Director Data Office & AI Readiness

Republic Services; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical benefits

Retirement plan with company match

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Republic Services, a leader in environmental services, is seeking a Director of Data Office & AI Readiness to build and scale an enterprise Data Office. You will drive governance, data standards, and stewardship across priority programs, enabling AI readiness at scale and data reuse.

You will partner with business and technology leaders to define a value-driven data roadmap, establish formal operating models, and deliver measurable outcomes while fostering a data-driven culture in a hybrid

Qualifications

• 10+ years in enterprise data management or governance.
• 7+ years leading cross-functional programs or data initiatives.
• Experience designing governance operating models and stewardship frameworks.
• Experience with cloud-based data platforms and data catalogs.
• Ability to translate data concepts for executives and non-technical stakeholders.
• Hybrid role based at Republic Services HQ in Phoenix, AZ.

Responsibilities

• Establish Data Office as enterprise capability with charter and operating model.
• Define roles, responsibilities, and engagement models across domains.
• Lead enterprise data operating model, governance forums, and executive alignment.
• Own data demand and portfolio management, sequencing strategic initiatives.
• Operationalize data ownership, stewardship, and data quality framework.
• Drive data governance, metadata, lineage, and data certification practices.
• Collaborate with architecture and data engineering to align platforms with business needs.
• Enable AI readiness and self-service analytics with governance standards.
• Foster data-driven culture through communication, training, and stakeholder engagement.

Skills

Data governance

Data management

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

AI readiness

Data architecture

Leadership

Change management

Tools

Snowflake

data.world

AccelData

Reltio

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Data Office & AI Readiness will build and lead an enterprise Data Office that establishes trusted, durable, and business-ready data across priority initiatives and core domains. The incumbent will be both strategic and execution-oriented: they will drive results for priority programs while building the long-term capabilities required for AI readiness at scale, data reuse, and quality. The Director of Data Office & AI Readiness will stand up and scale an enterprise Data Office, collaborating closely with business stakeholders and technology partners to implement robust frameworks, data standards, and stewardship practices. The incumbent will manage enterprise data portfolio intake, prioritization, and sequencing of high-value data initiatives, ensuring alignment to strategic business goals and maximizing value delivery.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Establishes and leads the Data Office as a formal enterprise capability with a clear charter, operating model, defined ownership and accountability, escalation paths, and measurable business outcomes.
• Defines roles, responsibilities, and engagement models across domain owners, stewards, and IT partners to support business-led data accountability.
• Builds and leads the enterprise data operating model, including governance councils, working teams, and executive forums that prioritize data initiatives, resolve cross-functional issues, inform, and ensure strategic alignment.
• Owns enterprise data demand and portfolio management, orchestrating intake, triage, prioritization, and sequencing the strategic roadmap of data initiatives based on business value, complexity, and reuse.
• Establishes and operationalizes the data ownership and stewardship framework, clarifying accountability for data elements, definitions, business rules, quality, systems of record, access, and usage across domains.
• Drives a value-oriented data roadmap focused on high-impact domains and strategic programs, delivering early governance wins and scaling successful practices across the organization to maximize business impact.
• Leads enterprise data quality and governance practices, including developing standard data definitions, implementing metadata and lineage management, establishing data certification processes, ongoing data quality monitoring, and issue management.
• Collaborates with enterprise architecture and data engineering teams to align modern data platforms and architecture with business needs; ensuring consistent data structures, reusable data assets, and effective lifecycle management.
• Enables AI readiness and self-service analytics by collaboratively defining data management standards, privacy and security guardrails, and consumption models to support analytics, ML and AI initiatives.
• Champions enterprise-wide adoption and cultural change by driving communication, training, stakeholder education and engagement; developing a high-performing team, and fostering a data-driven culture.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned or apparent.

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES:

• Deep expertise in enterprise data governance, data management principles, data ownership models, and designing business-led data operating models
• Strong command of data quality management, metadata standards, data lineage, data certification, and data governance
• Proven ability to design and implement intake, triage, prioritization, and portfolio management processes for enterprise-wide data initiatives
• Broad understanding of modern cloud-based data architectures (e.g., multi-layer or medallion architectures), data product management, and governed self-service analytics environments
• Working knowledge of data catalog, data quality / observability, and MDM tools in modern cloud environments (e.g., Snowflake, data.world, AccelData, Reltio)
• Exceptional skill in translating complex data management and governance concepts into clear business terms for executive and non-technical stakeholders
• Strategic mindset with a history of connecting data investments to tangible business value, risk mitigation, efficiency gains, and AI enablement
• Strong leadership and influence skills, including stakeholder management, conflict resolution, and change management within large, matrixed organizations
• Proven ability to develop and scale data practices, teams, and adoption across an enterprise, balancing strategic vision with pragmatic implementation.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a track record of establishing durable, repeatable processes and standards from the ground up.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated success in establishing, scaling, or significantly transforming a Data Office, Data Governance program, or similar enterprise data capability.
• Extensive experience designing governance operating models, data stewardship frameworks, decision-rights structures, and executive governance forums in large, complex organizations.
• Track record of defining and operationalizing critical data elements (CDEs), data definitions, business rules, metadata and lineage management, data quality controls, certification processes, and issue management.
• Hands-on experience developing effective intake, prioritization, and data portfolio management processes for large-scale data initiatives tied to business strategy or transformation programs.
• History of partnering with architecture, engineering, security, privacy, legal, product, and business teams to define scalable data management practices, controls, and delivery standards.
• Experience with modern cloud-based data platforms and governance technologies (e.g., enterprise data catalogs, metadata management and data quality/observability tools, MDM solutions); Snowflake and data.world experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to enable advanced analytics and AI/ML initiatives through data management practices, ensuring data is prepared, high-quality, and appropriately governed
• Exceptional executive communication and influence skills, with a proven ability to drive change and foster a data-driven culture.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise data management, data governance, data strategy, analytics, or related data leadership roles.
• 7+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams, enterprise programs, or data transformation initiatives that span both business and technology functions.

This position is a hybrid role based at Republic Service's headquarters in Phoenix, AZ. Hybrid is 4-days per week onsite, and 1-day remote. This position will not be eligible to be fully remote.

Please note, our Director Data Office & AI Readiness position is not sponsorship eligible.

Rewarding Compensation and Benefits

Eligible employees can elect to participate in:

Comprehensive medical benefits coverage, dental plans and vision coverage.

Health care and dependent care spending accounts.

Short- and long-term disability.

Life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment insurance.

Employee and Family Assistance Program (EAP).

Retirement plan with a generous company match.

The statements used herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by an employee in this position, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required by an incumbent so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the Company.

EEO STATEMENT: Republic Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, relationship or association with a protected veteran (spouses or other family members), genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. For any concerns relating to Republic Services’ commitment to equal opportunity employment, you may contact the AWARE Line at 1-866-3-AWARE-4.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) is a leader in the environmental services industry. We provide customers with the most complete set of products and services, including recycling, waste, special waste, hazardous waste and field services. Our industry-leading commitments to advance circularity and support decarbonization are helping deliver on our vision to partner with customers to create a more sustainable world.

In 2025, Republic’s total company revenue was $16.6 billion, and adjusted EBITDA was $5.3 billion. We serve 13 million customers and operate more than 1,000 locations, including collection and transfer stations, recycling and polymer centers, treatment facilities, and landfills.

Although we operate across North America, the collection, recycling, treatment, or disposal of materials is a local business, and the dynamics and opportunities differ in each market we serve. By combining local operational management with standardized business practices, we drive greater operating efficiencies across the company while maintaining day-to-day operational decisions at the local level, closest to the customer.

Our customers, including small businesses, major corporations and municipalities, want a partner with the expertise and capabilities to effectively manage their multiple recycling and waste streams. They choose Republic Services because we are committed to exceeding their expectations and helping them achieve their sustainability goals. Our 42,000 team members understand that it's not just what we do that matters, but how we do it.