Senior Director of Data

COGENT Infotech; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Cogent Infotech Pvt. Ltd. is assisting the NYC Campaign Finance Board in their search for a Senior Director of Data (SDD) to lead data governance, privacy, information management, records and public disclosure, and AI assurance functions.

The role oversees governance standards, policy development, and cross-functional collaboration with senior leadership and legal, records, product, and engineering teams. The SDD will establish independent AI assurance, manage data lakehouse and cloud-migration

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred in data/information management, law, public policy, or related field

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee enterprise data governance frameworks including data classification, quality, metadata, lineage and retention standards.
• Establish and lead the agency’s privacy and information-governance program including sensitive-data protection and data loss prevention.
• Oversee records management, FOIL/public-records production, retention schedules and proactive open-data disclosure.
• Lead independent AI assurance reviews covering data readiness, privacy, bias, fairness, transparency and accountability.
• Advise executive leadership on data risks, compliance, governance priorities, and organizational strategy.

Skills

Data governance

Privacy

Records management

AI governance

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Advanced degree in data, information management, law, public policy or related discipline

Job description

Senior Director of Data - Fulltime

Client: New York City Campaign Finance Board

About Cogent Infotech

At Cogent Infotech, we believe in creating opportunities that empower individuals and transform organizations. With over 21 years of excellence in consulting and talent solutions, we pride ourselves on building inclusive workplaces and driving innovation in everything we do. Our diverse teams bring unique perspectives to help deliver cutting-edge solutions to global clients across both public and private sectors.

Job Description

Position Summary

Cogent is the exclusive Executive Search Partner to the NYC Campaign Finance Board in their search for a Senior Director of Data (SDD) to lead the agency’s data governance, privacy, information management, records and public disclosure, and artificial intelligence (AI) assurance functions. The SDD will establish and oversee the frameworks, standards, policies, and controls necessary to ensure that agency data is trustworthy, secure, appropriately governed, legally compliant, and suitable for operational, analytical, research, and public-disclosure purposes. As the NYC Campaign Finance Board's exclusive search partner all applications will be processed through Cogent.

• This position will lead the agency’s data strategy across structured and unstructured data environments, oversee governance of the data lakehouse and cloud-migration initiatives, strengthen the agency’s privacy program, and ensure appropriate management of records and Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) production.


• The role will also establish an independent AI assurance function to evaluate data readiness, privacy, fairness, transparency, and accountability before AI use cases are authorized for production and while they remain operational.


• The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership, sound governance judgment, technical fluency, and the ability to build new capabilities while strengthening established teams. The position works in partnership with senior leadership, data engineering, legal, records, product, and other cross-functional stakeholders.

Role Expectations

This is a strategic governance and organizational leadership position, not a hands-on data engineering role. The successful candidate must be able to establish governance standards, influence peer engineering leaders, exercise independent judgment on AI assurance, and build effective programs and teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee enterprise data governance frameworks, including data classification, quality, metadata, lineage, and retention standards.


• Establish and lead the agency’s privacy and information-governance program, including sensitive-data protection, data loss prevention (DLP), and disclosure screening.


• Oversee records management, FOIL/public-records production, retention schedules, and proactive open-data disclosure.


• Lead independent AI assurance reviews covering data readiness, privacy, bias, fairness, transparency, and accountability.


• Govern data platforms, cloud migration, and data lakehouse initiatives by establishing standards and reviewing technical and vendor deliverables.


• Partner with engineering leadership to ensure data solutions meet governance requirements while maintaining appropriate separation between governance and technical implementation.


• Build and strengthen governance, privacy, and records functions; lead team integration, workforce planning, staff development, and performance management.


• Develop long-term data strategy and a roadmap for future in-house data science and predictive modeling capabilities.


• Advise executive leadership on data risks, compliance, governance priorities, and organizational strategy.

Required And Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; an advanced degree in data, information management, law, public policy, or a related discipline is preferred.


• Preferred: 10+ years of experience in data governance, privacy, records management, or related information-governance functions, including 5+ years of team leadership.


• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing enterprise data governance frameworks and holding technical teams accountable to established standards.


• Experience building or improving privacy, information-governance, records-management, or compliance programs.


• Knowledge of AI/ML governance, data readiness, bias and fairness assessment, and responsible AI assurance.


• Familiarity with data lakehouses, cloud governance platforms, DLP, and relevant FedRAMP/NIST-aligned requirements.


• Strong understanding of records retention, public-records disclosure, and statutory or regulatory compliance.


• Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder-management, documentation, and strategic planning skills.


• Public-sector, regulated-industry, or comparable governance experience is preferred.

Residency Requirement

The selected candidate must reside within the 5 NYC boroughs within 90 days of starting.