Data Governance & Data Catalog Lead

Guidehouse•Washington, DC

5d•$130,000 - $216,000

About The Position

The Data Governance & Data Catalog Lead will lead governance workstreams and small delivery teams to design and implement actionable, sustainable data and AI governance programs. The role owns client relationships for its workstream, sets expectations, facilitates executive discussions, and aligns business, IT, privacy, security, and legal stakeholders. The position advises on governance and solution alternatives, implements and operates Collibra Data Catalog, and provides hands-on implementation support. It designs and operationalizes governance operating models, implementation roadmaps, data governance operations and controls, and AI governance guardrails. It also creates scalable enablement materials and supports business development through proposal development, scoping, staffing plans, and reusable assets. Travel may be required based on client and project needs, with travel listed as up to 10%.

Requirements

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Federal or DoD Public Trust.
Bachelor’s degree obtained.
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 public sector, transportation, or other regulated environments.
Knowledge of data governance fundamentals, such as data stewardship, data lifecycle, metadata, data quality, privacy, and access controls.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain complex topics clearly and produce 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, or Engineering.
Hands-on experience with additional governance and privacy tools such as Microsoft Purview, Alation, Informatica, OneTrust, Immuta, or Datadog, or similar platforms.
Experience connecting Collibra with other platforms, including Databricks (Unity Catalog), and onboarding new 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 driving alignment across business, IT, privacy, security, and legal stakeholders.
Advise on and present solution and governance alternatives; 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 that 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 reusable assets and accelerators.
Travel as needed based on client and project needs.