Senior Data Governance Manager, Marcom

Summary Marcom is the creatively-led global team that oversees Apple’s consumer facing marketing. We ensure the flawless development and execution of world-class communications across all medias and platforms. Every day, hundreds of millions of Apple customers around the world interact with our products. We drive the strategy and creative work that provide both new and existing customers with simple, engaging and inspiring marketing experiences.

The Governance and Technology Operations (GTO) team safeguards Marcom’s people and work by building a strong governance framework and running the reliable technology and infrastructure the organization depends on. The team covers AI, tools, vendor, and data governance, along with Marcom Security and Marcom IT, and is building a Center of Excellence to centralize expertise, standardize practices, reduce risk, and keep improving how Marcom works. This role reports to the head of GTO and partners closely with IS&T, Procurement, and Security.

Description The Senior Data Governance Manager owns Marcom’s data governance strategy and infrastructure, making sure the data powering AI tools, models, and workflows is classified, protected, accessible to the right people, and reliable enough to drive decisions. This person charts the path to a centralized data lake where Marcom’s data is managed, cataloged, and governed in one place.

Responsibilities

Define and own Marcom’s data governance strategy and framework, covering data quality, classification, lineage, ownership, retention, and access control. Architect and drive the implementation of a centralized data lake where Marcom’s data is managed, cataloged, and governed, with operational tools integrating via APIs and MCPs rather than maintaining siloed copies. Establish data quality standards, validation processes, and monitoring systems that ensure accuracy and completeness across Marcom’s data assets, and build data lineage and provenance tracking so teams understand where data originates and how it transforms. Define data classification and sensitivity policies in coordination with the AI Governance Lead, AI Security Engineer, and Apple Information Security, and enforce disclosure-based access governance so data access is granted only at the appropriate disclosure level. Create and maintain a data catalog and metadata management practice so teams can discover, understand, and trust the data available to them, and establish data ownership and stewardship models that make accountability clear at every level. Work with the AI PMO and engineering teams to define data readiness criteria for AI initiatives, ensuring data is governed before it enters model training, fine-tuning, or inference pipelines. Set integration governance standards for tools connecting to the data lake, covering authentication, data freshness, write-back validation, and audit logging, and partner with the Tools Governance Lead so operational tools meet data requirements before adoption. Serve as the primary governance liaison between Marcom and cross-functional partners including Legal, Privacy, Security, IS&T, Marcom Analytics and Procurement, as well as adjacent Marketing organizations such as Product Marketing, Corporate Communications, and Services Marketing.

Minimum Qualifications 10+ years of experience in data governance, data architecture, data management, or a related discipline, including leadership of programs at scale. Track record of building and operationalizing data governance frameworks, including data quality management, metadata management, and access control. Experience defining data classification, lineage, and access control policies across complex organizations, including role-based, attribute-based, or equivalent models for data with tiered confidentiality. Working knowledge of data architecture patterns (data lakes, warehouses, pipelines) and how they support AI and machine learning workloads. Experience designing or governing centralized data platforms with API-based integration patterns, and understanding of role-based and attribute-based access control models in environments with tiered confidentiality or disclosure requirements.

Preferred Qualifications Demonstrated ability to influence and align senior stakeholders, with ability to explain data concepts in business terms to non-technical audiences. Experience governing data that feeds AI and machine learning systems, including training data quality, bias detection, and data provenance. Background working alongside data science team and understanding their data needs, with a focus on governance that enables their work rather than slowing it down. Familiarity with data catalog and metadata management tools, cloud data platforms, modern data stack technologies, and automated data validation approaches. Familiarity with API gateway patterns and emerging AI integration approaches (such as MCP). Experience in marketing, creative, or media environments, including an understanding of campaign data, creative assets, and audience data, where data sensitivity and pre-announcement confidentiality are critical. Knowledge of data quality frameworks and automated data validation approaches.

Pay & Benefits At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $186,300 and $280,000, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses - including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits

Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

EEO Statement Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

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