Director of Data Strategy and Governance – Data | AI | Legal

Onward Legal Innovation; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Onward Legal Innovation seeks a Director of Data Strategy and Governance to build and lead a new enterprise data capability. The role spans data strategy, AI data infrastructure, data architecture, governance and MDM across the firm's technology landscape.

Locations: New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles — Hybrid working. Ideal candidates have 15+ years in legal/regulated environments and a proven track record delivering scalable data platforms for AI and analytics.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of senior-level enterprise data leadership experience.
• Proven track record building data platforms and architectures.
• Experience delivering AI data infrastructure for enterprise use.
• Experience in legal, regulated, or professional services environments is valued.

Responsibilities

• Set the direction for enterprise data across the firm.
• Own data infrastructure supporting AI and GenAI.
• Enable RAG pipelines, vector databases and knowledge retrieval.
• Define data access controls, quality, lineage and auditability.
• Create a modern enterprise architecture across systems.
• Lead cloud data and integration landscape evolution.
• Establish Master Data Management for key entities.
• Strengthen enterprise governance and data stewardship network.
• Improve data quality and standardization.
• Expand analytics and BI to inform leadership decisions.
• Collaborate with Finance, HR, Legal, Security, AI and Tech teams.
• Develop self-service analytics and data literacy while governing data.
• Grow the data organization with scalable operating model and leadership.

Skills

Enterprise data strategy

Data architecture

Data engineering

Analytics leadership

Executive communication

C-suite collaboration

Data governance

MDM

AI data infrastructure

RAG pipelines

Tools

Snowflake

Azure

Vector databases

Job description

A Director of Data Strategy and Governance is required to create and lead a new enterprise data capability for one of the top 10 US law firms undergoing significant technology and AI data transformation. This is a high-profile leadership opportunity spanning Data Strategy, AI Data Infrastructure, Data Architecture, Governance and MDM, with responsibility for creating the trusted data foundations needed to support the firm’s rapidly evolving AI and analytics ambitions.

Locations: New York | Washington, D.C. | Los Angeles - Hybrid working

For an established data leader from legal, legal operations, legal technology, or regulated environments such as banking, financial services, or professional services, this is an opportunity to build a data capability of long-term strategic importance.

Reporting to the Chief Legal Operations Officer, you’ll shape the firm’s data strategy from an early stage, modernize how data is managed across a complex technology landscape and establish the standards needed to make data accessible, reliable and secure. A major part of the remit will be to ensure the firm’s data estate can support the scalable adoption of data and AI.

Key skills required for the Director of Data Strategy and Governance

• Extensive senior-level experience across enterprise data strategy, data architecture, data engineering and analytics, typically gained over 15+ years, including at least 5 years at Director, VP or comparable leadership level.
• Strong experience creating and modernizing enterprise data platforms and architecture from the ground up within complex, multi-system organizations.
• Experience designing or delivering AI data infrastructure, with knowledge of RAG pipelines, vector databases, embeddings, LLM data architecture and enterprise knowledge retrieval, and how enterprise data needs to be structured, governed and secured for AI consumption.
• Experience gained within legal, legal operations, legal technology or another complex, highly regulated and data-sensitive environment. We are also interested in senior data leaders from areas such as banking, financial services and professional services where security, confidentiality, governance and regulatory controls are fundamental.
• Broad expertise across the modern data stack, including cloud data platforms such as Snowflake, Azure or equivalent, ETL/ELT, data orchestration, cataloguing, lineage and BI technologies.
• Significant experience establishing enterprise data governance, including data ownership, stewardship, classification, metadata, lineage, quality and appropriate access to sensitive information.
• Strong understanding of Master Data Management (MDM) and the challenges of creating authoritative, trusted data across multiple enterprise systems.
• The executive presence to work effectively with C-suite executives, partners and senior business leaders, translating complex data and AI requirements into clear business priorities and investment decisions.
• Experience building and leading multidisciplinary data organisations spanning data engineering, architecture, analytics and governance.

What you’ll do as a Director of Data Strategy and Governance

• Set the direction for enterprise data across the firm, developing a long-term strategy that supports commercial priorities, analytics and the wider AI roadmap.
• Own the data infrastructure supporting AI and GenAI, alongside AI data governance, ensuring high-quality enterprise information can be securely discovered and consumed by AI applications.
• Enable RAG pipelines, vector databases, embedding workflows and knowledge retrieval, working closely with AI and Technology teams to provide the data foundations required for LLM-powered applications.
• Establish how sensitive client and firm data can be accessed by AI, implementing appropriate controls around classification, permissions, quality, lineage and auditability.
• Create a modern enterprise architecture connecting data across the firm’s financial, client, matter, document, HR, risk and operational systems.
• Lead the evolution of the firm’s cloud data and integration landscape, establishing scalable approaches to data ingestion, transformation and distribution.
• Introduce a consistent Master Data Management strategy for critical entities including clients, matters, attorneys, rates and timekeepers.
• Establish effective enterprise governance, creating clear accountability for data and developing an active network of business data stewards.
• Improve the consistency and reliability of critical business information through common definitions, standards and quality controls.
• Expand the use of analytics and business intelligence, providing leadership with better insight into financial performance, clients, matters, utilisation, workforce and operational trends.
• Partner with Finance, Business Development, HR, Legal, Security, AI and Technology teams to turn enterprise data into actionable intelligence.
• Develop greater self-service analytics and data literacy while maintaining appropriate enterprise governance.
• Build and develop the data organisation as the function grows, establishing the technical capability, operating model and leadership structure required for the future.

Why this role?

This is a genuine opportunity to build a strategic enterprise data capability from the ground up within one of the largest and most sophisticated areas of professional services.

The position sits directly at the intersection of enterprise data, AI and the legal sector. As the firm expands its use of GenAI, you’ll be responsible for ensuring its enterprise data can securely support RAG, vector search, embeddings, knowledge retrieval and other LLM-driven applications.

Working in an environment where client confidentiality, information security, privilege, governance and regulatory obligations are critical, you’ll have the opportunity to determine how highly sensitive enterprise data is managed and safely activated for the next generation of AI capabilities.

You’ll have the scope to shape the data strategy, AI data infrastructure, enterprise architecture governance model, MDM capability and team, with significant exposure to executive leadership