Data & AI Governance Lead

Role Summary

The Data & AI Governance Lead will establish and operationalize the Data & AI governance framework for the Data Platform program. The role is responsible for driving governance adoption across business domains, defining policies and standards, ensuring GMP-compliant data management practices, and enabling trusted, scalable, and compliant use of data and AI across the organization.

This role will work closely with business stakeholders, Operations, Quality, IT, and the Data Platform implementation team to define operating models, data ownership, stewardship processes, governance controls, and responsible AI practices aligned to client's strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Define and implement the enterprise Data & AI governance framework and operating model
Establish governance forums, decision rights, and escalation paths
Drive adoption of a hybrid governance model:

Centralized governance
Federated business ownership

Identify and onboard Data Owners and Data Stewards across business domains
Define roles, responsibilities, and accountability models
Drive stewardship adoption and governance maturity across functions

Define governance policies, standards, and procedures for:

Data quality
Metadata
Lineage
Retention & archival
Access management
Responsible AI

Ensure governance controls are operationalized within the data platform

Align governance processes with:

GxP
Annex 11 / 22
Data integrity expectations

Support Computer System Validation (CSV) and audit readiness activities
Ensure traceability, auditability, and controlled data lifecycle management

Define and monitor governance KPIs and data quality metrics
Enable metadata cataloging, lineage, and stewardship tooling
Drive continuous improvement in governance adoption and effectiveness

Establish governance guardrails for AI and GenAI use cases
Ensure human-in-the-loop controls for regulated workflows
Support AI explainability, monitoring, and governance processes

Act as the primary liaison between business, Operations, Quality, IT, and Data Platform implementation teams for governance-related topics
Drive governance communication, awareness, and adoption initiatives
Facilitate workshops and governance reviews with executive stakeholders

Required Qualifications

8+ years of experience in:

Data Governance
Data Management
Data Quality
Information Governance

Experience in regulated environments:

Life Sciences
CRO
Pharma
GMP / GxP

Strong understanding of:

Data governance operating models
Metadata and lineage management
Data quality frameworks
AI governance principles

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with:

Microsoft Purview
Azure / Microsoft Fabric
Power BI
AI / GenAI governance

Familiarity with:

GAMP 5
CSV
Annex 11
ALCOA+ principles

Experience leading governance transformations in matrix organizations

Key Skills

Executive stakeholder management
Governance operating model design
Cross-functional facilitation
Change management and adoption
Regulatory and compliance awareness
Strong communication and documentation skills

Data And AI Governance Lead