Executive Director, Data Management and Data Operations

Job Description

The Executive Director, Master Data Management and Data Operations, serves as the Product Line Lead for the organization’s master and reference data capabilities. This senior leader in Digital Services defines and executes the strategy for master data, critical reference data, data operations, stewardship, ontology management, and data quality across Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain.

The role has end-to-end accountability for the product line vision, roadmap, services, enabling technologies, operating model, resource strategy, and total cost of ownership. The leader will build and sustain an industry-leading organization that delivers trusted, compliant, and fit-for-purpose master data; improves operational efficiency and user experience; accelerates digital, analytics, and AI solutions; and creates measurable business value. Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Digital Services in Global Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain & Innovation, the role provides strategic direction and establishes priorities across product teams and delivery squads.

Primary Responsibilities:

Strategy and Product Leadership

• Define and execute the strategy, roadmap, investment priorities, operating model, and resource plan for master and reference data management across Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain.

• Own the product vision and lifecycle for Master Data Management (MDM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), data governance products, data quality capabilities, data operations, ontology management, and related integration services.

• Translate organizational priorities and emerging digital opportunities into a coherent portfolio of products, platforms, services, and capabilities.

Data Management and Operational Excellence

• Establish and sustain a scalable data stewardship operating model with clearly defined ownership, decision rights, standards, workflows, controls, and performance measures.

• Lead the data quality function and establish preventive controls, monitoring, issue-management processes, and measurable quality standards.

• Proactively identify and resolve complex data management, ontology, and data quality challenges that affect business operations and digital strategy execution.

• Deliver reliable, high-quality data services that reduce manual remediation and operational friction while providing a consistent, user-centered experience.

• Establish metrics, reporting, and analytics that demonstrate data quality, service performance, adoption, compliance, and business impact.

Technology, Platforms, and Innovation

• Set direction for MDM platforms, PLM capabilities, data catalogs, integration services, automation, methods, and tools in alignment with business and enterprise technology strategies.

• Apply AI-enabled capabilities to improve data quality monitoring, issue detection, root-cause analysis, remediation, and prevention within secure and regulated environments.

• Define and maintain policies, standards, and guidelines that promote consistent adoption of data management methods, tools, and automation across user groups.

Organization and Talent Leadership

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing, global, multidisciplinary organization with the capabilities and capacity required to deliver the product line strategy.

• Establish clear accountabilities across product teams and squads, coach and mentor leaders and team members, and develop succession and capability-building plans.

• Lead organizational change and adoption to embed common data management practices, standards, and ways of working.

Business Value, Partnerships, and Financial Accountability

• Build trusted partnerships with business, digital, technology, and enterprise leaders to align priorities, resolve cross-functional dependencies, and drive adoption of common data management capabilities.

• Own value realization and financial performance for the product line, including budget, investment planning, total cost of ownership, vendor and contract management, benefits tracking, and OKRs.

• Establish and manage the resource model required to support master data management across divisional platforms and business processes.

Align systems development structures, platforms, methods, and tools with business strategy, regulatory expectations, and emerging digital opportunities.

Education:

• Required: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Computer Science, Data Management, or a related field.

• Preferred: MBA or master’s degree in a relevant field.

Required Experience and Skills:

• 15+ years of progressive experience in data, digital, or technology leadership, including significant experience in the biopharmaceutical, life sciences, manufacturing, or another highly regulated industry.

• Deep expertise in master and reference data management, data stewardship, data governance, data quality, ontology management, or related enterprise data capabilities.

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