Director of Data Governance

Framingham State University was founded in 1839 for a singular purpose - to meet a public need and promote the public good. At our founding as the nations first public normal school that need was for comprehensively educated public school teachers who would in turn promote an educated citizenry. FSU continues to offer exceptional teacher education programs and while we are proud of our roots as a teachers college we have grown far beyond them. Public need continues to evolve and FSU right along with it. Our students and alumni are making waves in the fashion industry designing nutrition plans for professional athletes writing for major media and news organizations working for Fortune 500 companies right here in Framingham and so much more. FSU is a proudly public and truly transformative institution offering accessible affordable educational opportunities that integrate an academically challenging liberal arts education with workforce preparation programs in a highly personalized teaching environment. Our programs have expanded but our purpose and commitment to public education for the public good remain steadfast.

FSU currently enrolls about 3000 undergraduate and 1200 graduate and professional students offers 60 undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts and humanities behavioral and social sciences and professional fields and enrolls 48% BIPOC students and 54% first-generation college students in our undergraduate programs. We are deeply committed to inclusive excellence and strive to promote a culture of equity and antiracism. This commitment has earned FSU eight Insight Into Academia Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Awards and led to our recognition in the Great Colleges to Work For program. We encourage applications from those who share our commitment to promoting a diverse welcoming and inclusive community.

FSU is ideally situated between Boston and Worcester on land originally stewarded by the Nipmuc people for thousands of years. FSU and the surrounding area are steeped in history achievement and innovation and provide access to urban hotspots verdant landscapes natural and cultural amenities and diverse communities.

Our founding motto LIVE TO THE TRUTH was said at the end of each class by beloved first principal Cyrus Peirce who sought to discover and teach truth in theory and in spirit and in manner and intellectual and truth moral. Early leaders found this motto speaks of sincerity of intensity of effort of resolution to succeed of joy in achievement. LIVE TO THE TRUTH aptly reflects our past and our pledge for the future as it continues to guide our institution in practice and endeavor. If you share in this quest for truth and a commitment to living it fully make the next chapter of your career the best chapter at Framingham State University.

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GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

Framingham State University is strategically committed to utilizing institutional data to bolster student success retention persistence and completion. As part of this commitment the Director of Data Governance is responsible for expanding enhancing and coordinating Framingham State Universitys data governance program to ensure that institutional data are trustworthy and useful for analysis reporting and decision-making. This role ensures that policies data management practices and oversight of institutional data produce reliable well-defined accessible data assets for people and systems to explore navigate and utilize.

As a leader in fostering a data-informed culture the Director works collaboratively with stakeholders across academic and administrative units to establish and sustain a governance framework that spans financial aid human resources student records enrollment management advancement and other institutional data domains.

This position is responsible for maintaining a catalog of institutional data assets and a glossary of semantic definitions to ensure clarity consistency and appropriate data usage. The Director coordinates the Universitys stewardship expectations documentation practices and decision processes that guide how institutional data are understood managed accessed and used across the University. The position works closely with other staff in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness as well as Information Technology Services Enterprise Data Services Information Security data trustees data stewards and other stakeholders to support the implementation of governance practices across institutional systems reporting environments analytics platforms and business processes. Additionally this role educates stakeholders on best practices in data management and responsible use empowering them to confidently access interpret and apply institutional data in their work.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

Associate Provost

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:

No direct reports currently assigned. May provide functional direction coordination and guidance to individuals working groups committees or project teams engaged in data governance activities.

EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Directly and intentionally advance the Universitys mission-critical strategic commitment to utilizing institutional data to bolster student success retention persistence and completion by leading and coordinating the Universitys Data Governance Program in alignment with approved Program Council and Coordinating Group charters
• Facilitate relevant communication and collaboration across academic & administrative units and among data trustees data stewards data system custodians divisional data management representatives Institutional Effectiveness Information Technology Services Information Security and other key units and stakeholders.
• Work in close partnership with Institutional Effectiveness Information Technology Services Enterprise Data Services Information Security data trustees data stewards data system custodians and functional data owners to ensure that institutional data governance policies standards definitions stewardship practices access requirements and data quality expectations are implemented consistently across enterprise systems reporting environments analytics platforms and institutional workflows.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for the University regarding the interpretation implementation and compliance expectations associated with data governance policies standards procedures compliance and institutional data stewardship practices.
• Develop propose and support implementation of data governance policies standards procedures role definitions data definitions data usage guidance and related documentation through appropriate data & University governance and approval processes in collaboration with appropriate units and stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain guidance documentation including usage agreements data access instructions decision records data definition documentation and best-practice guidelines in collaboration with appropriate units and stakeholders.
• Establish and coordinate processes for identifying documenting prioritizing escalating and tracking institutional data quality data definition access stewardship and reporting issues in collaboration with appropriate units and stakeholders.
• Maintain and continuously improve the institutional data catalog business glossary semantic definitions and related governance documentation in collaboration with appropriate units and stakeholders.
• Develop and deliver training guidance workshops and communication resources to improve data literacy responsible data use and shared understanding of governance expectations across the University in collaboration with appropriate units and stakeholders.
• Develop and deliver training guidance workshops and communication resources to data trustees stewards system custodians and users on data governance policies appropriate data usage and best practices in data management in collaboration with Institutional Effectiveness and Information Technology Services.
• Oversee the data stewardship structure and provide ongoing support to data stewards.
• Advise on business process changes that may affect governed institutional data data definitions data quality reporting analytics system workflows or downstream integrations and coordinate appropriate review with functional leaders ITS Information Security and governance bodies.
• Collaborate with appropriate units and stakeholders to identify develop and socialize strategic data initiatives that align with institutional priorities and support data-informed decision-making.
• Monitor developments in data governance higher education analytics privacy compliance information security data ethics and responsible use of data and recommend improvements to strengthen the Universitys data governance maturity.
• Perform other related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

All work associated with the duties and responsibilities for this position is ordinarily performed at Framingham States main campus and may be done periodically from a remote location consistent with the conditional provisions specified within the Universitys Telework Guidelines and in accordance with an approved Telework Agreement.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree and five years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of data governance concepts frameworks roles techniques processes and practices.
• Demonstrated knowledge of institutional data data quality data definitions data stewardship data access privacy compliance and responsible data use.
• Demonstrated knowledge of data architecture business intelligence reporting analytics and technology environments sufficient to collaborate effectively with technical and functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated knowledge of higher education institutions and experience with enterprise data in a university context.
• Demonstrated knowledge of FERPA public records requirements privacy and ethical use of institutional data.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving data policy reporting analytics institutional effectiveness compliance and/or business process improvement.
• Strong project & program planning & management skills including the ability to manage deliverables timelines stakeholder input documentation decision records follow-through and multiple priorities.
• Strong planning organizational analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal written and oral communication skills with the ability to cultivate professional partnerships across academic & administrative units and communicate complex data policy technical and compliance concepts to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through collaboration build consensus resolve ambiguity and influence stakeholders across organizational boundaries without relying solely on formal authority.
• Demonstrated ability to act independently and as part of a team with flexibility to adapt to different stakeholder needs and organizational cultures.
• Ability to work successfully in a diverse environment and to contribute in a meaningful way to the diversity equity anti-racism and inclusion efforts of the university

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in higher education within institutional research institutional effectiveness enrollment management student success academic affairs finance human resources advancement or other data-intensive university function.
• Experience with student information systems such as Banner enterprise reporting environments data warehouses analytics platforms data catalogs business glossaries metadata management data lineage tools and related technologies.
• Experience supporting implementation or adoption of an enterprise data warehouse institutional analytics platform data catalog or data governance platform in a higher education environment.
• Familiarity with accreditation expectations information security and data compliance issues and expectations.
• Experience developing or implementing data governance policies standards data dictionaries data catalogs data quality processes stewardship models or data issue management workflows.
• Experience designing or delivering data literacy responsible data use or governance training for faculty staff or administrative stakeholders.
• Candidates with bilingual language skills in Portuguese and English or Spanish and English are strongly encouraged to apply.

This is a full-time exempt benefits-eligible position in the Association of Professional Administrators (APA) bargaining unit with a union title of Director. The anticipated starting salary is $100000.

This position is externally funded through MA SUCCESS funding. Ongoingemployment is contingent on continued grant funding.

Framingham State University conducts criminal history and sexual offender record checks on recommended finalists prior to final employment for all positions.

Framingham State University is an equal opportunity employer. The University considers all qualified candidates without regard to race color sex age national origin disability status Veteran status gender identity gender expression sexual orientation genetic information or any other characteristics protected by law.

Members of underrepresented or minoritized groups women veterans persons with disabilities and all persons committed to equity diversity and inclusive excellence are strongly encouraged to apply.

Candidates must apply online by submitting:

• Cover Letter
• Resume/CV
• Equity and Inclusion Statement*
• Names and contact information for three (3) professional references (references are not contacted automatically upon submission of application).

*Regardless of personal demographic characteristics FSU has a commitment to hiring candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion. The equity and inclusion statement is an opportunity for candidates to discuss past efforts future plans research scholarship professional skills experience and/or willingness to engage in activities that would enhance the Universitys efforts to promote an equitable and inclusive learning and working community. Equity and inclusion statements will be considered as part of a transparent and comprehensive review of candidates application materials.

For best consideration please submit application materials by 8/28/2026. The review of applications may continue beyond that date and until the position is filled at the discretion of the search committee.

Framingham State University only accepts application materials through our online application system. We are unable to accept application materials through mail email fax or hand delivery. If you experience technical issues with the online application process please submit ahelpdeskticket.

Framingham State University understands that persons with specific disabilities may need assistance with the job application process and/or with the interview process. For confidential assistance please contact the Human Resources Office ator.