Job Description:

The Executive Director of Data Strategy serves as the enterprise's senior authority on data vision, strategy, and value realization. This executive defines and drives the long-term data direction for the organization, leads cross-functional alignment at the C-suite level, and is accountable for enterprise-wide data outcomes—including revenue growth, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and superior customer experiences. The Executive Director shapes enterprise investment decisions, champions data as a strategic asset, and builds the organizational capability needed to compete in a data-driven marketplace.

Responsibilities:

Enterprise Data Strategy & Roadmap

• Define and own a multi-year enterprise data strategy aligned to long-term business objectives; lead the investment thesis, portfolio prioritization, and enterprise funding model for the organization's data agenda.
• Architect and govern the enterprise data operating model (centralized/Hub-and-Spoke/Federated) with clear executive ownership (RACI), enterprise-wide standards, and sustained investment mechanisms; present strategy and measured outcomes to senior leadership.

Data Governance & Risk

• Establish and govern enterprise-wide data governance frameworks—policies, standards, and controls—spanning privacy, security, data lineage, quality, retention, and AI risk; own executive accountability for regulatory compliance and audit readiness.
• Lead enterprise data stewardship, issue management, and risk remediation programs with measurable SLAs, executive-level reporting, and sustained defect reduction across the organization.

Data Products & Enablement

• Set the vision and executive accountability for the enterprise data product portfolio; ensure alignment between data product roadmaps and enterprise business strategy.
• Partner at the VP/C-suite level to define enterprise data product requirements, success metrics, and adoption frameworks that drive measurable business value at scale.
• Champion enterprise data literacy and self-service analytics programs, driving cultural transformation and capability development across all business units and functions.

Value Realization & Portfolio Management

• Build and own the enterprise business case framework for data investments; set and report ROI targets—revenue uplift, cost avoidance, risk reduction, and cycle-time improvement—with direct C-suite accountability.
• Lead executive portfolio reviews with Finance, BU presidents, and the C-suite; make strategic rebalancing and investment decisions based on enterprise outcomes and shifting priorities.

Architecture Alignment & Platform Strategy

• Set strategic direction for enterprise data architecture in partnership with the CTO/CIO; govern platform roadmaps across data lakehouse/warehouse, MDM, catalog, governance tools, semantic layers, and AI/ML platforms.
• Establish enterprise data standards, canonical data models, and interoperability requirements across all business domains—finance, customer, product, operations, and HR.

AI/Advanced Analytics Readiness

• Own the enterprise framework for responsible AI and data readiness—including governance controls, PII handling, data provenance, and model monitoring standards—ensuring compliance across all ML/GenAI initiatives.
• Drive the executive prioritization and incubation of high-value analytics/AI use cases, ensuring strategic alignment, organizational readiness, and clear accountability for delivery and outcomes.

Change Leadership & Communications

• Serve as the primary executive voice for data strategy in board presentations, C-suite alignment sessions, and external stakeholder engagements; align incentives and investment commitments with enterprise business unit leaders.
• Drive enterprise change management for data transformation initiatives; develop executive communication strategies for governance changes, new platform capabilities, and cultural enablement milestones; represent the organization in external data forums and strategic vendor partnerships.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Data Management, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise data management, governance, and analytics, with at least 8 years in a senior data leadership role overseeing cross-functional programs at scale.
• Deep expertise in enterprise data governance frameworks, data quality best practices, and regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) with executive-level accountability for risk and controls.
• Executive-level experience with enterprise data platforms, cloud technologies, and large-scale data integration; ability to set architectural direction and evaluate strategic technology investments.
• Demonstrated ability to align and influence C-suite executives, board members, and cross-functional enterprise leaders on data strategy, governance, and investment priorities.
• Exceptional executive communication, presence, and leadership skills; proven track record of building and scaling high-performing data organizations (50+ person teams preferred).
• Experience with enterprise BI and analytics platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Looker) and fluency with modern enterprise-scale data architectures and tooling.
• Deep knowledge of distributed data strategies, cloud and storage technologies, and modern enterprise data architectures (data lakehouse, data mesh, data fabric).
• Ability to translate complex data and technical concepts for non-technical executive audiences; exceptional written and verbal communication across all organizational levels.
• Executive judgment, discretion, and presence; credibility with C-suite leaders across business, technology, and finance; ability to navigate complex organizational dynamics and drive alignment.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and scale enterprise data and analytics organizations; track record of successfully championing data as a strategic enterprise asset to diverse executive and board-level audiences.
• Demonstrated experience defining, tracking, and presenting enterprise-level data performance metrics and business health indicators to the C-suite and board of directors.
• Extensive experience designing, governing, and maturing enterprise data governance programs—including privacy, Master Data Management, access and decision rights, and data integrity standards—at enterprise scale.
• Experience managing strategic third-party data vendor relationships, including enterprise-level procurement, contract negotiation, and ongoing partnership governance.