Job Description

CDM Smith is seeking a Data and AI Governance Lead to join our Digital Capital team. At CDM Smith, we recognize the value of data and the need to have it accessible and trusted throughout the enterprise. As we expand our use of modern data platforms and AI-driven capabilities, we are investing in governance practices that ensure data is accurate, secure and ready to power critical business decisions. As a key member of our team, you will be responsible for advancing and maturing the firm's data governance and AI governance capabilities through strong stewardship of data standards, policies, and governance processes. You will help define standards, improve data quality, and embed governance practices into everyday workflows so that data can be used confidently and consistently across the business. In this role you will also support the development and operationalization of AI governance practices, including model transparency, responsible AI usage, data lineage management, and governance controls that help ensure AI solutions are trusted, explainable, and compliant with organization policies. You will collaborate with business, analytics, and platform teams to help ensure governance guardrails that enable innovation while managing risk. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record working within enterprise data governance frameworks and operation models, including stewardship, policy management, and data standards implementations. The candidate should demonstrate curiosity, comfort working across both business and technical teams, and exceptional communication and problem-solving skills.

Key responsibilities include

Core Data Governance:
• Operationalize data governance standards, policies and controls approved by the Data Governance Board and leadership.
• Own and maintain governance artifacts including the data dictionary, metadata standards, data lineage documentation, and data quality rules.
• Partner with data owners, data stewards, analytics and platform teams to:

o Monitor and improve data quality

o Resolve data quality issues through a defined data governance process

o Ensure governance practices are embedded in analytics and reporting workflows
• Serve as the custodian of governance tooling to support metadata management, lineage, quality monitoring, and access control.
• Develop and maintain data governance KPIs and reporting.
• Support change management by introducing updates to governance processes, roles, and standards in partnership with business and technical stakeholders.
• Develop and support governance education, communications, and training materials that improve adoption across business and technical teams.
• Stay current with emerging data governance and AI governance best practices and help incorporate approved advancements into operational processes.

AI Governance
• Partner with the AI Governance Board, AI delivery teams, and platform teams to operationalize approved AI governance requirements.
• Ensure AI solutions and agents are supported by trusted and governed source data and have clear data lineage in and out of AI models.
• Maintain an Agent inventory including what models are used for each agent.
• Collaborate with AI and analytics teams to ensure governance controls are embedded into AI platforms and workflows, enabling responsible innovation while managing risk.
• Support governance readiness for audits, risk assessments, and compliance activities related to AI systems.

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Skills & Abilities
• Strong understanding of Data Governance principles, including data quality, metadata management, stewardship, lineage, policy management, and data standards.
• Foundational understanding of AI Governance concepts, including responsible AI, model transparency, explainability, bias awareness, and AI risk management.
• Proven experience working within enterprise data governance frameworks and operating models.
• Hands on experience with governance, catalog, or lineage tools such as Databricks Unity Catalog, Microsoft Purview, or Alation.
• Experience working with cloud and analytics platforms such as Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI.
• Experience using SQL or similar query languages to analyze, validate, and troubleshoot data quality issues.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Curiosity and willingness to continuously learn emerging technologies, governance practices, and AI-related trends. • Working knowledge of data privacy, security, retention, and regulatory considerations related to data and AI governance.
• Strong facilitation and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence and build consensus without direct authority.

Qualifications
• Bachelor's Degree.
• 8 years of related experience.

Equivalent additional directly related experience will be considered in lieu of a degree. Domestic and/or international travel may be required. The frequency of travel is contingent on specific duties, responsibilities, and the essential functions of the position, which may vary depending on workload and project demands.

Amount of Travel Required

No Travel is required
Pay Range Min

USD $128,419.00
Pay Range Max

USD $224,723.00
Additional Pay Range Information

CDM Smith is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. This pay range is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels for the geographic location assigned to the position. In addition to geographic location, a candidate's salary is determined by several other factors including, but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, relevant work experience, skills, required certifications, and education/training.
Additional Compensation

All bonuses at CDM Smith are discretionary and may or may not apply to this position.
Visa Sponsorship Available

No-We will not support sponsorship in the United States, i.e. H-1B or TN Visas for this position
Agency Disclaimer

All vendors must have a signed CDM Smith Placement Agreement from the CDM Smith Talent Acquisition Manager to receive payment for your placement. Verbal or written commitments from any other member of the CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries staff will not be considered binding terms. All unsolicited resumes sent to CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries and any resume submitted to any employee outside of CDM Smith Talent Acquisition Team will be considered property of CDM Smith. CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries will not be held liable to pay a placement fee.