Data Governance Specialist

Responsibilities

• Drive governance adoption: Operationalize the data governance operating model (ownership, stewardship, decision rights/RACI) and embed governance into day-to-day delivery across domains and platforms.
• Implement policies and standards: Ensure enterprise governance and data handling standards are consistently applied across data hubs/platforms, including delivery “gates” and compliance processes.
• Own metadata and catalog outcomes: Establish and enforce metadata standards (business glossary, CDEs, ownership, certification) to improve discoverability, reuse, and trust.
• Lead data quality management: Define DQ rules/thresholds, enable monitoring, and run an end-to-end issue management process from triage through remediation and prevention.
• Enable lineage and control readiness: Coordinate lineage/traceability for critical data products and support audit readiness through documentation, evidence, and reporting.
• Embed privacy-by-design (flavor): Partner with Privacy/Security to incorporate classification, access, retention, and secure handling requirements into governance processes and track remediation.
• Collaborate and enable stakeholders: Facilitate alignment across Legal, Security, Engineering, Analytics, and business teams; deliver training and awareness.
• Report and document: Maintain governance playbooks and produce metrics on adoption, compliance, DQ health, and stewardship engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data/Information Management, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience in Data Governance, Data Management, Data Quality, Data Risk/Controls, with at least some exposure to data privacy practices.
• Strong understanding of governance concepts: ownership, stewardship, CDEs, business glossary, metadata, lineage, DQ management, data lifecycle controls.
• Working knowledge of privacy and security fundamentals: data classification, access controls, retention, secure handling, and common privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR/CCPA concepts).
• Experience partnering with data platform teams and operating in enterprise environments (multi-domain, multi-platform).
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills; able to influence without authority.
• Analytical and detail-oriented; strong problem-solving and process design mindset.

Preferred Skills

• Exposure to governance and catalog tools such as Collibra, Alation, Informatica Axon/EDC, Microsoft Purview (or equivalent).
• Experience with modern data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, Azure/AWS/GCP) and data product operating models.
• Familiarity with frameworks/standards: DAMA-DMBOK, DCAM, COBIT (or comparable).
• Certifications: CDMP (governance/data management), and/or CIPP (privacy) or equivalent is a plus
• Experience in life sciences / healthcare / regulated environments is a plus.

Level 5 Expectations (Scope & Impact)

• Independently drives governance initiatives across multiple domains or platforms, resolving ambiguity and proposing pragmatic solutions.
• Leads cross-functional working sessions and influences senior stakeholders on standards, operating model decisions, and remediation priorities.
• Demonstrates measurable outcomes through adoption metrics and control effectiveness (not just documentation).
• Acts as a key connector between Data Governance and Data Privacy—ensuring privacy controls are embedded into governed data products.