Data Governance Manager
CareFirst is a leading healthcare payor organization committed to providing comprehensive health insurance solutions while maintaining the highest standards of data management, privacy, security, and regulatory compliance. We are seeking an experienced professional to lead our data governance function, leading cross-functional efforts to ensure data integrity, compliance, security, and usability while driving cultural adoption of data governance principles and stewardship across the enterprise. The Manager of Data Governance, Data Usage and Rights will be responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing comprehensive data governance frameworks that ensure compliant, ethical, and strategic use of healthcare data. This role requires deep expertise in healthcare regulations, data privacy laws, and governance best practices to protect member information while enabling data-driven business outcomes. Serves as a point of escalation for governance, data quality, compliance, and protection issues and will work closely with stakeholders to improve the quality and value of core data assets while enabling strategic initiatives. Establishes governance and quality best practices, implements tools and techniques, and provides training and support. Ensure organizational compliance to drive business value and operational efficiency.
Essential Functions:
- Data Governance Framework
- Drive the data quality, data integrity, and data management across the enterprise that will enable business users to leverage and use the data as a differentiator in running the business with accurate and core business information and intelligence.
- Develop techniques for quality data collection to ensure adequacy, accuracy, and legitimacy of data.
- Develop and maintain enterprise-wide data governance policies, procedures, and standards.
- Lead day-to-day data governance activities of key enterprise systems and interfaces, including leading cross-functional data governance committees, procedures for data inquiries and decisioning, gap analysis, business process mapping, and data flow analysis.
- Establish data classification schemes and data lineage documentation.
- Design and implement data stewardship programs across business units.
- Establish KPIs and monitor data quality metrics, reporting progress to leadership.
- Data Usage & Rights, Privacy Management, Regulatory Compliance
- Implement and manage data-related policies to meet regulatory and legal obligations (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR).
- Monitor compliance and ensure proper classification, usage, retention, and archiving practices.
- Oversee member data rights requests (access, portability, deletion, correction).
- Review and approve data usage requests in collaboration with Privacy Office and Cybersecurity team.
- Manage consent management frameworks and opt-out processes.
- Establish protocols for third-party data sharing agreements.
- Ensure appropriate data minimization and retention practices.
- Lead privacy by design initiatives for new systems and processes.
- Leadership
- Define and own the enterprise data governance roadmap in alignment with business goals.
- Champion data governance policies, standards, and stewardship practices.
- Provide leadership for developing and/or operating data governance decisioning framework; metadata and reference data governance practices; data quality assessment and monitoring procedures; and data standards and guidelines.
- Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Training, People Management
- Collaborate with Data Architecture, Data Engineering, and Security teams to ensure technical alignment.
- Develop training programs to promote data literacy and stewardship across departments.
- Drive organizational understanding of data accountability and ownership.
- Partner with IT, Security, Legal, Privacy Office and business units on data governance initiatives.
- Develop and deliver data governance training programs.
- Serve as subject matter expert for data governance questions.
- Develop and report on governance metrics and program effectiveness to senior leadership.
- Track and monitor the implementation of data controls across the organization.
- Provide leadership, coaching, and mentoring to team members while serving as a role model.
Why Join Us? Help us transform data culture. Youll be empowered to shape governance foundations that advance decision-making, trust, and innovation across the organization.
Supervisory Responsibility: This position manages a small team of 3-7 individuals.
Qualifications:
- Education Level: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or Engineering or related field OR in lieu of a Bachelor's degree, an additional 4 years of relevant work experience is required in addition to the required work experience.
- Experience: + 5+ years in data management, with at least 3 in data governance.
- Deep understanding of data lifecycle, privacy frameworks and governance technologies.
- Proven experience leading a data governance transformation at a complex healthcare company.
- 1 year Supervisory experience or demonstrated progressive leadership experience.
- Solid understanding of SQL, ETL processes, Master Data Management processes, PowerBI and Microsoft Azure Cloud.
- Proven experience leading cross-functional teams with clarity, empathy, and systems thinking.
- Strong Communication written and verbal communication skills. Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Healthcare industry experience.
- Hands on experience in the design and configuration of data governance collaboration platforms, metadata repository tools or data quality tools preferably Informatica CDGC/IDMC.
- Experience with metadata management, master data management (MDM) and data catalogs.
- Certifications like CDMP, DAMA or DGSP are a plus.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
- Ability to work with cross-functional stakeholders, build trust and become a true business partner for both strategic and operational challenges.
- Knowledge of data governance, data management, and data modelling concepts.
- Excellent leadership, coaching, and mentoring skills.
- Excellent analytical skills, with a focus on understanding overall business issues, determining creative solutions and facilitating informed decision-making in difficult situations.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with ability to communicate technical concepts to various audiences and strong ability to influence others.
- Familiar with current and emerging technologies and ability to investigate and recommend new technology to meet business needs.
- Must be able to effectively work in a fast-paced environment with frequently changing priorities, deadlines, and workloads that can be variable for long periods of time.
- Departmental oversight including goal setting, budget management, and results.
Salary Range: $120,320 - $223,344
Salary Range Disclaimer: The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the work is being performed. This compensation range is specific and considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, internal peer equity, and market and business consideration.
In addition to your compensation, CareFirst offers a comprehensive benefits package, various incentive programs/plans, and 401k contribution programs/plans (all benefits/incentives are subject to eligibility requirements).
Equal Employment Opportunity: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of the Company to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.
Department: Data Architecture