Data & AI Governance Lead - Build Enterprise Framework

Michels; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

401(k) plan

Training opportunities

Job summary

Michels Corporation seeks a Staff Data & AI Governance Manager to build and lead Michels' enterprise governance function. This founding role shapes policies, standards, and operating routines to make data trusted, discoverable, and usable across the business, with a clear path to growing the governance team.

The role starts hands-on, partnering with business, operations, and IT to implement risk-based AI governance, enabling rapid experimentation while applying oversight for durability and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 7+ years of experience in data governance, data management, technology risk, or a related discipline at enterprise scale.
• Strong command of core governance disciplines, with demonstrated ability to build and mature governance programs.
• Familiarity with modern data platforms and governance tooling such as Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Snowflake, Collibra, Alation, Atlan, or similar technologies.
• Working knowledge of generative and agentic AI, responsible AI, and risk‑based AI governance.
• Strong communication and stakeholder skills, with the ability to influence without authority, facilitate cross‑functional decisions, and explain governance and risk concepts to technical, business, and executive audiences.

Responsibilities

• Build and operationalize Michels' data and AI governance framework: policies, standards, roles, decision rights, and operating processes.
• Establish foundational data governance across ownership, stewardship, quality, metadata, lineage, classification, and retention.
• Partner with business, operations, and IT teams to build shared ownership of governance across data and AI work.
• Create practical AI governance for use-case intake, risk classification, responsible AI review, vendor and embedded AI oversight, and monitoring.
• Facilitate the governance forums, stewardship routines, and cross-functional decisions that clarify accountability and make governance actionable.
• Develop metrics and reporting that give leadership visibility into data quality, governance maturity, AI adoption, and emerging risks.
• Grow the function over time, evolving from hands‑on builder into the leader of future governance capabilities, communities, and team.

Skills

Data governance

AI governance

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Fabric

Databricks

Snowflake

Collibra

Alation

Atlan

Job description

Michels Corporation seeks a Staff Data & AI Governance Manager to build and lead Michels' enterprise governance function. This founding role shapes policies, standards, and operating routines to make data trusted, discoverable, and usable across the business, with a clear path to growing the governance team.

The role starts hands-on, partnering with business, operations, and IT to implement risk-based AI governance, enabling rapid experimentation while applying oversight for durability and