Director, Master Data Governance

Company Overview

Job Description/Preferred Qualifications

Role Summary

We are seeking a Director of Data Governance to establish and scale a modern data governance capability. This is a senior leadership role for a proven data governance practitioner who has operated in a mature governance environment and can pragmatically build governance foundations in an organization with strong functional domain data and opportunities to scale cross functionally.

The Director of Data Governance will design and implement a fit-for-purpose governance framework spanning data strategy alignment operating model standards stewardship quality metadata and master/reference datawithout reliance on a pre-existing MDM platform. This leader will work closely with business IT analytics and digital teams to enable trusted interoperable data that supports compliance operational excellence analytics AI and digital transformation.

Why This Role

This role offers a rare opportunity to shape the enterprise data foundation of a leading semiconductor capital equipment company at a pivotal stage of its digital and AI journey. The Director of Data Governance will have executive visibility broad scope and the mandate to build governance that enablesnot hindersinnovation speed and scale.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Data Governance Strategy & Framework

• Define and implement an enterprise data governance vision aligned to business strategy regulatory needs and digital/AI ambitions.
• Design a scalable governance framework covering data domains ownership stewardship policies standards controls and decision rights.
• Establish a pragmatic governance maturity roadmap balancing speed-to-value with long-term sustainability.

Operating Model & Organizational Enablement

• Define and stand-up the data governance operating model including roles (data owners data stewards custodians) forums and escalation paths.
• Lead the formation of a cross-functional Data Governance Council and domain-level working groups.
• Drive adoption through clear incentives lightweight processes and embedded governance within business workflows.

Cross-Domain Data Alignment

• Enable harmonization and interoperability across key enterprise domains (e.g. customer supplier product asset manufacturing service finance) while respecting strong functional ownership.
• Define master and reference data concepts ownership and synchronization approaches in the absence of a formal MDM tool.
• Partner with enterprise architecture and application teams to embed governance into system design and integration patterns.

Data Quality Metadata & Standards

• Establish data quality management practices including critical data elements quality rules monitoring and remediation workflows.
• Define enterprise data standards naming conventions and semantic alignment to support analytics and AI use cases.
• Lead implementation of metadata management practices (business technical and operational metadata) including data lineage and glossary development.
• Develop an assurance process for the Design Basis Information (foundational business and compliance decisions data and specifications) associated with each critical data element to ensure that our products and processes continue to meet regulatory standards.

Policy Risk & Compliance

• Develop and maintain data-related policies and standards (e.g. data access classification retention privacy and usage).
• Partner with Legal Security Privacy and Compliance teams to ensure governance supports regulatory and contractual requirements.
• Support audit readiness and risk mitigation related to data.

Technology Enablement (Tool-Agnostic)

• Define governance requirements for tools supporting metadata quality lineage and master/reference data.
• Evaluate and recommend governance and data management tooling as needed without assuming immediate MDM deployment.
• Ensure governance is embedded into analytics platforms ERP PLM MES CRM and digital platforms.

Change Management & Culture

• Drive cultural adoption of data as an enterprise asset through communication training and executive engagement.
• Translate governance concepts into business-relevant outcomes for manufacturing supply chain service engineering and commercial teams.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on data-related decisions and tradeoffs.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 12 years of experience in data management data governance analytics or related disciplines with at least 5 years in a senior governance leadership role.
• Direct experience operating within a mature enterprise-scale data governance environment.

• Demonstrated success building or transforming a data governance capability in a complex federated organization.
• Strong understanding of data governance frameworks and practical real-world application.
• Experience governing data across multiple enterprise domains without a fully centralized MDM solution.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead through ambiguity and change.
• Experience in semiconductor capital equipment advanced manufacturing or industrial technology environments and/or experience in a regulated operating environment (medical devices utilities government etc.)
• Familiarity with ERP PLM MES CRM and analytics platforms common in manufacturing ecosystems.
• Experience supporting analytics AI/ML or digital transformation initiatives through strong data foundations.
• Prior ownership of data quality metadata management or master/reference data programs.

Skills & Attributes

• Strategic thinker with a pragmatic execution-oriented mindset.
• Strong business acumen and ability to translate technical governance concepts into operational value.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Collaborative leader who can work effectively across supply chain operations IT and corporate functions.
• Comfortable building from first principles while leveraging best practices.

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Experience in semiconductor capital equipment advanced manufacturing or industrial technology environments and/or experience in a regulated operating environment (medical devices utilities government etc.)
• Familiarity with ERP PLM MES CRM and analytics platforms common in manufacturing ecosystems.
• Experience supporting analytics AI/ML or digital transformation initiatives through strong data foundations.
• Prior ownership of data quality metadata management or master/reference data programs.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 12 years of experience in data management data governance analytics or related disciplines with at least 5 years in a senior governance leadership role.
• Direct experience operating within a mature enterprise-scale data governance environment.
• Demonstrated success building or transforming a data governance capability in a complex federated organization.
• Strong understanding of data governance frameworks and practical real-world application.
• Experience governing data across multiple enterprise domains without a fully centralized MDM solution.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead through ambiguity and change.

Skills & Attributes

• Strategic thinker with a pragmatic execution-oriented mindset.
• Strong business acumen and ability to translate technical governance concepts into operational value.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Collaborative leader who can work effectively across supply chain operations IT and corporate functions.
• Comfortable building from first principles while leveraging best practices.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors Level Degree with a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience OR

• Masters Level Degree with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role level and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors including state minimum pay wage rates location job-related skills experience and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process to perform essential job functions and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at or at 1- to request accommodation.

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