Head of Data & AI Governance

Every day, Global Payments makes it possible for millions of people to move money between buyers and sellers using our payments solutions for credit, debit, prepaid and merchant services.  Our worldwide team helps over 3 million companies, more than 1,300 financial institutions and over 600 million cardholders grow with confidence and achieve amazing results.  We are driven by our passion for success and we are proud to deliver best-in-class payment technology and software solutions.  Join our dynamic team and make your mark on the payments technology landscape of tomorrow. 

The Head of Data and AI Governance at Global Payments will lead, and mature the company’s data and AI governance functions. This leader will drive the development of robust frameworks, policies, and tooling to ensure responsible, compliant, and value-driven use of data and AI across the enterprise. The role requires enhancing enterprise literacy around data value, quality, reference data management, and lineage, while also designing and implementing AI governance. The leader will partner with legal, privacy, risk, cybersecurity, business and functions to embed governance as both a defensive and offensive business enabler, and as a prerequisite for AI-ready data. 

Key Responsibilities: 

● Develop and execute a comprehensive data and AI governance strategy, aligned with business objectives and regulatory requirements. 

● Build and mature data governance capabilities, including data quality, reference data management, metadata management, lineage, and stewardship. 

● Design and implement an enterprise AI governance framework, including policies for responsible and ethical AI use. 

● Lead the rollout of a Responsible Use of AI Policy, implement tooling and ensure compliance with evolving laws and industry standards. 

● Establish and chair Data & AI Governance Councils with cross-functional representation (Legal, Privacy, Risk, Enterprise Architecture, Cybersecurity, Business, Operations and Tech). 

● Drive business literacy on the value of data governance and AI governance through targeted education, training, and communication programs. 

● Evaluate and implement enterprise data governance platforms, automated data quality monitoring and alerting systems 

● Operationalize data and AI governance by embedding it as a foundational element as part of the product delivery life cycle. 

● Select, implement, and mature enterprise data and AI governance tooling, to enable holistic, automated and scalable solutions. 

● Develop and track key metrics to demonstrate governance success as both a risk mitigation (defensive) and business growth (offensive) driver. 

● Build and lead a high-performing team of data governance, AI governance, and data quality professionals. 

● Serve as the primary liaison for governance matters with regulators, auditors, and executive leadership.

Required Experience & Skills: 

● 15+ years’ experience in data governance, data management, or related fields, with 5+ years in leadership roles. 

● Demonstrated experience building data governance and/or AI governance functions in large, complex organizations. 

● Deep knowledge of data governance frameworks, data quality, metadata management, data lineage, and stewardship. 

● Strong understanding of AI/ML governance frameworks, responsible AI principles, and regulatory landscape. 

● Technical understanding of modern data architectures and governance tooling and implementation experience 

● Proven ability to drive organizational change and increase business literacy in technical and non-technical audiences. 

● Excellent communication skills with ability to influence senior stakeholders

● Background in financial services regulatory requirements 

● Experience in payments or financial technology industry is a plus 

Global Payments Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Global Payments provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by law. If you wish to request reasonable accommodations related to applying for employment or provide feedback about the accessibility of this website, please contact jobs@globalpay.com.