Senior Director, Global Data Retention Program - Enterprise Data Governance

ON
Hybrid
Posted Oct 9, 2026
1 position

$115–$130 / hour

Opens an external site

Employment type: Contract
Experience level: Lead · 10+ years
Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree
Posting language: English
Working hours: 38 hours per week
Office presence: 1 days per week

Job summary

The Senior Director will lead a global data retention program by establishing a program management office and coordinating regional delivery teams. They are responsible for driving execution across data inventory, security controls, and regulatory compliance while managing senior stakeholder relationships.

Job details

Senior Director, Global Data Retention Program - Enterprise Data Governance Be part of a global transformation initiative in the insurance sector for our client. This opportunity offers exposure to senior leaders, enterprise-wide collaboration, and the chance to contribute to a strategic program with long-term impact across multiple regions and business areas. What is in it for you: • Salaried: $100-115 per hour. • Incorporated Business Rate: $115-130 per hour. • 13-month contract. • Potential extension and/or conversion to full-time employment. • Full-time position: 37.50 hours per week. • Hours from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm or 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. • Hybrid work model based in Waterloo, ON, or Toronto, ON. • On-site presence required 1 to 2 days per month. • Occasional flexibility required for meetings with global stakeholders. • Travel requirement of less than 25%. Responsibilities: • Lead integrated delivery across discovery, planning, execution, and transition to sustainable business-as-usual controls. • Establish and operate the program management office, including the integrated roadmap and master schedule. • Coordinate regional delivery teams on work breakdown structures, resource plans, financial controls, and delivery standards. • Design and operate governance forums, including steering committees, governance committees, and working-team forums. • Lead project managers, workstream leads, internal teams, and external delivery partners. • Set expectations, remove barriers, and drive timely decisions. • Develop executive communications and reporting models. • Create and maintain stakeholder, governance, communication, change, and adoption plans. • Partner with business groups to sequence work based on risk, readiness, dependencies, and capacity. • Drive execution across data inventory, risk tiering, security controls, classification, retention, disposition, and sustainment workstreams. • Ensure delivery evidence, controls, and reporting are suitable for senior management, audit, and regulatory review. • Manage vendors and systems integrators, including scope, deliverables, commercial performance, quality, and knowledge transfer. What you will need to succeed: Required qualifications Education • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. Enterprise Program Leadership • 10+ years of progressive experience leading large, complex enterprise programs, including global or multi-business transformations. • Demonstrated success building and operating large PMOs. • Experience building PMOs and governance structures from the ground up. Industry & Domain Expertise • Experience within financial services, insurance, or another highly regulated industry. • Experience delivering programs in data governance, cybersecurity, privacy, technology risk, regulatory remediation, or related domains. • Working knowledge of data lifecycle management, data classification, retention, and disposition concepts. Program Delivery & Governance • Strong command of program governance, integrated planning, dependency management, RAID management, financial oversight, resource planning, and executive reporting. • Experience leading federated programs and managing external delivery partners. • Ability to translate strategic and risk objectives into executable plans and measurable outcomes. Executive Stakeholder Management • Experience working with CIO, AVP, VP, and SVP stakeholders. • Ability to influence across organizational boundaries and drive accountability without direct authority. • Ability to build alignment across Technology, Data, Cybersecurity, Enterprise Architecture, Risk, Privacy, Compliance, Legal, Records Management, Audit, and business teams. Preferred qualifications Education & Certifications • Program management certification. Data Governance & Information Management • Direct experience with enterprise data governance, information management, records management, data retention, or data remediation initiatives. Risk, Compliance & Regulatory Transformation • Experience in cyber risk reduction, audit, privacy, or control transformation. • Exposure to OSFI-driven initiatives, including E-21 or E-23 programs. Transformation & Organizational Change • Experience in operating-model design, organizational change, and business adoption. • Experience using Agile and traditional delivery methodologies with sound judgment regarding their application. Soft skills • Ownership and drive. • Self-directed execution. • Executive communication. • Enterprise perspective. • Pragmatic judgment. • Executive presence. • Relationship-building. • Accountability. • Collaboration. • Constructive challenge. Why Recruit Action? Recruit Action (agency permit: AP-2504511) provides recruitment services through quality support and a personalized approach. As part of the screening process, some applications may be reviewed using artificial intelligence tools. Only candidates who meet the hiring criteria will be contacted.

What you’ll do

Requirements

Candidates must have over 10 years of experience leading large, complex enterprise programs within highly regulated industries like insurance or financial services. A bachelor's degree is required, along with deep expertise in data governance, program management, and executive-level communication.