Data Governance Specialist

The Data Governance Specialist is responsible for overseeing the governance, quality, and lifecycle management of data across the organization. This role ensures that enterprise data is accurate, secure, complaint, and properly accessible to support analytics, operations, and strategic decision-making. The Data Governance Specialist serves as the Company’s operational “source of truth” for enterprise data definitions, standards, and authoritative datasets, and executes within the Company’s Information Management framework.

The Data Governance Specialist works cross-functionally with various Company stakeholders to direct implementation of scalable, enterprise-wide data practices and maintain a compliant data ecosystem, all in line with Information Management strategies, imperatives and priorities.

Bachelor’s degree in Data Management, Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field; or equivalent experience.

3-5 years of experience in data management, data governance, data quality, or related enterprise data roles.

• Strong understanding of data architecture, metadata management, master data management, and enterprise data platforms.
• Experience with SQL, data modeling, and modern cloud or hybrid data ecosystems.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate across technical and nontechnical audiences.
• 2-3 years of Artificial Intelligence or Large Language Model experience preferred. This should include hands‑on proven experience with design, review and troubleshooting experience.

Cibus is a biotechnology company with advanced technologies to precisely target and direct a plant’s natural gene‑editing processes. This approach accelerates natural plant breeding that has been a staple of farming for thousands of years and has resulted in a rapid, versatile, and low‑cost way to produce sustainable industrial and agricultural products and improve human health by safely harnessing nature's own genetic diversity.

The company has a worldwide presence, with subsidiaries in Europe and North America and a state‑of‑the‑art research and development center in San Diego. Cibus has a pipeline of traits for canola and rice and is developing crop platforms and a pipeline of trait products in other major global crops including soybean, corn, and wheat. The broad applicability of Cibus’ technologies is highlighted by the company’s strain‑advancement program, which develops sustainable products in microbial platforms for food, flavor and fragrance, and personal care markets.

The Data Governance Specialist reports to the Executive Director, Information Technology & Information Security and operates as a leader within the enterprise Information Management framework.

This role serves as the enterprise operational authority for data governance, data quality, metadata management, and data lifecycle alignment, with organization wide accountability for defining and administering standards consistent with enterprise Information Management requirements and in coordination with Legal/Compliance, Privacy, and Information Security functions, as applicable.

Provides functional and programmatic leadership and training across the organization.

Acts with delegated authority to:

• Develop, maintain, and steward enterprise data standards, definitions, taxonomies, and metadata models for approval and adoption through the Company’s Information Management processes
• Escalate data quality, compliance, and data risk issues to Information Management leadership when issues present cross‑functional risk, policy conflict, or enterprise‑level implications
• Administer, document, and maintain auditable records of approved exceptions and waivers to data standards, including rationale, compensating controls, and review cadence

• Develop, implement, and maintain enterprise‑wide data governance standards, policies, and procedures in alignment with Information Management strategic direction.
• Establish and maintain a complete, traceable record of data provenance, movement, transformation,…