Vice President of Data Governance

Career Guide
A Vice President of Data Governance sets the rules, ownership, and operating model for how an organization manages data. The role ensures data is trusted, secure, and usable for business decisions, analytics, and regulatory needs.

Key Responsibilities

  • Define the enterprise data governance strategy and roadmap
  • Establish data ownership and decision rights with business and technology leaders
  • Create and enforce data policies, standards, and controls
  • Lead a data stewardship program and governance councils
  • Oversee data quality management and issue resolution
  • Set metadata and data catalog expectations to improve data discoverability
  • Partner with security and privacy teams on data protection requirements
  • Align governance with regulatory and audit expectations
  • Define data lifecycle practices including retention and archival
  • Track governance performance through metrics and reporting
  • Manage budget, vendors, and platform investments that support governance
  • Coach and develop governance leaders and cross functional teams

Top Skills for Success

Leadership
Stakeholder Management
Executive Communication
Program Management
Change Management
Policy Writing
Data Quality Management
Data Stewardship Design
Metadata Management
Data Catalog Strategy
Data Privacy Governance
Regulatory Compliance
Risk Management
Data Architecture Literacy
Master Data Management
Data Lineage Governance

Career Progression

Can Lead To
Chief Data Officer
Chief Information Officer
Chief Analytics Officer
Head of Data Management
Head of Data Risk and Compliance
Transition Opportunities
VP of Data Management
VP of Data Operations
VP of Enterprise Architecture
VP of Information Security Governance
VP of Data and Analytics

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills
Operating Model DesignGovernance Metrics DesignData Product ManagementVendor ManagementAI GovernanceData Literacy Enablement
Development SuggestionsBuild a clear governance operating model with decision rights, forums, and escalation paths. Define measurable outcomes such as data quality improvement, issue resolution time, and policy adoption. Partner with analytics and AI leaders to extend governance to model risk, data sourcing, and responsible use.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range
Entry LevelUSD 180,000 to 240,000
Mid LevelUSD 240,000 to 330,000
Senior LevelUSD 330,000 to 500,000
Growth Trend
Rising demand, driven by increased regulation, security risk, and the need for reliable data for analytics and AI.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers
JPMorgan ChaseBank of AmericaWells FargoUnitedHealth GroupCVS HealthKaiser PermanenteAnthem Blue Cross Blue ShieldAmazonMicrosoftGoogleIBMOracleSalesforceWalmartTarget
Industry Sectors
Financial ServicesHealthcareInsuranceRetailTechnologyTelecommunicationsEnergyPublic SectorPharmaceuticalsManufacturing

Recommended Next Steps

1
Audit current governance maturity and prioritize the highest risk domains
2
Create a one page governance charter and secure executive sponsorship
3
Stand up a governance council with defined cadence and decision scope
4
Define data ownership for critical data elements and key reports
5
Launch a data quality scorecard and an issue management workflow
6
Implement or optimize a data catalog adoption plan
7
Align data policies with privacy, security, and retention requirements
8
Publish a quarterly governance impact report for executives