Data Governance Lead

About the role

This is a fully remote opportunity for an experienced data governance professional to build and scale a modern governance function from the ground up. You will establish clear ownership, stewardship, definitions, quality standards, and controls across critical financial and structured-data domains. Your work will directly influence the trustworthiness, scalability, and responsible use of data and AI-powered products. You will partner closely with Data Engineering, Data Product, Analytics, Operations, Product, Commercial, and Legal teams. The role combines strategic program leadership with hands-on execution, requiring you to turn governance principles into measurable operational practices. As the function matures, you will have the opportunity to help shape and grow the governance team.

Accountabilities

• Build and scale a comprehensive data governance program covering ownership, stewardship, quality, lineage, metadata, classification, access, and compliance.
• Define and own the data quality framework, including quality standards, thresholds, metrics, monitoring, reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Establish named data owners and stewards across key data domains, document governance decisions, and ensure responsibilities remain current and actionable.
• Own and maintain the enterprise data dictionary and business definitions, ensuring terminology remains accurate, complete, consistent, and aligned across data platforms, products, and client-facing experiences.
• Establish practical controls around data rights and usage, ensuring contractual requirements for client and third-party datasets are understood, documented, and reflected in platform-level practices.
• Partner with Data Engineering, Data Product, Data Analytics, Data Operations, Product, Commercial, and Legal teams to define governance standards and ensure they are implemented effectively.
• Translate data quality and governance gaps into measurable improvement programs, track commitments, escalate blockers, and drive initiatives through completion.
• Support the governance requirements of AI-powered products by ensuring datasets have clear definitions, accountable ownership, measurable quality, and appropriate controls.
• Work fluently with technical teams, reviewing SQL and data models and helping guide appropriate governance architecture without requiring an engineering role.
• Operate and improve a modern governance technology stack, leveraging tools such as BigQuery, dbt, Unity Catalog, Collibra, Alation, or comparable platforms.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen data governance practices as the organization scales its data products and external customer offerings.
• Develop the governance function over time, including the potential to build and lead a dedicated team as organizational needs evolve.

Requirements

• 7+ years of professional experience in data governance, data quality, data management, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience building a data governance program or function from the ground up rather than solely administering an established framework.
• Strong knowledge of core governance disciplines, including data ownership, stewardship, quality, lineage, metadata, classification, access controls, and master/reference data.
• Proven experience designing governance frameworks that support trustworthy AI and data products at scale.
• Hands-on experience with dedicated data governance and quality platforms rather than relying primarily on spreadsheets or informal tracking systems.
• Experience with technologies such as BigQuery, dbt, Unity Catalog, Collibra, Alation, or comparable data platforms and governance tooling.
• Ability to understand and review SQL, interpret data models, and collaborate effectively with engineering teams on technical architecture and governance implementation.
• Strong understanding of data quality measurement, monitoring, remediation, and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory and privacy frameworks, including GDPR, CCPA, the EU AI Act, and/or ISO 42001.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the persistence to identify ambiguous or incorrect definitions and drive issues through resolution.
• Strong program management capabilities, including tracking commitments, managing stakeholders, escalating blockers, and delivering outcomes without direct authority.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical, operational, commercial, product, and legal functions.
• Strategic understanding of the relationship between data governance, AI reliability, customer trust, and scalable product development.
• Experience managing data intended for external customer consumption is a plus.
• Experience working in a startup or startup-like environment is a plus.
• Familiarity with structured finance, lending, or financial-services data is a plus.
• Experience with scalable web applications using TypeScript, Soda, and/or Deal Studio is a plus.

Benefits

• Salary: $190,000–$220,000 USD, with final compensation determined based on experience, expertise, and other business considerations.
• Remote-first environment: Work remotely within the United States in a flexible and supportive environment.
• Unlimited PTO: Time off designed to support vacation, rest, and mental-health days.
• Learning & Development: $1,000 annual fund for conferences, courses, workshops, and other professional development opportunities.
• Health coverage: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and families.
• Retirement: 401(k) plan with employee contribution options.
• Fitness support: $138 per month toward a gym or fitness membership, plus up to $1,650 annually through a fitness fund for equipment, gear, or wellness essentials.
• Parental leave: 16 weeks of fully paid leave for primary caregivers and 4 weeks for secondary caregivers.
• Professional growth: Access to learning libraries, mentoring, workshops, hackathons, and employee-led learning opportunities.
• Inclusive culture: A collaborative environment that values diverse perspectives, innovation, learning, and individual contributions.