Senior Director of Data Governance & Knowledge Management

Our vision for the future is based on the idea that transforming financial lives starts by giving our people the freedom to transform their own. We have a flexible work environment, and fluid career paths. We not only encourage but celebrate internal mobility. We also recognize the importance of purpose, well-being, and work-life balance. Within Empower and our communities, we work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and our associates dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering for causes that matter most to them.

Chart your own path and grow your career while helping more customers achieve financial freedom. Empower Yourself.

***Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time, including CPT/OPT.***
 

The Senior Director of Data Governance and Knowledge Management will be accountable for the enterprise Data Governance and Knowledge Management strategy and execution across the organization. This role will lead stewardship, metadata and lineage, privacy and records, data quality and observability, and knowledge management for structured and unstructured content. You will partner with technology, business, and domain leaders to turn governance into measurable business outcomes and audit-ready controls.

What you will do:

• Own the enterprise data governance and knowledge management strategy and execution across structured and unstructured data.
• Run the governance framework and operating model (policies, standards, RACI; DCAM/DAMA-aligned), steward network, and committee cadence; embed governance checkpoints into the data-product lifecycle and portfolio processes.
• Operationalize privacy, retention, and records controls for CCPA/GLBA, ERISA retention, and broker-dealer books and records requirements (for example, SEC 17a-4/FINRA), with auditable processes and platform guardrails (legal hold, WORM/immutability where required).
• Scale metadata, catalog, and lineage capabilities: business glossary, CDE lifecycle, technical lineage, and catalog adoption (for example, Collibra); set enterprise metadata standards and exchange patterns across platforms and APIs.
• Establish enterprise data quality and observability standards, SLAs, issue management, and monitoring; integrate data quality signals into stewardship workflows and EDAC scorecards.
• Govern unstructured content (docs, wikis, PDFs) including taxonomy and ontology/knowledge graph patterns and a “trusted knowledge” certification process; partner with Enterprise AI engineering to govern unstructured data as a first-class citizen.
• Define API and data-sharing standards for publication and consumption, ensuring consistent semantics, authorization, and lineage.
• Partner with Risk, Legal, and responsible AI teams to extend governance to AI, including model inventory, usage policies, transparency and bias testing, and GenAI data-use controls.
• Lead executive engagement and change: present posture and KPIs, secure funding, and run training, communications, and adoption.
• Drive value realization through a published governance scorecard and targeted 12-month outcomes (for example: priority CDE coverage, catalog and glossary adoption, audit evidence packages, and reduced data quality issue closure time).

What you will bring

• Bachelor’s degree required (Information Systems, Computer Science, Data/Information Management, or related).
• 15+ years of experience in data and analytics, including 8+ years leading enterprise data governance or information management in regulated industries.
• Track record delivering measurable outcomes, not just policies, including audit-ready controls and evidence packages.
• Regulatory depth across privacy and records requirements (CCPA/GLBA/SEC) and financial services retention and records, with experience supporting audits or exams.
• Experience running catalog, lineage, and CDE programs at scale (for example, Collibra) with proven improvements in adoption and metadata completeness.
• Experience building data quality and observability operating models with KPIs and scorecards tied to business value.
• Knowledge management and unstructured governance experience, including taxonomies, ontologies, knowledge graphs, and “trusted knowledge” certification.
• Change leadership experience running councils and working groups, training, communications, and role rollout (owners, stewards, custodians).
• Executive presence and a builder-operator mindset: able to set strategy, stand up teams and processes, and institutionalize them for scale.
• Experience with Collibra (or similar), Snowflake governance features (row and column policies, tags), and SQL.

What will set you apart:

• Master’s degree (