Principal - Data Governance

Ally and Your Career
Ally Financial only succeeds when its people do - and that’s more than some cliché people put on job postings. We love this stuff! We see our people as, well, people - with interests, families, friends, dreams, and causes that are all important to them. Our focus is on the health and safety of our teammates as well as work-life balance and diversity and inclusion. From generous benefits to a variety of employee resource groups, we strive to build paths that encourage employees to stretch themselves professionally. We want to help you grow, develop, and learn new things. You’re constantly evolving, so shouldn’t your opportunities be, too?

Work Schedule: Ally designates roles as (1) fully on-site, (2) hybrid, or (3) fully remote. Hybrid roles are generally expected to be in the office a certain number of days per week as indicated by your manager. Your hiring manager will discuss this role's specific work requirements with you during the hiring process. All work requirements are subject to change at any time based on leader discretion and/or business need.




The Opportunity

Ally is committed to transforming our data governance and management capabilities to drive business value and uphold our “do it right” approach. We are seeking a results-oriented Manager who brings hands on experience in data governance and management to support the execution and continuous improvement of Ally’s data governance and management policies, enablement services, and compliance measurement within a function or business line. This pivotal role will manage the day-to-day business-line data governance and management efforts, while collaborating closely with the Enterprise Data Governance & Management (EDGM) team, and business and technology leaders across the organization to ensure data quality, integrity, compliance, and accessibility. If you are a forwarding-thinking manager with a passion for data governance and management, and you are ready to drive impactful change, we encourage you to apply.



The Work Itself

The Work Itself

• Manage data governance tooling, and data product execution activities on the enterprise data governance team.
• Serve as the functional lead for Alation Cloud Services (ACS) capabilities including Data Catalog, Data Lineage, Data Quality, Critical Data Manager, Analytics, and Data Product Marketplace
• Conduct business line training and awareness campaigns for data governance leveraging enterprise materials
• Provide data tooling and data pipeline support, embedding data quality checks, determining data quality rule thresholds, and tracking lineage
• Track the status of key data governance activities and initiatives
• Coordinate the preparation of reporting inputs, dashboards, and status summaries used by senior leadership to provide executive-level updates on progress toward adhering to data governance and management requirements
• Advanced working knowledge of SQL, Databases and SAS with the ability to write complex SQL statements to build data tables and produce reports
• Experience building enterprise Data Quality Strategy and writing Data Quality policies and procedures
• Experience leading Data Product governance initiatives, establishing governance standards, operating models, and controls to ensure data products are discoverable, trusted, reusable, and aligned with business objectives
• Provide support in planning and executing change management efforts to ensure successful adoption of the enterprise data governance agenda across the organization
• Stay current with industry data management and data analytics trends, including the adoption of AI practices
• Support the business line in the identification, prioritization, tracking, and remediation of data defect and data issue management processes
• Understand the regulatory requirements and frameworks applicable to your business line, particularly as they relate to identifying critical data and data risks
• Work with business data leads, business risk partners, and second-line stakeholders to monitor business line or function compliance with regulatory requirements, proactively manage data risks, and coordinate remediation of open data defects and data issues
• Manage the day-to-day execution of data governance and management requirements within the business line or function
• Support documentation of asset-level and element-level data lineage; support business and technical metadata management activities for data dictionary and business glossary creation and maintenance; identify and maintain data quality rules and controls; and identify, collate, and drive remediation of improvement opportunities
• Provide oversight to junior data governance analysts, supporting their development and ensuring quality execution
• Work closely with senior leadership and enterprise data governance partners to manage the day-to-day execution of data governance-related activities within your business line
• Collaborate with diverse business, technology, and risk teams across the enterprise, including the enterprise data governance team, as business lines assume accountability for managing their data
• Help interpret data governance and management policies, standards, procedures, and related documentation for your business line

Preferred Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in data governance, data management, data analysis, or related roles, with at least 3+ years in a team lead, senior analyst, or supervisory role
• Understanding of data governance frameworks, policies, and standards (e.g., DCAM), as well as familiarity with data management concepts (e.g., data catalogs, data lineage, data quality) and data governance tools (e.g., Alation, Collibra, Manta, Ab Initio)
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Analysis, Mathematics, Economics, or a related discipline
• Demonstrated ability to guide junior staff, coordinate cross-functional work, and support large-scale data initiatives
• Understanding of programming languages (e.g., Python, SQL, DBT) and data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Oracle, AWS)
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate data governance requirements into actionable steps for business line and functional partners
• Understands the significant impact that effective data governance and management can have on an organization and is enthusiastic about supporting the organization’s data journey
• Strategic mindset paired with pragmatic execution capabilities
• Ability to identify, assess, and mitigate data-related risks within the organization
• Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with diverse teams and colleagues at all levels
• Ability to communicate effectively with senior leadership in both business and technology roles
• Ability to manage complexity, prioritize team deliverables, and make effective decisions
• Financial services or other highly regulated industry experience preferred




Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• High school Diploma or GED equivalent




How We'll Have Your Back
Ally's compensation program offers market-competitive base pay and pay-for-performance incentives (bonuses) based on achieving personal and company goals. Our Total Rewards program includes industry-leading compensation and benefits plus additional incentives that are designed to meet your needs and those of your family so you can get the most out of your career and your life, including:

Time Away: Program starts at 20 paid time off days in addition to 11 paid holidays and 8 hours of volunteer time off yearly (time off days are prorated based on start date and program varies based on full or part-time status and management level).

Planning for the Future: plan for the near and long term with an industry-leading 401K retirement savings plan with matching and company contributions, student loan pay downs and 529 educational save up assistance programs, tuition reimbursement, employee stock purchase plan, and financial learning center and financial coach access.

Supporting your Health & Well-being: flexible health and insurance options including medical, dental and vision, employee, spouse and child life insurance, short- and long-term disability, pre-tax Health Savings Account with employer contributions, Healthcare FSA, critical illness, accident & hospital indemnity insurance, and a total well-being program that helps you and your family stay on track physically, socially, emotionally, and financially.

Building a Family: adoption, surrogacy and fertility assistance as well as paid parental and caregiver leave, Dependent Day Care FSA back-up child and adult/elder care days and childcare discounts.

Work-Life Integration: other benefits including Mentally Fit Employee Assistance Program, subsidized and discounted Weight Watchers® program and other employee discount programs.

Other Compensations: depending on the role for which you are considered, you may be eligible for travel allowances, relocation assistance, a signing bonus and/or equity.

To view more detailed information about Ally’s Total Rewards, please visit this link: https://www.ally.com/content/dam/pdf/corporate/ally-total-rewards-snapshot.pdf




Who We Are:
Ally Financial is a customer-centric, leading digital financial services company with passionate customer service and innovative financial solutions. We are relentlessly focused on "Doing it Right" and being a trusted financial-services provider to our consumer, commercial, and corporate customers. For more information, visit www.ally.com.

Ally is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy status, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic disposition or any other reason protected by law.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if after review of the position expectations, you believe that you may need a medical accommodation to fulfill the duties of this role, please email hrpolicy@ally.com with details of your accommodation request.




Base Pay Range

$110,000.00 - $180,000.00


An individual's position in the range is determined by the specific role, the scope and responsibilities of the role, work experience, education, certification(s), training, and additional qualifications. We review internal pay, the competitive market, and business environment prior to extending an offer.




Incentive Compensation:

This position is eligible to participate in our annual incentive plan.