Senior Director, Finance Data Governance and Management

Role Summary

Senior Director, Finance Data Governance and Management, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey. This role shapes and executes the end-to-end finance data strategy—governing how data is defined, managed, validated, and enabled to drive insight, efficiency, and business value. It serves as the single point of accountability for ensuring finance-critical data is trusted, governed, and usable across the organization, supporting accurate reporting, strong controls, and confident decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Data Governance & Operating Model
  • Own the enterprise Finance data governance operating model: decision rights, roles (owners, stewards, custodians), domain councils, and stewardship communities and executive governance forums.
  • Define and maintain policies, standards, and controls for Finance data, including metadata, lineage, privacy, and retention—embedded into ways of working and change processes.
  • Run the portfolio intake for Finance data & systems changes (programs, releases, enhancements) and ensure integrated design review, risk assessment, and run-state readiness.
• Data Management & Master/Reference Data
  • Set the strategy and roadmap for Finance master/reference data (GL accounts, cost/profit centers, company codes, ledgers, BP/customer/vendor, materials, hierarchies), spanning SAP S/4 and connected platforms including downstream reporting and consolidation environments.
  • Oversee SAP MDG capabilities, workflows, and data model governance, ensuring harmonization across business units and landscapes.
• Data Quality (DQ) & Controls
  • Establish enterprise DQ standards (accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, validity, uniqueness) and implement DQ rules, monitoring, and remediation for critical Finance data sets and pipelines.
  • Operationalize issue management (triage → root cause → fix → prevent) with SLA‑based accountability across support teams.
  • Embed preventive controls in processes and change lifecycle; reduce reconciliation and period-end close efforts by improving upstream data quality.
• Data Enablement & Value Realization
  • Drive data discoverability so Finance and business users can reliably find and use trusted data.
  • Lead data literacy and change programs (Data Stewardship) that increase adoption and reduce data friction.
  • Partner with Finance leadership to prioritize data use cases and measure value realization tied to financial, operational, and risk outcomes.
• People, Culture & Org Leadership
  • Lead a large, global data organization with clear mission, career paths, and a strong talent brand.
  • Build diverse teams across data pillars and enablement; recruit, coach, and succession‑plan for scale.
  • Model an outcomes‑first, service‑oriented culture—high accountability, pragmatic controls, and partnership with Finance and Tech peers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or MBA preferred. Degree in Finance, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related field is advantageous.
• A minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in enterprise data leadership roles, with 8+ years focused on Finance data governance/management/quality; 5+ years leading large, global teams.
• Deep SAP S/4 Finance expertise and understanding of the S/4 Finance data model and core business processes
• Hands‑on leadership of master data governance (preferably SAP MDG) including domain models, workflows, validations, and mass processing.
• Proven track record implementing data governance frameworks (e.g., DAMA), DQ programs, metadata/lineage, and catalog/glossary at enterprise scale.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence peers and manage upward; communicates complex data topics simply for senior audiences.
• Demonstrated value realization from data initiatives (cost, risk, revenue/working capital), with outcome‑based prioritization and KPI/OKR management.
• Proven ability to influence and negotiate across stakeholders, and manage complex interdependent program relationships.
• Track record of building and scaling regional or global teams, managing budgets, and delivering measurable quality and cycle-time improvements.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and presentation skills with a clear ability to make the complex understandable for all levels of the organization.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or MBA preferred. Degree in Finance, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related field is advantageous.

Skills

• Analytical, communication, and presentation skills with the ability to make complex topics understandable for all levels of the organization.
• Preferred: Budget Management, Creating Purpose, Crisis Management, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Cyber Security Assessments, Developing Others, Global Market, Global SAP, Inclusive Leadership, Information Security Management System (ISMS), Information Security Risk Management, Interpersonal Influence, Leadership, SAP Infrastructure, Security Architecture Design, Succession Planning

Additional Requirements

• Travel: Up to ~25% domestic/international