Data Governance & Data Catalog Lead

Guidehouse•Washington, DC

7d•$113,000 - $188,000

About The Position

Guidehouse is seeking a Data Governance & Data Catalog Lead in its Data Science Consulting job family. The role leads governance workstreams and small delivery teams to design and implement actionable, sustainable data and AI governance programs. The lead owns client relationships for their workstream, sets expectations, facilitates executive discussions, and aligns business, IT, privacy, security, and legal stakeholders. The position advises on governance solutions and alternatives, and configures, architects, implements, and operates Collibra Data Catalog. It designs and operationalizes governance operating models, including councils, data stewardship, escalation paths, and integrated controls. It also develops implementation roadmaps connecting strategy to delivery, adoption, change management, dependencies, and measurable outcomes. The role establishes responsible AI governance guardrails and operational controls, and creates enablement materials such as templates, playbooks, training, and communications. It also supports business growth through proposal development, scoping, staffing plans, and reusable assets. Travel of up to 10% is listed, with additional travel as needed for client and project needs. The position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Federal or DoD Public Trust.

Requirements

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Federal or DoD Public Trust.
Bachelor’s degree.
Seven or more years of relevant experience with progressive responsibility, including workstream leadership and oversight of junior staff.
Experience leading client workstreams end-to-end, including planning, facilitation, issue resolution, and executive communications.
Experience configuring, architecting, advising on, and performing hands-on implementation of the Collibra Data Catalog platform.
Experience shaping roadmaps and operating models that connect governance to delivery, adoption, and measurable outcomes.
Experience delivering consulting or client-facing work, including workshops, written deliverables, and stakeholder management.
Experience with AI governance concepts, including model risk considerations, transparency and documentation, monitoring, and responsible AI practices.
Ability to travel as needed based on client and project needs.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting governance programs in the public sector, transportation, or other regulated environments.
Knowledge of data governance fundamentals, including data stewardship, data lifecycle, metadata, data quality, privacy, and access controls.
Strong communication skills, including explaining complex topics in clear, practical language and producing polished client-ready outputs.
Ability to work independently, manage priorities, and deliver high-quality work products in a fast-paced environment.
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Information Systems, Public Policy, Business, Data/Computer Science, Engineering, or similar.
Hands-on experience with additional governance and privacy tools such as Microsoft Purview, Alation, Informatica, OneTrust, Immuta, Datadog, or similar platforms.
Experience connecting Collibra with other platforms, including Databricks (Unity Catalog), and onboarding data assets to the data catalog and metadata ecosystem.
Experience designing or facilitating AI literacy, adoption, and change management efforts, including training plans and communications.
Familiarity with modern data platforms and delivery patterns such as Azure, Databricks, Snowflake, lakehouse architectures, and data products.
Certifications in data governance, privacy, security, cloud, or analytics.

Responsibilities

Lead governance workstreams and small delivery teams to design and implement actionable, sustainable data and AI governance programs.
Own client relationships for the workstream by setting expectations, facilitating executive discussions, and aligning business, IT, privacy, security, and legal stakeholders.
Advise on governance alternatives, present solutions, and implement and operate a new Collibra Data Catalog instance.
Provide hands-on Collibra Data Catalog implementation support, including prioritizing high-value features and scoping work management.
Design and operationalize governance operating models, including council structures, data stewardship models, decision escalation paths, and integrated controls across data, analytics, and AI.
Define implementation roadmaps connecting strategy to execution, including sequencing, dependency management, change management, and measurable adoption outcomes.
Establish AI governance and responsible AI guardrails, including model and use case inventories, risk management workflows, review boards, documentation standards, third-party oversight, and ongoing compliance reporting.
Institute tactical and functional data governance operations and controls to operationalize program- and product-level governance.
Translate governance needs into templates, playbooks, training, and communications that improve adoption and reduce operational friction.
Support growth and pursuits through proposal development, scoping, staffing plans, and creation of reusable assets and accelerators.
Travel as needed based on client and project needs.

Benefits

Medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance.
Personal and family sick time and company-paid holidays.
Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus.
Parental leave and adoption assistance.
401(k) retirement plan.
Basic life and supplemental life insurance.
Health Savings Account and dental/vision and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts.
Short-term and long-term disability.
Student loan paydown.
Tuition reimbursement, personal development, and learning opportunities.
Skills development and certifications.
Employee referral program.
Corporate-sponsored events and community outreach.
Emergency back-up childcare program.
Mobility stipend.