As the VP of Data Strategy & Governance, you will lead the organization’s data governance initiatives, ensuring data is central to business decisions, processes, and long-term transformation. You will oversee enterprise-wide data quality, governance frameworks, and product assortment strategies to ensure competitiveness, profitability, and alignment with customer needs. You will collaborate extensively with business leaders, Finance, Supplier Relations and Category Management, E-Commerce, IT and data teams to ensure all data is trusted, well-governed, and audit ready.

Responsibilities:

Develop and execute a comprehensive data governance strategy for business data at the customer, supplier and product level, leveraging the EDGE data governance methodology and aligning with organizational goals, omnichannel business needs, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices Define, implement, and maintain data governance policies, standards and procedures, drive compliance and sponsorship to data governance efforts  Partner with commercial teams to facilitate product assortment strategies and implement those strategies across digital platforms Define assortment architecture and quality standards with each business unit, category, channel, and catalog to align with customer needs and company growth objectives. Facilitate long-range planning for product lifecycle management, including new product introductions, SKU rationalization, and end-of-life decisions; Partner with analytics teams to enable business monitoring of SKU productivity, profitability, and customer adoption metrics. Ensure product data integrity, standardization, and enrichment across all sales channels to support digital discoverability and operational efficiency Oversee business ownership and data quality management by developing and enforcing policies, tools, and processes that ensure accuracy, integrity, and continuous improvement of product, supplier, and customer data across all systems, supported by clear metrics and KPIs Collaborate with IT, data, and cross-functional business teams including enterprise systems, omnichannel, category management, supplier relations, product, inventory, and pricing to resolve data inconsistencies and ensure alignment of data strategy, objectives, and priorities with customer needs Translate complex data strategies into clear, actionable outcomes that resonate with non-technical leaders Build and lead a high-performing, product assortment, diverse data governance strategy and governance team, ensuring that team members have the skills and tools necessary to execute the data governance strategy effectively
Ensure that the data governance function is adequately resourced, ensuring the right people, processes, and technologies are in place to maintain governance standards across the organization

 

Qualifications:

Bachelors Degree – Computer Science, Information Management, Business Administration or related field required; Masters Degree preferred Licenses/Certificates/Designations - Advanced certification in data management, data governance or data privacy 15 years of progressive experience in data management, data governance, data privacy or related fields 5 years of senior leadership experience managing cross-functional teams and enterprise-wide initiatives in omnichannel business environments, with a proven ability to inspire, influence, and build consensus among diverse stakeholders, including executive leadership, category management, and board members In depth knowledge of data governance frameworks (e.g., DAMA-DMBOK, EDGE), data management technologies, regulatory environments, omnichannel retail or business models, and emerging trends in data and analytics Demonstrated experience with global data protection and privacy regulations including GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc. Strong understanding of data architecture, data modeling, master data management, metadata, data quality, data integration, and omnichannel technologies and methodologies Proven ability to develop and articulate a clear vision and strategy for data governance that aligns with business objectives, omnichannel goals, and digital transformation initiatives, while driving organizational change and fostering a data-centric, adaptable culture in evolving business, technology, and regulatory landscapes Ability to analyze complex data environments and omnichannel networks to identify areas of improvement and innovation and adept at identifying and resolving data-related issues within both enterprise and omnichannel contexts  Expertise in managing large-scale projects and programs within budget and timelines, especially those impacting omnichannel and business operations Experience in an executive level role in data governance preferred Experience in the B2B distribution or adjacent industry preferred Ability to travel 25% - 50% 

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