About the role

The way organizations interact with people data is changing fundamentally. When AI can be pointed at a dataset and asked anything: from "what's driving attrition in this org?" to "show me comp distribution by level", traditional access models built around fixed reports and credentialed BI users are no longer sufficient. This role exists because Zillow is leaning into that future, and doing it thoughtfully requires someone who can hold the full picture: who should have access to what, through which interfaces, with what controls, and accountable to whom.

As Senior Program Manager, People Data Access & Governance, you'll design and own the framework that governs access in how people data flows from source systems like Workday through cloud analytical environments like Databricks, and ultimately into the hands of HRBPs, people leaders, and AI-powered tools. You'll navigate the spectrum from governed metric layers and curated data products all the way to back-end power user access, making principled decisions about what's appropriate at each level. This is a program ownership role with real technical depth requirements, broad cross-functional scope, and a mandate to build something durable in a space that is still actively evolving.

You Will Get To:

• Design and own Zillow's People Data Access & Governance program, including policies, access frameworks, data classification standards, and the principles that determine who can access what, through which interfaces, and under what conditions
• Partner with HRBPs, People Analytics, Legal and Privacy, Security, and Product and Tech leaders to understand how people data is used in practice, and design governance that protects that data without creating friction that pushes teams toward ungoverned workarounds
• Govern the full spectrum of people data access: from curated, governed metric layers and self-service analytics surfaces, to back-end power user access in Databricks; understanding the risk and accountability considerations that differ across each tier
• Define how AI-powered tools, including large language model interfaces that allow natural language querying of workforce data, into the access governance model, and build the guardrails that make those tools safe to deploy at scale
• Own the design of role-based access controls for people data across People data domains in Databricks, partnering with Security, HR Tech, and Data Engineering to implement, audit, and maintain those controls over time
• Serve as the primary decision-maker for people data access questions across the organization: fielding requests, making principled calls, and building scalable intake and escalation processes so governance doesn't become a bottleneck
• Identify and close gaps in how people data moves through Zillow's data ecosystem, ensuring appropriate masking, permissioning, and audit mechanisms exist at every layer from source record to AI interface
• Lead cross-functional working groups and drive alignment on data access standards, sensitivity classifications, and escalation paths across a complex, multi-stakeholder environment
• Build the operational infrastructure of the program: intake workflows, periodic access reviews, exception handling, and reporting that gives leadership real visibility into the state of people data governance

This role has been categorized as a Remote position. "Remote" employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions.

In California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Washington DC the standard base pay range for this role is $127,100.00 - $203,000.00 annually. This base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations.In Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia the standard base pay range for this role is $120,700.00 - $192,900.00 annually. The base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations.

In addition to a competitive base salary this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. Employees in this role will not be paid below the salary threshold for exempt employees in the state where they reside.

Who you are

• 8+ years of experience in data governance, HR technology, people analytics, or technical program management, with demonstrated ownership of a program or domain, not just project delivery
• Hands-on familiarity with cloud-based analytical environments, specifically Databricks, including how row-level security, column masking, Unity Catalog, and role-based access control work in practice
• A clear mental model for how AI and LLM-based tools change the data governance equation; you understand that natural language interfaces to structured data require a fundamentally different access control philosophy than traditional BI, and you have a point of view on how to approach it
• Experience governing sensitive data across its full lifecycle: classification, permissioning, access review cadences, audit trails, and exception handling, ideally with people or HR data specifically
• Comfort operating in genuine ambiguity at scale; this role is building something that doesn't fully exist yet, and you approach that with structured thinking, iterative momentum, and with ownership and autonomy rather than waiting for perfect clarity
• Strong cross-functional partnership instincts: you know how to align InfoSec, Legal, HR, Data Engineering, and Product around a shared governance problem without letting any single stakeholder's agenda define the outcome
• A grounded, principled perspective on why people data governance matters; you treat this as work with real ethical and organizational stakes, and you can articulate that credibly to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Enough HR domain fluency to understand the sensitivity of what you're governing, but your credibility comes from your technical depth and program ownership track record, not your HR background

Preferred:

• Experience with data privacy and compliance frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, or similar) and how they apply to workforce data specifically
• Familiarity with AI/ML governance considerations, including how model training data, inference inputs, and agentic workflows create distinct access and accountability questions that traditional governance frameworks weren't designed to address
• Background working with or alongside People Analytics or HRBP teams with an understanding of how workforce data is consumed for decision-making