Chief Data Governance Officer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Data Governance Frameworks Data Quality Management AI Training Data Governance Metadata Management Regulatory Compliance

Best Backgrounds

Data Management IT/Database Administration Compliance Data Engineering Business Analysis

Glassdoor Dec 2025 Salary.com 2026 The Ladders 2026 DAMA International EDM Council DCAM v3 EU AI Act NIST AI RMF

Data Governance Manager (AI) Overview

The Data Governance Manager (AI) oversees the policies, processes, and standards that ensure data quality, compliance, and proper stewardship across an organization’s AI initiatives. AI has transformed data governance from a back‑office compliance activity into a front‑line operational and strategic function. Governance boundaries are expanding beyond data quality, cataloging, lineage, and access control to encompass integrity of AI model inputs and outputs, training data lineage, AI decision traceability, and agent behavior monitoring.

The role appears in listings as “Data Governance Manager,” “AI Data Governance Manager,” “Data Governance Lead (AI/ML),” “Data Governance Officer,” and “AI Governance Manager.” Organizational placement most commonly sits within the Chief Data Office, followed by Enterprise Data & AI Governance Programs, Data Management/Engineering, IT Governance, or Compliance. Reporting lines run to Chief Data Officer, VP of Data Management, or CTO.

Industries hiring include computer systems design (23.3% of data governance postings, per Franklin University/Lightcast data), management/consulting (6.2%), insurance (5.9%), software (5.8%), and data processing (5.7%). Additional concentration in financial services (BlackRock, Mastercard, AIG), healthcare (Cedar Gate, UAB Medicine), technology (Apple, PayPal, Palo Alto Networks, Qualcomm, ServiceNow), government (federal agencies requiring NIST-aligned governance), and retail (Walmart).

Also Known As AI Data Governance Manager Data Governance Lead (AI/ML) Data Governance Officer AI Governance Manager Enterprise Data Governance Program Manager Data Stewardship Manager Data Governance and AI Compliance Manager

The global data governance market is estimated at $3.35B (2023) with a 21.7% CAGR through 2030 — and the EU AI Act’s documentation requirements for high‑risk AI systems create direct demand for professionals who can ensure training data provenance, quality documentation, and audit trails. (Source: Doc E research, role-post-data-governance-manager-ai.md)

About DAMA CDMP: The foundational data governance credential has a tiered structure. Associate: $311/exam, 100 MCQ, 90 minutes, open book with DMBOK v2, 60% to pass, 6 months–5 years experience suggested. Practitioner: 3 exams at $311 each ($933 total), 70% to pass, 2–10 years experience. Master: $983 plus CV review, 80% to pass, 10+ years. Fellow: by nomination only. Over 10,000 CDMP‑certified professionals globally. (Source: DAMA International, vendor-reported)

Data Governance Manager (AI): Day in the Life

Data Quality Monitoring

Review DQ dashboards, triage quality issues flagged overnight, and assign remediation actions to data stewards.

Data Quality Monitoring Review DQ dashboards, triage quality issues flagged overnight, and assign remediation actions to data stewards. REALITY CHECK +

Governance Policy Updates

Review and update data governance policies and standards in response to new AI use cases or regulatory guidance.

Governance Policy Updates Review and update data governance policies and standards in response to new AI use cases or regulatory guidance. REALITY CHECK +

AI Use Case Registration Review

Evaluate new AI use case submissions for data compliance risk, training data provenance requirements, and documentation gaps.

AI Use Case Registration Review Evaluate new AI use case submissions for data compliance risk, training data provenance requirements, and documentation gaps. REALITY CHECK +

Sector Demand

Technology (Apple, PayPal, Palo Alto Networks, ServiceNow) HIGH

Computer Systems Design (23.3% of postings) HIGH

Government (federal NIST-aligned governance) GROWING

Job Posting Signals

High — global data governance market $3.35B (2025) with 21.7% CAGR through 2030; EU AI Act documentation mandates create non‑discretionary demand

23.3% of data governance postings are in computer systems design, the highest concentration of any sector (Franklin University/Lightcast)

56% wage premium for AI skills documented by PwC AI Jobs Barometer — AI specialization commands meaningfully higher compensation than traditional data governance

$214K median total pay for data governance managers in IT sector per Glassdoor (Dec 2025), with Qualcomm, Palo Alto Networks, and ServiceNow among the highest‑paying employers

Competitive Landscape

Glassdoor Data Governance Manager average (Dec 2025, 167 salaries): $160,247

Experience threshold (Apple requirement): 8+ years

Career ceiling path: “The quickest path to landing top CDO jobs is by running a data governance program” (OvalEdge, vendor-reported)

Regulatory Drivers

EU AI Act — Documentation requirements for high-risk AI systems mandate training data provenance, quality documentation, and audit trails; creates non-discretionary demand

GDPR / CCPA / CPRA — Data processing records, consent management, and cross-border transfer governance require ongoing data governance program management

NIST AI RMF — Govern, Map, Measure, Manage functions applied to data require structured governance documentation and accountability

ISO/IEC 42001:2023 — AI management system standard requires data governance controls and documented evidence of AI input data quality

Skills & Certifications Skills Radar Self-Assessment

Data Governance Frameworks 1

Data Quality Management 2

AI Training Data Governance 1

Regulatory Compliance 2

Stakeholder Communication 3

Gap Analysis

Data Governance Frameworks

Data Quality Management

AI Training Data Governance

Regulatory Compliance

Stakeholder Communication

Certifications Command Table

Exam Format

Link

1 CDMP Associate DAMA International $311/exam + $50/yr DAMA membership 100 MCQ, 90 min; open book with DMBOK v2; 60% to pass; 6 months–5 years experience suggested; 3-year term with annual attestation dama.org

2 CDMP Practitioner DAMA International $933 (3 exams × $311) 3 specialty exams; 70% to pass; 2–10 years experience; builds on Associate; 10,000+ CDMP professionals globally dama.org

4 CDPSE ISACA $575 member/$760 non-member + $50 application fee 120 MCQ, 3.5hr; 120 CPE over 3 years, $45–$85/yr maintenance; privacy engineering bridge isaca.org

5 EDM Council DCAM EDM Council ~$1,500–$3,000 (training + certification; requires organizational membership) 8 core components, 35 capabilities, 109 sub-capabilities; digital badge on completion; critical for financial services edmcouncil.org

DAMA CDMP Certification Prep — DAMA chapter-led preparation programs; some chapters offer pay-if-you-pass programs; foundational for all data governance careers $311/exam 100–150h Intermediate

Collibra University — Platform-specific training for the market-leading data governance tool; AI Governance module, data lineage, and catalog administration Collibra 20–40h Intermediate

IAPP Official AIGP Training — Self-paced or live online; aligned to AIGP Body of Knowledge; bridges data governance into AI governance specialization $995–$2,500 ~40h Intermediate

Key Reading 4 items

Tools & Frameworks 4 items

Communities & Networks 4 items

Data Governance Manager (AI) Career Path Data Governance Manager (AI) Career Pathway Navigator

Feeder Roles

Data Governance Analyst / Data Steward

$70K–$101K 2–3 yr

$110K–$150K 2–3 yr

Database Administrator (DBA)

$80K–$120K 2–4 yr

Compliance Analyst

$60K–$90K 3–5 yr

Data Analyst

$65K–$95K 3–5 yr

Current Role

Data Governance Manager (AI)

$125K–$165K Mid-Level

Advancement

Senior Data Governance Manager

$151K–$227K 3–5 yr

Director of Data Governance

$170K–$250K+ 5–8 yr

VP of Data Management

$200K–$300K+ 8–12 yr

Chief Data Officer (CDO)

$200K–$350K+ 10+ yr

Data Governance Manager (AI) Compensation Ladder

Data Governance Analyst / Steward $70K–$101K

Data Governance Manager (AI) $125K–$165K

Senior Data Governance Manager $151K–$227K

Director of Data Governance $170K–$250K+

Chief Data Officer (CDO) $200K–$350K+

Contract Rate Consulting: $150–$300/hr Data governance advisory — premium for AI training data compliance and EU AI Act documentation engagements

Data Governance Manager (AI) Interview Prep

1 How would you govern training data for a high-risk AI system under the EU AI Act?

2 What is DAMA-DMBOK v2 and how does it structure data governance?

3 How do you implement and sustain a data governance program when business units resist?

4 What is DCAM v3 and when would you recommend it over DAMA-DMBOK as a governance framework?

5 How do you govern synthetic data used in AI model training?

Action Center Qualification Checker

Click each card to flip it, then rate yourself. Complete all 10 to see your readiness score.

0 / 10 assessed

CDMP

AIGP

Governance Frameworks

Data Quality

Regulatory

Stakeholder Mgmt

SQL / Data Platforms

AI Training Data

90-Day Sprint Plan Builder

Step 1: What’s Your Background?

Data Steward / Analyst

Database Administrator

Compliance Analyst

Other Background

Knowledge Check

Question 1 of 5

What are the three certification levels of DAMA CDMP, and what are their costs?

Foundation ($200), Associate ($400), Professional ($600) — all proctored exams

Level 1 ($250), Level 2 ($500), Level 3 ($750) — with 3-year recertification

Entry ($150), Mid-level ($450), Expert ($900) — all require work experience verification

DAMA-DMBOK v2 Revised — 14 knowledge areas; foundational textbook; required for CDMP exam (open book)

NIST AI RMF — Govern/Map/Measure/Manage functions applied to data; required for AI data governance roles

Connect

DAMA International — 10,000+ CDMP-certified professionals; local chapters worldwide; premier data governance community

Network

IAPP Community — 120,000+ members; AI governance and privacy practitioner network; AIGP certification path

DGIQ + Enterprise Data World (May 2026, San Diego) — premier data governance conference; networking and CPE

MIT CDOIQ Symposium (Cambridge, MA) — CDO and data governance leadership summit; career network for senior practitioners

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