Executive Director, Data Governance and Data Strategy

Executive Director, Data Governance and Data Strategy

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering an exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to more than 16,000 students in its nine colleges and schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; life insurance; short and long term disability; employee assistance program (EAP); tuition remission; and generous time off.

Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit Education.

Reporting to the Associate VP of DevOps, the Executive Director of Data Governance and Strategy serves as the university's senior leader responsible for shaping and executing a forward looking data strategy that enables institutional excellence, informed decision making, and innovation across academic and administrative domains. This role aligns the university's data platform and governance initiatives to ensure data is accessible, actionable, scalable, secure, and strategically aligned with institutional priorities. The Executive Director collaborates across colleges, departments, and leadership levels to leverage data as a transformative asset that advances teaching, research, and operational effectiveness.

As a trusted advisor and thought leader, the Executive Director oversees all aspects of data governance, architecture, analytics, and data integrations while leading the transition toward a cloud first or hybrid data architecture. The Executive Director fosters a data driven culture and establishes a sustainable framework for the ethical, innovative, and compliant use of information resources.

Essential Functions

• Develop and implement a comprehensive university wide data strategy that supports institutional goals in research, teaching, student success, and operational excellence.
• Partner with senior academic, administrative, and technology leaders to align data initiatives with the university's mission and strategic plan; serve as a strategic partner and advisor to deans, vice presidents, and department heads on data strategy, analytics, and governance.
• Establish and articulate the vision for the next generation enterprise data platform, ensuring it supports advanced analytics, AI/ML, and real time insights.
• Drive innovation through the integration of ML and generative AI within the university's data ecosystem.
• Design and oversee a robust data governance framework that ensures quality, consistency, and compliance across all university data assets; implement clear policies for data access, lineage, metadata management, and security in alignment with regulatory and ethical standards.
• Create and manage a multi year roadmap for implementing the university's data strategy, including measurable milestones and key performance indicators.
• Promote data stewardship practices that balance accessibility with privacy, fostering trust across the academic and administrative community.
• Lead the modernization and migration of legacy systems to cloud native or hybrid data architectures, enabling scalability and performance.
• Oversee the design and management of enterprise data warehouses and data lakes, supporting both structured and unstructured data.

Essential Functions Note

This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list. The University may assign additional related duties as necessary.

Management Responsibilities

Provides strategic leadership and supervises others who supervise. Responsible for hiring, training, developing, managing performance, administering corrective action, making compensation decisions, and managing strategic views at a high level.

Additional Functions

• Collaborate with Information Security, IT Infrastructure, and Research Computing teams to ensure seamless integration of cloud and on premises solutions.
• Foster a collaborative culture that emphasizes transparency, shared accountability, and data informed decision making.
• Build capacity across the university by mentoring teams, championing best practices, and nurturing a community of data and analytics professionals.
• Oversee data integration solutions that enable cross functional analytics, business intelligence, and institutional research.
• Ensure continuous improvement through benchmarking, performance monitoring, and adoption of emerging data technologies.

Required Qualifications: Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree in data science, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.

Minimum 10 years of progressive experience leading enterprise data strategy and governance in a complex university or similarly structured organization.

Required Qualifications: Knowledge and Skills

• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing large scale data platforms and enterprise data warehouse solutions.
• Deep understanding of data governance frameworks, compliance standards (FERPA, GDPR, HIPAA, etc.), and data ethics.
• Proven experience integrating analytics and predictive modeling into institutional decision making and operations.
• Expertise in cloud-native database platforms (e.g., AWS Redshift, Snowflake, Azure Synapse), relational databases (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server), and NoSQL databases.
• Visionary and pragmatic leader who can bridge strategy with execution.
• Exceptional communicator, capable of translating complex technical concepts into actionable insights for diverse audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in data science, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Familiarity with data modeling, API based integration, and scalable architecture design.
• Proficiency in metadata management, data lineage tools, and modern analytics environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and build strong cross functional relationships.
• Commitment to advancing data literacy, equity, and ethical innovation within the academic community.

Salary

Minimum Starting Salary: $160,000
Maximum Starting Salary: $210,000
Salary is commensurate with qualifications, experience, and skills.

Posting Information

• Posting Number: A975P
• Number of Vacancies: 1
• Start Date: ASAP
• Posting Date: 11/03/2025
• Union Position: No

EEO Statement

Fordham University is committed to excellence and welcomes candidates of all backgrounds.
Fordham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Physical Activity and Work Environment

Office Environment: Employees are protected from weather conditions or contaminants, but not necessarily occasional temperature changes.

Typical work activities include sitting for long periods, frequent typing, occasional standing, and infrequent lifting or moving of up to 20 pounds.

Documents Needed to Apply

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk ( ).

• Do you have a Bachelor's Degree in data science, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field?
• Do you have a minimum 10 years of progressive experience leading enterprise data strategy and governance in a complex university or similarly structured organization?
• Do you have expertise in cloud-native database platforms (e.g., AWS Redshift, Snowflake, Azure Synapse), relational databases (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server), and NoSQL databases?