Data Stewardship, Aladdin Data, Director

Position Overview: 

BlackRock is seeking a highly experienced and strategic Director in its growing and dynamic Data Stewardship function. This senior role is responsible for overseeing the entire lifecycle of data products within the organization, from ideation to delivery, while ensuring data governance policies are adhered to and data quality standards are consistently met. The Director will work closely with business stakeholders, technical teams, and external vendors to drive the strategic alignment of data solutions with organizational and client goals, providing critical insights and ensuring data products are effectively implemented. The ideal candidate will bring at least 10 years of experience in data governance, stewardship, and data management, with a proven track record in leading large-scale, data-driven initiatives. 
 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Leadership & Strategic Direction: As a Director, you will be responsible for defining and executing the strategic vision for the data domain across the organization. In this role, you will set the direction for how data products are developed, maintained, and optimized, driving their strategic importance within BlackRock. You will work closely with senior leadership and business stakeholders to ensure that data solutions align with evolving business needs and industry best practices. 

• Data Governance & Quality Oversight: You will be responsible for ensuring that BlackRock’s data governance framework is applied consistently across your data domain, with a primary focus on ensuring data quality, accuracy, completeness, and consistency. You will lead the development and implementation of robust data quality standards and governance policies, ensuring that data products meet established benchmarks. Your role will include managing data health assessments, monitoring compliance, and continuously improving data governance processes to support the firm’s regulatory and operational needs. 

• Data Product Lifecycle Management: The Director will oversee the entire data product lifecycle, ensuring effective collaboration across product management, engineering, and business teams to bring data products from concept to delivery. This includes driving the design and implementation of data models (conceptual, logical, and physical) that meet business requirements and align with strategic goals. You will also ensure that new data products are designed with scalability and future business needs in mind, maintaining a balance between short-term business demands and long-term strategic goals. 

• Requirements Gathering & Documentation: You will lead efforts to gather and document detailed business requirements for data products, working closely with business stakeholders to translate these into clear, actionable data specifications. This involves ensuring the alignment of business needs with technical requirements and overseeing the documentation process. You will collaborate with teams to break down complex data challenges into actionable tasks that can be delivered efficiently and accurately. 

• Vendor & Stakeholder Management: Managing external data vendors will be a key responsibility. You will ensure that third-party data sources meet BlackRock’s data quality standards and business needs, building strong relationships with vendors to enhance data offerings. You will also work closely with internal stakeholders across business units, technology teams, and operational units to ensure that data solutions meet the firm’s diverse needs and are delivered on time and within budget. 

• Collaboration & Communication: The Director will be expected to lead and facilitate communication between technical and non-technical teams, ensuring that complex data concepts are clearly articulated and understood. This requires strong leadership skills to manage cross-functional teams, influence stakeholders, and align team efforts with organizational priorities. You will communicate data governance and stewardship strategies to senior leadership, making sure that all stakeholders are aligned and informed. 

• Data Stewardship Support & Problem Resolution: You will provide leadership in resolving complex data-related issues, offering data-driven solutions to address business challenges. This includes ensuring that data governance controls are in place during all phases of data product development, from ideation to testing. You will also support the implementation of best practices for data stewardship across the organization and take an active role in the ongoing optimization of data management processes. 
   

Qualifications & Requirements: 

• The ideal candidate for this role will have at least 12 years of experience in data stewardship, data governance, and data management, with a strong background in managing data governance frameworks in large-scale organizations, preferably within the financial services industry. 

• The candidate should have extensive experience working with data modeling, data governance tools, and third-party data management. Proven leadership abilities, with experience in managing cross-functional teams, are essential.

• The Director will need to possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• A deep understanding of financial markets and investment management is highly preferred. Familiarity with cloud-based data platforms (e.g., Snowflake), SQL, Python, Hadoop, and data governance platforms is beneficial.

• A bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field is required, with advanced degrees or certifications in data governance or related disciplines considered a plus.