ability to translate business, regulatory and technology requirements into practical, scalable and sustainable governance frameworks.

• Strong understanding of organizational change and the ability to drive adoption of governance principles across business and technology teams.

• Strategic thinking combined with a pragmatic, delivery-oriented approach.

Leadership & Communication

• Proven ability to influence and advise executive leadership and senior business and technology stakeholders.

• Strong enterprise mindset with the ability to operate across multiple business domains and functions.

• Excellent stakeholder management, facilitation, negotiation and conflict-resolution skills.

• Ability to establish accountability and drive decisions across federated organizations.

• Strong leadership and people-management capabilities.

• Ability to build high-performing teams and develop governance capabilities across the organization.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills.

• Fluent English and experience working effectively in international, cross-functional environments.