Director of Data Governance

National Veterinary Associates; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

National Veterinary Associates is seeking a Director of Data Governance to lead enterprise data governance strategy across nearly 1,000 hospitals and corporate functions. This senior role owns standards, policy, and operating model, guiding data quality, lineage, and metadata management.

You will chair the Data Governance Council, partner with Legal and Compliance, and build an organization-wide data literacy and enablement program while ensuring regulatory privacy and risk controls.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of progressive experience in data management or governance.
• 8+ years in a dedicated data governance leadership role in a multi-site enterprise.
• Hands-on experience with governance tools and cloud data platforms.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication to influence senior leaders.
• Ability to translate governance concepts into practical plans for technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Own and mature the enterprise data governance framework, standards, and operating model.
• Build and lead an enterprise-wide network of data stewards and owners.
• Direct integration of governance across the data product lifecycle from ingestion to reporting.
• Establish and maintain business glossary, data dictionary, and metadata management.
• Define data quality metrics, monitor with Purview, drive root-cause with data owners.
• Chair the Data Governance Council and drive enterprise-wide adoption of standards.
• Own data lineage, cataloging, and MDM across source to analytics.
• Ensure regulatory and privacy compliance including state laws; partner with Legal/Compliance.
• Oversee tooling selection and optimization (Purview) and enable governance controls.
• Lead data literacy and enablement to scale governance and educate on metrics.
• Report governance health and roadmap progress to senior leadership.
• Lead the Data Support hub to resolve data questions and automate repeat queries with AI.

Skills

Data governance leadership

Stakeholder management

Data quality management

Policy and standards development

Cloud data platforms

Microsoft Purview

Collibra / Alation

Data cataloging

Regulatory compliance

Data literacy enablement

Tools

Microsoft Purview

Collibra

Alation

Azure Fabric

Snowflake

Job description

The Director of Data Governance is a senior leadership role that owns NVA’s enterprise data governance strategy, operating model, and framework, and is accountable for the quality, consistency, and integrity of data across the organization. Reporting to the VP, Data & Analytics, the Director sets governance direction for NVA’s nearly 1,000 veterinary hospitals and corporate functions—leading a team of Data Steward & Governance leads, a Data Literacy & Enablement lead, and a Manager of Data Support, and directing an enterprise-wide network of data stewards, data owners, and data product owners. As chair of NVA’s Data Governance Council, the Director holds decision rights over governance policy, data ownership, and enterprise data standards, and partners with senior leaders across Data & Analytics, Legal, Compliance, and the business to embed a culture of data accountability at scale. This role is central to NVA’s mission of delivering excellent, accessible veterinary care: it ensures that the data underpinning clinical, operational, and financial decisions—and the regulatory posture that protects the enterprise—meets the highest standards of trust and integrity.

Reports To: VP, Data & Analytics

About : National Veterinary Associates is one of the largest and most respected communities of veterinary hospitals in the world, operating nearly 1,000 hospitals in North America, including in all 50 states, and caring for 8,000,000+ animals annually. NVA is backed by JAB Holding, a leading private equity firm. Each person who joins NVA is motivated by our mission to provide excellent, accessible care to improve the lives of animals and the people who love them. NVA has been extremely successful over its 25+ year history and we’re very excited about our next chapter as we work toward our shared vision of revolutionizing the pet care experience to provide more fulfilling lives for pets, their companions, and our team.

What You’ll Be Doing (Key Responsibilities):

• Own and continuously mature NVA’s enterprise data governance framework—policies, standards, processes, and operating model—establishing the authoritative standards that govern how data is managed across all business domains.
• Build and lead an enterprise-wide network of data stewards and data owners across corporate functions and hospital operations, defining the roles, decision rights, and accountability structures that hold the organization responsible for data quality and governance adherence.
• Direct the integration of governance guardrails across the full data product lifecycle—from ingestion in the data lake through consumption in reporting and self‑serve analytics—partnering with data product owners and the broader Data & Analytics organization.
• Establish enterprise standards for the business glossary, data dictionary, and metadata management, ensuring a single, authoritative understanding of critical data elements across the enterprise.
• Define and own the data quality metrics and KPIs that measure enterprise data health; set targets, monitor performance through Microsoft Purview and related tooling, and drive root‑cause resolution with the appropriate data owners and engineering teams.
• Establish and chair NVA’s Data Governance Council, convening senior leaders and domain representatives to set governance priorities, adjudicate data ownership decisions, and drive enterprise‑wide adoption of governance standards.
• Own the enterprise capabilities for data lineage, data cataloging, and master data management (MDM), ensuring traceability and integrity of critical data assets from source systems through to analytics and reporting layers.
• Ensure NVA’s data governance program meets applicable regulatory and privacy requirements, including CCPA and state privacy laws, and serve as the governance lead partnering with Legal and Compliance to manage enterprise data risk.
• Own the selection, implementation, and optimization of enterprise data governance tooling (Microsoft Purview), partnering with Data Engineering to implement DDM rules and governance controls on the engineering side.
• Lead data literacy, enablement, and change management across NVA through a dedicated Data Literacy & Enablement lead reporting to this role—accelerating data literacy, driving data product adoption, and enabling education on enterprise metrics to build a durable data culture and raise organizational awareness of governance expectations and best practices.
• Report on governance program health, data quality trends, and compliance posture to senior leadership and the Data Governance Council, and own the governance roadmap—continuously refining it against business needs and industry best practices.
• Lead the enterprise Data Support hub—a dedicated function resolving data questions and requests across NVA—with a Manager of Data Support reporting to this role. Set the strategy to automate high‑volume, repeat questions through AI‑driven responses, focusing the team on day‑to‑day data questions and ticket resolution while scaling support across the organization.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (Qualifications):

• 10–15 years of progressive experience in data management, data governance, or related data disciplines, with 8+ years in a dedicated data governance leadership role within a complex, multi‑site enterprise environment.
• Proven track record of building and scaling enterprise data governance programs, including standing up Data Governance Councils, stewardship programs, and governance operating models from the ground up.
• Hands‑on experience with enterprise data governance and cataloging tools (e.g. Microsoft Purview, Collibra, Alation) and familiarity with cloud‑based data platforms and data lake architectures (e.g., Azure Fabric, Snowflake).
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, drive cross‑functional alignment, and build a culture of data accountability across a large, distributed organization.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills; ability to translate complex data governance concepts into practical, actionable plans for both technical and non‑technical audiences.

Location: Remote-friendly. Must be able to collaborate across U.S. time zones.

Travel: Minimal. May be once a quarter for stakeholder meetings.

Compensation & Benefits: NVA offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, including base salary, annual performance bonus, comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision), 401(k) with company match, generous PTO, and professional development opportunities.

AIP: 20%

FSLA Status: Exempt

National Veterinary Associates (NVA) is a leading North American pet health care company with nearly 1,300 locations spanning general practice veterinary hospitals, Ethos emergency and specialty hospitals, and pet resorts and equine veterinary care. With approximately 40,000 team members, we care for pets and support pet families in communities across the United States and Canada. Our purpose is to give pets and the people who love them more quality years together, and our mission is to make care more personal, easy and accessible while advancing medicine and care across every stage of life. Across NVA, we support our teams with the resources, expertise and opportunities they need to deliver exceptional care and help shape the future of veterinary and pet care.

Purpose: Give pets and the people who love them more quality years together

Mission: Transform the pet family experience to be personal, easy and accessible, while advancing medicine and care across every stage of life.

Values: Care Deeply, Do What’s Right, One Team, Own It, Shape What’s Next

One NVA: Bringing General Practice & Ethos Together

NVA is built to make care personal, easy and accessible, while advancing medicine across every stage of a pet’s life.

At National Veterinary Associates, we want to make sure your experience connecting with us is seamless and straightforward. Here’s what to expect when interacting with us:

NVA offers a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, vision, a 401k with employer match, and paid time off (including sick time) for all eligible employees. The team can provide more information about compensation and benefits for your specific location during the process. For positions based in Colorado, NVA provides eligible employees with paid sick and safe leave and public health emergency leave in accordance with the requirements of Colorado's Healthy Families and Workplaces Act.

NVA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.