Data Governance & Responsible AI Associate Manager - Midrand at Accenture

As a CL8 Data Governance and Responsible AI leader, you will guide and operationalise enterprise data governance and AI governance across programs—ensuring that data and AI solutions are delivered at scale with strong data retention, classification, Ownership, data quality, compliance, privacy/security, and responsible AI practices. You'll also lead and mentor teams and drive governance adoption aligned to business outcomes.


Key responsibilities

Lead data governance strategy & operating model


Define and drive data governance principles, policies, standards, frameworks and controls (including data quality expectations).
Align governance to business goals and enable a "data-driven culture."


Establish and oversee data stewardship & portfolio governance


Provide leadership on governance setup across domains (e.g., ownership, accountability, coordination).
Embed and Oversee governance processes that ensure consistent decision-making and escalation.


Ensure compliance, privacy, and security across the data & AI lifecycle


Ensure data is sourced/handled/developed/deployed legally and ethically.
Support privacy, security, and compliance requirements through governance and enforcement mechanisms.


Own enterprise Responsible AI governance (risk, controls, auditability)


Govern AI risk, compliance, privacy, and security using formal oversight.
Ensure documentation, validation/controls, training, and continuous monitoring to keep AI systems safe, compliant, and audit-ready.


Lead scalable solution delivery and data/AI architecture governance


Influence architecture and delivery approaches so governance is embedded into platform and solution lifecycles.
Ensure governance is practical and repeatable across programs.
Enforce data governance practices into Business As Usual activities.


Lead a data culture within different organizations


Develop, curate, and deliver Data Governance training for data stewards, data custodians, and the broader data community.
Develop reusable assets that strengthen and support the data governance capability.


Lead the development of RFP responses


Establish the response structure and define the proposed solution approach for each RFP.
Coordinate and consolidate contributions from all relevant solution teams.
Mobilise the appropriate subject-matter experts and delivery teams to support Data Governance RFP responses.


Mentor and develop teams


Coach specialists and leads; build capability through standards, guidance, and knowledge sharing.


Required skills & competencies


Strong experience in enterprise data governance (strategy, standards, stewardship, data quality, policy enforcement).
Proven ability to apply Responsible AI governance concepts (risk/control frameworks, documentation, monitoring).
Deep understanding of compliance, privacy, and security considerations for data and AI deployments.
Leadership capability: managing governance at portfolio/program level and influencing stakeholders.
Ability to translate governance requirements into scalable delivery practices.
Leading cross functional multinational teams


Typical background (examples—may vary by project)


Leadership experience in data governance, data management, AI/ML governance, or enterprise risk/compliance for data & AI.
Cross-functional experience with legal/privacy/security and delivery teams.


Qualification


Data Science
Computer Science
Information Systems
Information Management
AI / Machine Learning
Cybersecurity
Law / Compliance / Risk Management (if paired with strong data & AI governance experience)