Data Governance Program Manager

Summary of Job Responsibilities

The Data Governance Program Manager at Colorado PERA plays a key role in advancing the organization's mission through modern, data-driven practices. This role is responsible for leading an enterprise data governance program that ensures data is trusted, secure, and accessible. The Data Governance Program Manager collaborates across teams to establish governance standards, strengthen data stewardship, and foster a culture where data is a shared, well-managed asset.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

Our ideal candidate is an experienced and strategic individual with strong analytical, technical, and interpersonal skills. They bring deep expertise in data governance and understand its critical role in ensuring data is trusted, secure, and effectively leveraged as a strategic asset across the organization. Skilled in cross-functional collaboration, this individual excels at aligning business, technology, and data stakeholders around shared goals, establishing clear ownership, and driving accountability for data quality and stewardship. They are equally comfortable shaping enterprise data governance strategy as they are executing against it, managing competing priorities with focus, discipline, and efficiency.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Individuals must be able to perform these duties with or without reasonable accommodations.

• Data Governance & Stewardship
  
  
  • In partnership with the Director of Data and Analytics, develop, implement, and continuously enhance a comprehensive enterprise data governance framework, including policies, standards, and procedures for data quality, metadata management, and the full data lifecycle.
  • Define and operationalize roles and responsibilities for data ownership, stewardship, and accountability across business units, ensuring clarity and consistency.
  • Lead cross-functional Data Governance Forum to drive alignment, prioritization, and oversight of governance initiatives.
  • Build and sustain a strong data stewardship community, enabling accountability and promoting best practices across the organization.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
  
  
  • Serve as a key liaison between technical teams and business stakeholders, translating business needs into actionable data solutions and governance practices.
  • Foster a culture of data literacy, stewardship, and responsible data usage across PERA through communication, education, and engagement efforts.
  • Support organizational alignment by ensuring governance practices enable, rather than hinder, innovation and modernization efforts.
  • Provide mentorship, training, and development opportunities to strengthen data capabilities and governance practices across teams.
• Compliance & Risk Management
  
  
  • Ensure compliance with applicable data protection regulations (e.g. PII, HIPAA) and internal policies, safeguarding sensitive member and organizational data.
  • Collaborate with Legal, Enterprise Risk, and Information Security teams to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate data-related risks.
  • Define, monitor, and report on data governance KPIs, including data quality, policy adherence, and program maturity metrics.
  • Promote a risk-aware data culture while embedding governance controls into day-to-day operations and enterprise systems.
• Data Analytics Enablement
  
  
  • Ensure governed, high-quality data is effectively leveraged for reporting, advanced analytics, and decision-making.
  • Establish standards and best practices that align data governance with analytics delivery, ensuring consistency in definitions, metrics, and data usage across the organization.
  • Support the development of trusted data assets, curated datasets, and semantic layers that enable self-service analytics while maintaining appropriate controls.
  • Collaborate with business stakeholders to prioritize analytical use cases and ensure data governance practices support actionable insights and measurable outcomes.
  • Promote data-driven decision-making by enabling access to reliable, well-documented data and reinforcing alignment between governance, analytics, and modernization initiatives.
• Process Improvement & Innovation
  
  
  • Continuously evaluate and optimize data governance processes to improve efficiency, scalability, and business value.
  • Stay informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in data governance, analytics, and data operations.
  • Recommend and implement innovative solutions that enhance data accessibility, usability, and trust.
  • Identify opportunities to embed governance into PERA's ongoing modernization efforts, ensuring data is a strategic enabler of improved member experiences and organizational effectiveness.

Supervisory Duties

• None at this time. Potential for future supervisory duties.

Other Duties/Responsibilites

• Assess the need for procurement and implementation of data governance or data catalog tools.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Job Qualifications

• Required Qualifications
  
  
  • Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Data Management, Business, or related field and 5+ years of experience in data governance, data analytics, data management, or a related field. A combination of relevant education, training, and experience that demonstrates the necessary skills, knowledge, and abilities will also be considered.
  • Proven experience with data governance frameworks, metadata management, and data lineage tools.
  • Deep understanding of data quality, privacy, and compliance principles.
  • Experience supporting data warehouse or analytics platform implementations.
  • Experience with BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and reporting frameworks.
  • Experience with cloud data platforms (e.g. Snowflake, Microsoft Purview, AWS analytics stack, Azure Data Platform, Informatica, Alation, Collibra, etc.).
  • Experience driving enterprise adoption of analytics and self-service reporting capabilities.
  • Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Preferred Qualifications
  
  
  • Master's degree (e.g., MBA, MPA, MS in Data Science or Analytics).
  • Certifications such as Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) or equivalent.
  • Experience in financial services, pension systems, or public sector organizations.

Working Conditions

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Standard office environment with frequent telephone communication, computer operation, and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy and printer machine.
• Occasional moving and positioning supplies in excess of 20 pounds
• All employees are expected to present themselves in a professional manner in alignment with the financial services industry
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods of time
• Ability to operate standard PC equipment
• Ability to manage frequent deadlines and tight schedules

Hybrid Work Option

• Opportunity to work from home up to three days per week. Eligibility dependent upon factors detailed in PERA's Work from Home Policy.

Interested Candidates:
Complete the employment application online at . Please have copies of your resume and cover letter available to upload.

Job Description Disclaimer

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of an employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned with or without notice.

Unfortunately, at this time, PERA cannot consider candidates that require sponsorship (now or in the future), or are located outside of the US.

All Colorado PERA employees are subject to PERA's Ethics Policy and some employees are subject to the Personal Trading Policy. These policies include restrictions on outside business activities and employment and have certain requirements on personal trading. You may request copies of these policies from PERA's talent acquisition team and any questions can be answered by PERA's Investment Administration team.

Why Work at PERA

Colorado PERA offers more than a traditional pension career. We are a mission-driven organization with a growing focus on technology and modernization. Employees have the opportunity to do meaningful work with a real impact on over 700,000 members. From enhancing digital tools and member experiences to supporting major enterprise initiatives, employees are part of meaningful, future-focused work that blends public service with innovation. We take pride in our inclusive culture, career development opportunities, and our consistent recognition as a Top Workplace based on employee feedback. PERA is a place to connect, contribute, and be part of something bigger.

A Culture That Cares

At PERA, leveraging employee strengths and supporting strong engagement are the foundations of our culture. Employees are encouraged to grow through development opportunities and internal career movement, while also being part of an organization where people feel respected, informed, and included. Collaboration is encouraged across teams, allowing employees to learn from one another and contribute in ways that maximize their unique skills. We strive to foster an environment where employees can do their best work and feel supported by the people around them

An Employer that Invests in You

PERA invests in our employees in ways that matter; from comprehensive benefits and generous paid time-off to thoughtful everyday amenities that enhance the office experience. Employees are encouraged to continue learning through training, mentoring, and development at every stage of their careers. We champion a workplace where people feel valued, inspired, and equipped to grow.

Join Us
If you're energized by meaningful work, motivated by an organization that evolves with a changing world and looking for an employer that invests in you, then consider joining PERA's team. Learn more about careers at PERA at copera.org/careers .

Position Title: Data Governance Program Manager
Division: Data and Analytics
Reports to: Director of Data and Analytics
Job Status: Full-time, Exempt
Salary: $105,000.00 to $130,000.00 Annual, Commensurate with experience
Posting Dates: 06/05/2026 to 06/21/2026