Chief Data Officer

Essential Job Functions (EJFs)

• Develop and lead an enterprise data strategy aligned with the system’s priorities and strategic goals.
• Promote and embed data governance, standards, and decision-making structures across divisions.
• Define clear ownership and accountability for data assets, quality, and stewardship.
• Promote consistent definitions, metrics, and reporting across programs and systems.
• Provide governance oversight for interagency and cross-program data sharing to ensure consistency, security and compliance with state requirements.
• Promote integration of data across divisions, programs, and systems to support enterprise analysis and cross-cutting initiatives.
• Partner with agency leadership to identify high-value data that support policy, operational, and strategic decisions.
• Identify gaps and barriers to effective data sharing and recommend solutions.
• Leverage maturity assessments or equivalent mechanisms to inform strategic decision-making, identify gaps and monitor progress in data stewardship and quality capabilities.
• Promote enterprise metadata management practices, including business definitions, data lineage, data classification, and data catalogs, to foster shared understanding, transparency, and accountability for data assets.
• Promote enterprise data stewardship operating model, including defined roles, responsibilities, onboarding, and support for business and technical data stewards.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on data-related risks, opportunities, and tradeoffs.
• Align data efforts with cross-divisional data related initiatives.
• Support policy research and evaluation through high-quality data.
• Collaborate with policy, legal, and program leaders to assess data implications of legislative and regulatory changes.
• Ensure data supports access, transparency, and accountability goals.
• Work closely with the CIO to align data strategy with technology architecture, security, and governance of emerging capabilities and system modernization efforts.
• Coordinate with Legal, Privacy, and Security leadership to ensure compliant and responsible data use.
• Partner with Finance and Audit leadership to support forecasting, oversight, and accountability.
• Collaborate with Communications and Public Affairs on responsible data transparency and reporting.
• Build data literacy and analytic capability across divisions and leadership levels.
• Promote a culture of data-informed decision-making and continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Deep understanding of enterprise data governance, analytics, and performance management in large, complex organizations.
• Ability to bridge policy, operations, and technology through data.
• Strong executive communication and data storytelling skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across divisions without direct line authority.
• High level of judgment, discretion, and organizational awareness.
• Experience navigating legal, privacy, and security considerations in data use.
• Demonstrated experience establishing or operating enterprise data governance, stewardship, and standards programs.

Initial Screening Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree in data analytics, public administration, public policy, information systems, statistics, or related fields.
• A minimum of 5 years significant progressive leadership experience in data, analytics, performance or strategic roles.
• Experience supporting executive-level decision-making in a complex organization.