Data Governance Manager

IT Motives; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

IT Motives is seeking a Data Governance Manager to lead enterprise data governance initiatives across business and IT teams in Portland. You will establish data ownership, steward responsibilities, and governance processes for master data, metadata, and golden records.

The role emphasizes equity-centered decision-making and strong collaboration with stakeholders. The position requires five or more years in data governance, experience with cloud data platforms, and a track record of driving data

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years leading data governance and data management initiatives.
• Experience implementing cloud-based data lake/lakehouse solutions (Snowflake, Synapse, Redshift, Databricks).

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage the Data Strategy and Governance Framework with policies, procedures, and metrics for data quality, access, lifecycle, privacy, and security.
• Establish data ownership and stewardship across departments; facilitate cross-functional governance.
• Serve as liaison between business units, IT, and partners to align data standards and system usage.
• Plan and monitor the governance program track, including schedules, risks, and reporting.
• Lead workshops to define data domains, metadata, lineage, and success metrics.
• Establish governance processes for master data, ownership, approvals, and golden records across ERP, EDW, and downstream systems.
• Coordinate remediation of data quality issues with owners and engineers.
• Support change management, training, and communications related to new data roles and processes.
• Track and report governance performance and recommendations to leadership.

Skills

Data governance frameworks

Enterprise data architecture

MDM & metadata management

ERP concepts & integrations

Data compliance (FERPA/HIPAA)

Strategic planning & project mgmt

Equity-centered decision-making

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems/ Data Science/ Business Admin

Advanced degree preferred (MBA/MPA/MSIS)

Data-related certifications (CDMP, DGSP) preferred

Tools

Snowflake

Azure Synapse

AWS Redshift

Databricks

ERPs data integration

Job description

Our client is looking for a Data Governance Manager who will serve as the organization's primary leader and advocate for data governance, enabling business and technology teams to make consistent, well-governed decisions across enterprise systems. If this sounds like you, women, minorities, and veterans are highly encouraged to apply. Thank you!

Type: Contract

Locations: Portland, OR

The role is responsible for establishing data ownership and stewardship, facilitating cross-functional governance across business domains, implementing governance processes and standards, and improving the quality, consistency, and management of enterprise master data.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

• Develop, implement, and manage the district’s Data Strategy and Governance Framework, including policies, procedures, and metrics for data quality, access, lifecycle management, privacy, and security.
• Establish, coordinate, and facilitate enterprise data governance groups and assign data ownership and stewardship roles across departments.
• Serve as liaison between functional business units, IT, and external partners to align enterprise data standards, definitions, integrations, and system use.
• Plan, oversee, and monitor the data governance program track, including schedules, deliverables, risks, and reporting.
• Lead workshops and stakeholder sessions to define data domains, critical data elements, metadata, lineage, and success metrics.
• Partner with business and technical teams to establish governance processes for enterprise master data, including ownership, stewardship, approval workflows, and golden record management across ERP, theenterprise data warehouse, and downstream systems.
• Establish repeatable processes for identifying, prioritizing, assigning, and monitoring enterprise data quality issues. Coordinate remediation efforts with business owners, analysts, and engineering teams.
• Support and coordinate change management, communication, and training related to new data roles, processes, and tools.
• Track, analyze, and report data governance performance, risks, and recommendations to program leadership and governance bodies.
• Demonstrate a commitment to the Racial Equity and Social Justice Commitment; participate in staff development, in-services and trainings related to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and in K – 12 education
• Data ownership: Establish and operationalize enterprise Data Owner and Data Steward responsibilities across the district.
• Gov operating model: Develop governance operating procedures for data changes, master data maintenance, metadata management, issue escalation, approval workflows, and cross-domain decision making.
• Business data glossary: Lead development and ongoing maturity of the enterprise business glossary, data dictionary, and critical data element inventory.
• Cross-domain Golden Record Governance: Facilitate governance of enterprise master data and golden records for key domains across ERP, the enterprise data warehouse, reporting platforms, and downstream applications.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

• Data governance frameworks, principles, and best practices
• Enterprise data architecture, MDM, data lakes/lakehouses, metadata management
• ERP concepts, integrations, and business systems
• Federal and state data compliance (e.g. FERPA, HIPAA, public records)
• Strategic planning, project management, workflow design, and change management
• Cross-functional collaboration strategies and stakeholder facilitation
• Principles of equity-centered decision-making and inclusive practices

Ability to:

• Plan, organize, direct, and evaluate complex data initiatives
• Communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Lead cross-functional teams and build consensus
• Analyze data issues, recommend solutions, and measure outcomes
• Manage timelines, risks, and vendors across multiple workstreams
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment
• Embed equity considerations into processes and data use
• Turn big-picture strategy into practical tools, systems, and processes
• Remain organized, focused on results, and committed to equity
• Navigate complex environments with multiple interests
• Lead stakeholder facilitation with strong communication skills

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with a major in Information Systems, Data Science, Business Administration, or related field. An advanced degree (e.g. MBA, MPA, MSIS) and data-related certifications (e.g. CDMP, DGSP) preferred.

Experience: Five (5) or more years of experience in leading data governance, data management and organizational change. Experience must include implementing cloud-based data lake or lakehouse solutions (e.g. Snowflake, Azure Synapse, Amorphic, AWS Redshift, Databricks) at a large private or public entity. K-12 education or government ERP modernization project experience is a plus. Any other combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities may be considered.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

• Data owners and stewards assigned
• Enterprise bus glossary and data dictionary est. and maintained
• Governance workflows documented for data changes
• Golden record ownership and survivorship rules defined across ERP, EDW and downstream
• Gov processes adopted by business and IT