What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Data Governance position at Spark Foundry?
Company Description
Spark Foundry was built during the most transformative time in the history of advertising and marketing. We deliver everything a traditional media agency has to offer and have grown into one of the world’s most successful agencies by helping brands evolve their marketing by leveraging identity, commerce, artificial intelligence, and more to connect with people. Transformation is part of our DNA. Spark Foundry’s start-up spirit delivers high-touch approaches and a never-ending desire to challenge the status quo. Combined with Publicis Media’s powerhouse soul leveraging connected data assets, advanced AI applications, and investment clout, we “Bring HEAT to Brands.” No other agency possesses the expertise that we do to address today’s most pressing challenges to drive business transformation through media.
Overview
The Director, Data Governance is responsible for ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and usability of media data across the organization to enable reliable reporting, performance optimization, and actionable insights. The role drives data quality standards, process improvement, root‑cause analysis, and automation to accelerate insights and build trust in data across teams and markets.
Embedded within the Data & Analytics organization, this role partners closely with Measurement, Media Strategy & Planning, Investment, Audience, Creative, and Technology teams to operationalize governance at scale. Designed as a pipeline to broader Analytics leadership, the role develops deep expertise in data governance, analytics enablement, and cross‑functional influence.
Responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications
Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.
Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off.
If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com.
Compensation Range: $135,375- $207,424 annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 05/13/2026.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
26-6775
Spark Foundry was built during the most transformative time in the history of advertising and marketing. We deliver everything a traditional media agency has to offer and have grown into one of the world’s most successful agencies by helping brands evolve their marketing by leveraging identity, commerce, artificial intelligence, and more to connect with people. Transformation is part of our DNA. Spark Foundry’s start-up spirit delivers high-touch approaches and a never-ending desire to challenge the status quo. Combined with Publicis Media’s powerhouse soul leveraging connected data assets, advanced AI applications, and investment clout, we “Bring HEAT to Brands.” No other agency possesses the expertise that we do to address today’s most pressing challenges to drive business transformation through media.
Overview
The Director, Data Governance is responsible for ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and usability of media data across the organization to enable reliable reporting, performance optimization, and actionable insights. The role drives data quality standards, process improvement, root‑cause analysis, and automation to accelerate insights and build trust in data across teams and markets.
Embedded within the Data & Analytics organization, this role partners closely with Measurement, Media Strategy & Planning, Investment, Audience, Creative, and Technology teams to operationalize governance at scale. Designed as a pipeline to broader Analytics leadership, the role develops deep expertise in data governance, analytics enablement, and cross‑functional influence.
Responsibilities
- Data Governance Strategy & Data Health
- Own the global data governance operating model, ensuring data is accurate, complete, consistent, timely, and fit for decision-making.
- Define and maintain global standards for data health, including naming conventions, URL/UTM taxonomies, platform input standards, and metadata requirements.
- Establish governance routines (data health checks, variance analysis, defect triage, root-cause analysis) and track quality KPIs and SLAs across markets.
- Act as steward of global data governance documentation, playbooks, and standards.
- Media Data Operations & Quality Management
- Lead the validation, optimization, and reconciliation of media and campaign data across markets and channels.
- Manage investigations into data anomalies identified in reporting platforms, ensuring timely resolution and prevention of recurrence.
- Identify non-compliant data inputs (e.g., naming violations, missing parameters, inconsistent IDs) and coordinate corrective actions across teams.
- Ensure global consistency while accommodating necessary market-level nuances.
- Cross-Functional Process Leadership
- Manage communications and operational workflows across Clients, Media Strategy & Planning, Media Investment, Ad Operations, Audience, Creative, Measurement, Technology, and offshore teams.
- Ensure media buys, plans, and required metadata are entered correctly into buying systems and vendor platforms according to global standards in support of accurate client reporting.
- Work with offshore teams to ensure media data warehouses are maintained according to governance and analytics requirements.
- Stay current on digital operations, buy changes, creative specifications, publisher formats, and evolving tracking capabilities.
- Business Rules, Requirements & Transformation Enablement
- Translate business and reporting requirements into clear governance controls and business rules for data processing and harmonization.
- Partner with Analytics and Technology to ensure governance requirements are embedded into data architecture, pipelines, validation logic, and automation.
- Create and maintain business requirements documents (BRDs) and technical requirements documents (TRDs) to support scalable execution.
- Support advanced analytics initiatives by ensuring datasets are structured, standardized, and analysis ready.
- Training, Compliance & Change Management
- Lead global compliance training for onshore and offshore teams in support of governance initiatives.
- Educate teams on the “why” behind standards to drive adoption and behavioral change—not just compliance.
- Develop materials, job aids, templates, and office hours to support ongoing enablement.
- Monitor adherence and adjust processes where standards break down operationally.
- Global Stewardship & Continuous Improvement
- Serve as day-to-day owner of global data operations and governance health across markets.
- Drive continuous improvement through process simplification, automation, and tighter controls in partnership with Technology & Engineering.
- Provide leadership with clear updates on data health, risks, and progress—translating operational signals into business impact.
Minimum Qualifications
- 8-10 years of experience in an advertising agency or equivalent environment, with background in Analytics, Business Analysis, Media Operations, Ad Operations, or Digital Investment.
- Demonstrated experience in data governance and data quality management, including naming conventions, URL taxonomies, and platform standards within data warehousing, ETL, and BI environments.
- Strong understanding of media and marketing data across multiple channels (digital, search, social, offline) and experience working with diverse datasets (paid, owned, etc.).
- Proven problem-solving ability to identify, investigate, and resolve data anomalies that impact insights and decision-making.
- Strong attention to detail, pattern recognition, and commitment to data quality.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate complex concepts for non-technical audiences.
- Exceptional organizational and multitasking skills in a fast-paced, global environment.
- Comfortable working with numbers, reconciliations, and budget-adjacent data.
- Advanced Excel skills; comfortable working in PowerPoint/Keynote.
- Experience supporting global accounts and working across regions and time zones.
- Familiarity with media buying platforms and publisher systems.
- Experience with BI/reporting tools and data quality monitoring frameworks.
- Exposure to process improvement methodologies (e.g., Six Sigma or equivalent).
- Experience partnering with engineering teams on automation and scalable governance controls.
- Strong project management skills (e.g., RACIs, timelines, dependency tracking).
- Familiarity with programming languages like Python, SQL
- Familiarity with business intelligence tools such as Alteryx, and PowerBI
- Familiarity with project management and collaboration tools like HIVE, AirTable, and Microsoft Teams
- Experience with Media & Analytics Platforms: Google Campaign Manager, DV360, Trade Desk, TikTok, Snapchat, Amazon DSP, Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Prisma
Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.
Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off.
If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com.
Compensation Range: $135,375- $207,424 annually. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third-party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 05/13/2026.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
26-6775
Salary : $135,375 - $207,424