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What the market looks like

Chief Data Officer is the more established cousin of the Chief AI Officer role, with financial services, healthcare, and regulated industries accounting for the majority of CDO hiring activity we track. In New York specifically, the CDO mandate tends to span data architecture, governance, quality, access, and — increasingly — AI governance as a natural extension. Total compensation is usually packaged on a confidential basis; the strongest CDO candidates we place have typically led 50+ person organizations through material change, with real regulator and board exposure.

Job responsibilities

Own the firm's data strategy — architecture, governance, quality, access, and monetization
Lead the data organization spanning engineering, governance, analytics, and increasingly AI
Partner closely with the CTO, CIO, CRO, and business-line heads on priorities and investment
Represent the firm externally with regulators on data-related matters
Drive the evolution of data governance into AI governance where appropriate
Own the long-term technology, talent, and vendor strategy for data and analytics
Serve as the senior voice for data-driven decision-making across the enterprise
Navigate the complex regulatory environment facing data in financial services

Candidate requirements

15+ years in senior data, analytics, or technology leadership roles
Prior CDO, CAO, or equivalent executive experience strongly preferred
Deep financial services context — regulatory, risk, and commercial
Proven ability to lead organizations of 50+ people through material change
Excellent executive and board-level communication
Strong technical literacy across modern data, cloud, and AI stacks