Data Governance Manager

HU101 The Howard University; United States; On-site; USD 130,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness benefits

PTO and paid holidays

Tuition reimbursement

Career development opportunities

Commuter benefits

Vibrant company culture

Job summary

Howard University seeks a Data Governance Manager to build and lead the enterprise data governance program, ensuring accurate, secure, and well-defined data across academic and administrative areas.

You will translate business requirements into governance standards, partner with data owners, and drive data literacy while aligning with FERPA and privacy policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information systems or related field; five+ years in data governance or enterprise data roles.
• Experience defining data standards, ownership, and stewardship roles across large organizations.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain enterprise data governance framework, policies, standards, and procedures.
• Establish data ownership and stewardship across domains; maintain data dictionaries and metadata.
• Define source-of-truth systems, data quality rules, and lineage documentation; monitor adherence and remediation.
• Collaborate with security, analytics, and IT teams to ensure FERPA compliance and data access controls.

Skills

Data governance

Data stewardship

Data ownership

Metadata management

Data lineage

Data quality

Master data management

Business glossary

Stakeholder communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems or related field

5+ years of relevant data governance experience

Tools

SQL

BI tools

Data governance tools

Job description

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff “for fit” makes significant contributions to Howard University’s overall mission. At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth. Here is what we offer: Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture Join Howard University and thrive with us! https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellness

We are seeking a Data Governance Manager to join the university's new data team. The Data Governance Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing the institution’s enterprise data governance program to ensure institutional data is accurate, consistent, secure, well-defined, and appropriately used across academic and administrative functions. This position will report to the Chief Data and Analytics Officer and partner with the Senior Data Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Database Administrator, institutional data owners and stewards, and technology teams to establish data standards, improve data quality, define ownership and accountability, maintain institutional data definitions, and promote trusted and responsible use of data across the institution. The Data Governance Manager will serve as a key liaison between functional and technical teams, translating institutional business requirements into sustainable data governance policies, standards, and practices.

NATURE AND SCOPE: The Data Governance Manager establishes and manages Howard University's enterprise data framework to ensure that institutional data remains accurate, secure, and consistently defined across all academic and administrative divisions. Reporting directly to the Chief Data and Analytics Officer, this role fosters high-level collaboration between technical teams and functional data stewards to outline clear ownership, maintain data dictionaries, and resolve conflicting information standards. Ultimately, the position drives higher education data literacy and enforces strict compliance with internal data privacy policies and federal FERPA regulations.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES: Develop, implement, and maintain the enterprise data governance framework, policies, standards, and procedures. Establish and maintain clear data ownership and stewardship roles across academic and administrative data domains. Lead development and maintenance of the institutional data dictionary, business glossary, metadata, data definitions, and data standards. Partner with functional offices and technical teams to establish consistent definitions, business rules, and source-of-truth systems for critical institutional data. Develop and manage data quality standards, validation rules, issue logs, remediation processes, and quality monitoring. Establish processes for documenting data lineage, source-to-target mappings, transformations, and reporting-specific business rules. Facilitate cross-functional data governance working groups and resolve conflicting data definitions, standards, and ownership responsibilities. Collaborate with technical and security teams to define data access, classification, privacy, retention, and security standards. Support governance of data used for institutional reporting, executive analytics, regulatory reporting, forecasting, and advanced analytics. Monitor adherence to governance standards and provide regular updates on data quality, governance initiatives, risks, and remediation activities. Promote institutional data literacy and provide training and guidance to data owners, stewards, analysts, and other data users. Support compliance with FERPA, institutional policies, and applicable data privacy and regulatory requirements.

CORE COMPETENCIES: Strong knowledge of data governance, data stewardship, data ownership, metadata management, data lineage, data quality, and master/reference data principles. Experience developing and maintaining data dictionaries, business glossaries, data standards, business rules, and governance documentation. Strong understanding of data quality assessment, validation, issue management, and remediation processes. Familiarity with enterprise data environments, including ERP, SIS, CRM, data warehouses, data lakes, and business intelligence platforms. Working knowledge of SQL and data analysis concepts sufficient to investigate data quality and reconciliation issues. Knowledge of data privacy, security, access controls, and FERPA requirements in higher education. Ability to translate complex business processes and institutional requirements into clear data definitions, standards, and governance practices. Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and facilitate agreement among technical and non-technical stakeholders. Strong project management, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate data governance concepts effectively across all levels of the institution.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Business Analytics, Higher Education Administration, or a related field, with at least five (5) years of relevant data management, data governance, institutional research, or higher education data experience is preferred.

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure Compensation Range: $130,000 - $147,000

Howard University is a comprehensive, research-oriented, historically Black private university providing an educational experience of exceptional quality to students of high academic potential with particular emphasis upon the provision of educational opportunities to promising Black students. Further, the University is dedicated to attracting and sustaining a cadre of faculty who are, through their teaching and research, committed to the development of distinguished and compassionate graduates and to the quest for solutions to human and social problems in the United States and throughout the world.

Howard University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex,sexual orientation,gender or gender identity, marital status, religion, disability or protected veterans status. Veterans and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Inquiries regarding provisions for persons with disabilities or veterans status, Equal Employment Opportunity and Title IX should be directed to the Office of Employee Relations and Equal Employment Opportunity at 202-806-1280.

This position description should not be construed to imply that these requirements are the exclusive standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as may be required. The university has the right to revise this position description at any time. This position description is not be construed as a contract for employment.