Manager of Data Governance

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top three on The American Lawyer's prestigious A-List for eight consecutive years and #1 on Law.com's UK A-List twice in the past three years - rankings that honor the "best of the best" law firms. The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring. Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

Overview

The Manager of Data Governance is accountable for establishing and maintaining the firm’s data governance program, ensuring the integrity, quality, and protection of enterprise data assets. This manager leads initiatives to define data standards, promote data stewardship, and enforce data management policies across the organization.

This role collaborates with business, IT, and compliance stakeholders to implement a federated governance model, enabling trustworthy and governed data usage at scale. The Manager of Data Governance also oversees metadata management, data quality frameworks, and stewardship platform development.

This position is instrumental in creating a strong foundation for data enablement by promoting accountability, consistency, and compliance in how data is defined, accessed, and used.

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Lead the development and enforcement of data governance policies, standards, and frameworks
• Drive metadata and lineage management practices across the enterprise
• Oversee data quality initiatives including profiling, rule enforcement, and exception management
• Establish and manage data stewardship roles and responsibilities across domains
• Maintain the firm’s data catalog and stewardship platforms (e.g., Profisee, Ataccama, Collibra, etc.)
• Partner with legal, compliance, and information security on data privacy and regulatory alignment
• Provide governance training, change management, and communication to promote adoption
• Monitor data policy compliance and publish governance performance metrics

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES:

• Highly organized and detail-oriented with a process mindset
• Skilled at navigating organizational dynamics and building consensus
• Strong written and verbal communication for cross-functional and executive engagement
• Passionate about building trust in data and enabling responsible use at scale

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Management, Data Science, or a related discipline
• 8+ years of experience in data management, governance, or information architecture
• 3–5 years of experience leading governance or stewardship programs
• Knowledge of data governance tools, catalogs, lineage platforms, and quality monitoring
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, etc.) and data privacy controls
• Strong facilitation, documentation, and consensus-building skills

Compensation and Total Rewards Package

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below and represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity.

• Boston: $123,200 - $187,950

Working Conditions

This position requires hybrid on-site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on-site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management.