Principal, Data Governance
Direct hire
Hybrid remote- Wednesdays onsite in Boston, MA
$130k-140k
We are seeking a Principal, Data Governance to join a growing Enterprise Data & Analytics function. This is a highly visible, strategic role for a senior leader who can help stand up and scale a modern data governance program while partnering closely with both technical and business stakeholders.
This role is ideal for someone who combines technical depth (data, SQL, lineage) with strong communication and leadership skills, and is excited to drive adoption of governance practices across an organization.
Core Responsibilities
You will play a key role in advancing five foundational pillars of the data governance program:
Operating Model
- Develop and refine the data governance operating model, including policies, standards, and best practices
Metadata Management
- Drive adoption and optimization of enterprise data catalog tools
- Ensure seamless integration with modern data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks)
Data Quality
- Establish data quality standards, rules, and monitoring frameworks
- Partner with teams to improve trust and reliability of data assets
Data Stewardship
- Lead governance forums (e.g., Data Governance Council)
- Enable and support data stewards across the organization
Master Data Management (MDM)
- Contribute to long-term strategy and roadmap for MDM and reference data
Key Duties
- Act as a "train-the-trainer", developing job aids, documentation, and training materials to promote data literacy
- Partner with stakeholders to understand business needs and translate them into governance requirements
- Read and interpret SQL to validate data lineage and metadata accuracy
- Manage metadata workflows, approvals, and cataloging processes
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in data governance, metadata management, data quality, or data stewardship
- Strong experience with Snowflake (required)
- Hands-on experience with at least one data governance tool:
- Atlan, Collibra, Alation, or data.world
- Deep understanding of:
- Data lineage, metadata management, and data cataloging
- Data quality frameworks and tools (e.g., Informatica IDQ, Talend, DataGaps)
- Experience working within modern data ecosystems (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, BI tools)
Key Skills & Attributes
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills (this is a highly collaborative role)
- Ability to influence across technical and non-technical teams
- Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset
- Experience working in regulated environments (e.g., familiarity with HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA is a plus)
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Analytics, Business, Engineering, or related field required
- Master's degree preferred
Work Environment
- Hybrid schedule (onsite midweek)
Why Join?
This is a unique opportunity to help shape and scale a data governance program from the ground up, working at the intersection of strategy, technology, and business enablement.
If you're looking for a role where you can drive real impact and establish best-in-class data practices, we'd love to connect.