Job Description
Job Description
Job Title: Data Governance - Program Manager
Location: Remote or Preferred California Bay Area
Employment Type: Contract
Experience: 12+ years
Work Authorization: US Citizen or Green Card
Contract: C2C or W2 or 1099
Job Summary:
We are seeking an experienced Data Governance Program Manager to lead and scale enterprise-wide data governance initiatives across the organization. This role will be responsible for defining governance frameworks, driving data quality, ensuring regulatory compliance, and coordinating cross-functional stakeholders to treat data as a trusted enterprise asset.
The ideal candidate has a strong blend of program management, data governance, regulatory knowledge, and stakeholder leadership , with hands-on experience implementing governance programs in complex U.S.-based organizations.
Key Responsibilities:
Data Governance Leadership
- Define, implement, and maintain enterprise Data Governance frameworks , policies, standards, and procedures.
- Establish governance domains including data quality, metadata management, master data, reference data, and data lifecycle management .
- Drive adoption of data governance practices across business and technical teams.
Program & Stakeholder Management
- Lead multiple data governance initiatives as a unified program with clear milestones, KPIs, and success metrics.
- Partner with Data Owners, Data Stewards, IT, Security, Legal, Compliance, and Business leaders .
- Facilitate governance councils, steering committees, and working groups.
Regulatory & Compliance
- Ensure alignment with U.S. and global regulations such as: CCPA / CPRA, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR (where applicable)
- Collaborate with Legal and Compliance teams to translate regulatory requirements into operational controls.
Data Quality & Risk Management
- Define and monitor data quality metrics, issue management, and remediation processes .
- Identify data risks and implement mitigation strategies related to privacy, security, and regulatory exposure.
Tools & Enablement
- Lead selection and implementation of data governance tools (e.g., GCP, Collibra, Alation, Informatica, Microsoft Purview).
- Drive metadata management, data catalog adoption, and lineage documentation.
Change Management & Communication
- Develop training, communication, and change management strategies to improve governance adoption.
- Create executive-ready dashboards, reports, and program updates.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Management, Business , or related field.
- 12+ years of experience in data governance, data management, or data program leadership.
- Proven experience managing enterprise-scale programs in U.S.-based organizations.
- Strong understanding of: Data governance frameworks (DAMA-DMBOK, DCAM), Data quality, metadata, lineage, and stewardship models
- Experience working with U.S. regulatory and compliance requirements .
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and executive presentation skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree or MBA.
- Certifications such as: PMP / PgMP, SAFe, Agile, or Scrum
- Experience in regulated industries (Finance, Healthcare, Insurance, SaaS).
- Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
Key Skills
- Data Governance & Data Management
- Program & Portfolio Management
- Regulatory Compliance (US-focused)
- Data Quality & Risk Management
- Metadata & Data Catalogs
- Cross-functional Leadership
- Change Management
- Executive Communication
Job Tags
Contract work, Remote work,