Data Governance Practitioner

We are seeking a seasoned Data Strategy and Governance Lead to work with a government organization to establish a modern, secure, and effective data management framework. The ideal candidate will be an expert in data policy, strategy, and governance, with a proven track record of guiding organizations from on-premise data environments to secure hybrid-cloud models.

This role is a strategic advisory position focused on developing the policies, strategies, and governance plans necessary to manage the organization's data as a strategic asset. The ability to generate detailed data, architecture, and technical design artifacts is essential to enable engineering changes of the candidate’s identified strategy.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive data governance framework, including policies for data quality, stewardship, security, and lifecycle management.
• Create a long-term data strategy that aligns with the organization's mission, with a special focus on the transition to a secure hybrid-cloud environment.
• Embed a "zero-trust" security model into all data policies and strategies to ensure the highest level of security.
• Design and implement a data governance model that defines clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability for data assets across the organization.
• Lead exercises to create a complete inventory of the organization's data assets to identify what data exists and where it is located.
• Conduct a thorough analysis of current access policies and management systems, identifying inconsistencies and areas for improvement.
• Define the target "to-be" state for data management, outlining how data will be stored, accessed, and governed in a modernized environment.
• Develop a strategic roadmap with clear milestones to guide the organization's transition to its desired future state for data management.
• Create logical and physical data models to visualize how data is being created, collected, stored, and accessed. 

Qualifications

• 6 years of experience in data management, with at least 3 years in a leadership role focused on data strategy, governance, and policy.
• Proven experience working with government organizations and a deep understanding of the unique challenges and regulatory requirements of the public sector.
• Extensive knowledge of cloud technologies (such as any of the following: AWS, Azure, GCP) and experience guiding organizations through the transition from on-premise to secure hybrid-cloud environments.
• Experience in establishing and running data governance programs, including the development of policies, standards, and processes.

Nice to have

• Strong understanding of modern cybersecurity principles, with specific experience implementing "zero-trust" security architectures.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to articulate complex data concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Clearance

• An active Top Secret with SCI eligibility and willing to obtain polygraph