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.

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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.

Market Intelligence Report

Vice President of Data Governance is part of the Data Governance category.Explore our market intelligence report to see how AI and hiring demand are shifting for these roles.

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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

Audit current governance maturity and prioritize the highest risk domains

Create a one page governance charter and secure executive sponsorship

Stand up a governance council with defined cadence and decision scope

Define data ownership for critical data elements and key reports

Launch a data quality scorecard and an issue management workflow

Implement or optimize a data catalog adoption plan

Align data policies with privacy, security, and retention requirements

Publish a quarterly governance impact report for executives