Program Manager & DG Consultant

Overview :

We are seeking a highly experienced Program Manager & Enterprise Data Governance Consultant to lead a strategic enterprise Data Governance initiative for a large insurance organization. This role will serve as the primary liaison between executive leadership and project stakeholders while driving the design, implementation, and adoption of an enterprise-wide Data Governance strategy and operating model. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience managing enterprise data and governance programs, leading organizational transformation, and engaging with executive leadership to deliver measurable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for executive leadership, business stakeholders, and project sponsors throughout the engagement.
• Develop and manage the overall program plan, delivery roadmap, project milestones, timelines, dependencies, risks, and stakeholder communications.
• Lead Steering Committee meetings, executive governance reviews, and status reporting.
• Manage project scope, budget, assumptions, risks, issues, and change requests to ensure successful program delivery.
• Provide strategic leadership and guidance across all phases of the Data Governance program.

Enterprise Data Governance Strategy

• Lead the development of the enterprise Data Governance Strategy and multi-year Governance Roadmap.
• Define the governance vision, strategic objectives, success metrics, and desired business outcomes.
• Align governance initiatives with organizational business priorities, operational goals, regulatory requirements, and data maturity objectives.
• Establish governance operating principles, decision-making frameworks, and governance best practices.

Governance Operating Model

• Design and implement the enterprise Data Governance organizational structure, including:
  • Governance Council
  • Data Owners
  • Data Stewards
  • Data Custodians
  • Working Groups
• Establish governance operating models, roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes.
• Define governance accountability and ownership across business and technology teams.

Business & IT Collaboration

• Build strong partnerships between Business and IT organizations to ensure successful governance adoption.
• Facilitate executive workshops to define governance priorities, ownership, and implementation strategies.
• Resolve cross-functional conflicts related to data ownership, accountability, stewardship, and data access.
• Drive organizational change management and governance adoption across business units.

Governance Implementation

• Oversee the operationalization and rollout of governance processes across:
  • One Pilot Data Domain
  • One Pilot Business Unit
  • Three Source Systems
  • Up to Five Impacted Business Processes
• Monitor governance adoption, program effectiveness, and business value realization.
• Ensure governance initiatives deliver measurable improvements in data quality, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Management, Business Administration, or a related field. A Master's degree is preferred.
• 15+ years of experience leading enterprise Data, Analytics, Data Governance, or Digital Transformation programs.
• Proven experience managing large-scale enterprise Data Governance initiatives from strategy through implementation.
• Strong experience interacting with executive leadership, including CIOs, CDOs, CROs, COOs, business executives, and department leaders.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing enterprise Data Governance operating models, governance organizations, and decision-making frameworks.
• Experience leading complex organizational transformation and change management initiatives.
• Strong program and project management experience, including planning, budgeting, risk management, issue resolution, and executive reporting.
• Excellent consulting, facilitation, stakeholder management, negotiation, and executive communication skills.
• Experience building consensus across cross-functional business and technology organizations.

Preferred Skills

• Prior experience delivering Enterprise Data Governance programs within the Insurance industry.
• Strong understanding of insurance business domains, including Policy Administration, Claims, Underwriting, Billing, Customer, and Regulatory Reporting.
• Knowledge of industry-standard Data Governance frameworks such as DAMA-DMBOK, DCAM, and CDMC.
• Experience implementing governance operating models, stewardship programs, and organizational change management initiatives.
• Familiarity with regulatory compliance, data privacy, risk management, and enterprise data management best practices.
• Experience with enterprise metadata management, data catalog, and governance platforms such as Microsoft Purview, Collibra, Informatica, or similar tools.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, DAMA CDMP, DCAM, or equivalent are highly desirable.