Senior Director IS Data Governance and AI - IS Apps & Data

Summary of Position

The Senior Director of Data Governance, Management, and Artificial Intelligence is a pivotal enterprise leadership role within Penn State Health's Information Services department. This leadership position is responsible for developing and operationalizing a comprehensive strategy that spans three integrated disciplines: data governance, enterprise data management, and artificial intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Data Governance Strategy & Execution
• Develop, maintain, and execute a comprehensive enterprise data governance framework aligned with Penn State Health's strategic goals, mission, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish and lead Data Governance and AI Governance Committees and sub-committees, including defining charters, membership, decision rights, and escalation pathways.
• Define and enforce data policies, standards, definitions, and lineage protocols across all clinical and administrative data domains (clinical, claims, financial, workforce, research).
• Ensure audit-readiness through continuous documentation, controls monitoring, and evidence management for internal audits and regulatory reviews.
• Develop KPIs and dashboards that provide real-time visibility into data health, governance maturity, and policy compliance across the enterprise.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, and Security teams to manage data rights, usage controls, and consent frameworks governing patient and workforce data.
• Enterprise Data Management
• Lead end-to-end enterprise data management including data architecture, data quality, master data management (MDM), metadata management, and data cataloging.
• Collaborate with Systems IS Application Directors for integration of core healthcare data domains—EHR (Epic), claims, revenue cycle, enterprise resource management, imaging, and research—into centralized enterprise data platforms and data warehouses.
• Drive cloud data platform strategy, including data ingestion pipelines, Extract Transform Load and Extract Load Transform (ETL/ELT) processes, and analytics enablement using modern data stack technologies.
• Establish data quality standards and stewardship models; implement automated monitoring and remediation workflows to maintain data integrity across source systems.
• Define and implement data lifecycle management policies covering data retention, archival, and disposition in compliance with healthcare regulatory standards.
• Collaborate with IS, Epic implementation teams, and clinical and finance operations to ensure data consistency and interoperability across the health system's application ecosystem.
• Artificial Intelligence Strategy & Governance
• Lead the health system's AI governance framework, including model registration, risk tiering, bias evaluation, and ongoing model performance monitoring.
• Partner with clinical, operational, and research stakeholders to evaluate, pilot, and scale AI and Machine Learning (ML) use cases that improve patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and financial performance.
• Establish transparent AI deployment protocols ensuring compliance with emerging federal and state AI regulations as well as accreditation standards.
• Oversee responsible AI practices including fairness assessments, transparency requirements, and review processes for clinical decision-support applications.
• Build and maintain an AI model inventory with associated documentation of validation results, training data provenance, intended use, and monitoring schedules.
• Champion AI literacy and change management initiatives across clinical and administrative teams to accelerate adoption and informed use of data-driven tools.
• Leadership & Team Management
• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing team of data governance professionals, data stewards, data engineers, and analysts.
• Establish clear performance expectations, foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement within the team.
• Mentor and develop emerging talent; create career pathways and professional development opportunities aligned with evolving healthcare data and AI disciplines.
• Lead cross-functional working groups and collaborative initiatives with IS application and technology teams, research computing, and enterprise analytics.
• Represent IS Data &AI Governance in leadership briefings and external stakeholder engagements as a subject matter expert.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, Healthcare Administration or a related field required.
• Minimum ten (10) years of progressive experience in data governance, data management, or healthcare informatics, with at least 7 (seven) years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience developing and operationalizing enterprise data governance frameworks within a complex healthcare or health system environment.
• Proven track record leading AI/ML strategy, governance programs, or data science functions, including responsible AI practices in clinical or regulated settings.
• Experience working with Epic EHR or equivalent large-scale clinical information systems in a governance, analytics, or data integration capacity.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise data platforms, cloud data warehousing (Azure Synapse, Databricks, Snowflake, or equivalent), and modern data stack tooling.
• Track record of successfully building, leading, and developing high-performing cross-functional teams of 10+ staff.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Data Science, Healthcare Administration or a related discipline are strongly preferred.
• Relevant certifications preferred: CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional), CIPP/US, CIPT, CHDA or equivalent AI/data governance credentials.