Sr Director, AI Data Governance & Strategy

Overview

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.

We are looking for a Senior Director to serve as the enterprise authority on Data Governance at Palo Alto Networks. You will own the strategy and execution of a scaled program, serving as the primary arbiter of data integrity to ensure our ecosystem is authoritative, auditable, and prepared for the unique demands of AI. You will also lead programs to drive adoption of Enterprise AI products and services.

This role is for a program owner with a technical spine who can bridge the gap between business policy and technical execution. You will lead a framework covering both Business Governance (policy, stewardship, traceability) and Technical Governance (quality, lineage, observability), balancing high-level business acumen with deep technical fluency.

Beyond traditional oversight, you will lead AI Governance while leveraging AI itself to automate and modernize the program. You will partner with engineering to define what to build, ensuring our governance platform and AI products are effectively adopted. We seek a leader with a proven track record in enterprise SaaS who has the authority to break ties, hold cross-functional teams accountable, and drive complex AI initiatives to successful outcomes.

Enterprise Governance Program Ownership: Lead the strategy and end-to-end execution of a scaled, dual-track program. You will own Business Governance (stewardship, policy, and metadata traceability) and Technical Governance (data quality, lineage, and observability), ensuring the enterprise data ecosystem is authoritative and auditable.

Governance Rituals & Councils: Establish and lead the operational rhythm of governance across the company. You will chair Data Governance Councils and Stewardship Committees, fostering a culture of shared accountability and ensuring that data policies are effectively implemented across all business domains.

Defining the Technical

Roadmap:

Partner deeply with IT Engineering and Product teams to define what is built for governance. Using your technical chops and understanding of business needs, you will drive the technical roadmap to ensure our governance platform provides the infrastructure required for both compliance and AI enablement.

Executive Transparency & Communication: Serve as a trusted advisor to Senior Leadership, providing clear, data-backed reporting on the health, progress, and risks of the enterprise data ecosystem. You will translate complex technical governance issues into business impact, ensuring executive alignment and securing the necessary support for strategic data initiatives.

AI Modernization & Scale: Leverage AI to modernize and scale the governance program itself. You will implement AI-driven automation for metadata tagging, data quality monitoring, and policy enforcement, moving the program from manual stewardship to a scalable, automated platform.

AI Product Adoption & Governance: Drive the transition of high-potential AI products from early pilots into full-scale deployment.

Your Experience

• Enterprise Governance Leadership: 12+ years of experience leading complex data and governance initiatives within a large-scale enterprise SaaS environment. You have a proven track record of navigating the unique data complexities of a multi-billion dollar software business.
• Scaled Governance Mastery: Demonstrated experience designing and running an Enterprise Data Governance program. You have successfully led governance rituals, including…