Data Governance SME

Steampunk•McLean, VA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Steampunk is seeking a Data Governance SME to design, implement, and help operationalize data governance practices — including metadata management, data cataloging, and stewardship workflows — for a large federal client's data environment, ensuring data assets are discoverable, trustworthy, and well-governed. The role also supports assessment of data quality, governance maturity, and AI-related data risk.

Requirements

Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance
Bachelor's degree, preferably in Information Systems, Data Management, Data Science, Business Analytics, Computer Science, or a related field, and 10+ years of total experience
6+ years of data governance, data management, or data science experience
Demonstrated experience assessing data quality and building data governance frameworks, including stewardship operating models
Understanding of metadata types (business, technical, operational), data lineage, and schema management concepts
Familiarity with data privacy, security, and access control concepts, including experience supporting data access-request workflows
Proficiency with data analysis and query tools (e.g., SQL, Excel) to assess data quality and structure
Working knowledge of machine learning/AI training data concepts sufficient to assess data quality, origin, and bias considerations (not hands-on model development)
Strong written and verbal communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate technical data findings for both technical and executive audiences
Local to Baltimore, MD metro area and willing to go on client site at least 2 days a week

Nice To Haves

Experience assessing bias or quality issues in training data for AI/ML use cases
Federal data governance experience
Master's degree in a related field
Experience with data cataloging/governance platforms (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Atlan, Informatica, or cloud-native catalog tools)
Familiarity with cloud data platforms
DAMA CDMP (Associate or Practitioner), Collibra Ranger, or Alation Steward certification

Responsibilities

Assess current-state data assets, governance practices, and interoperability constraints, and deliver a Data Management Framework
Implement and maintain data catalogs, metadata repositories, and business glossaries to improve data discoverability
Support definition and rollout of data stewardship and ownership models, including issue management and lifecycle processes
Conduct exploratory data analysis to uncover trends and identify data quality issues informing remediation priorities
Operate a data-quality remediation tracking process with monthly reporting, supporting identification and remediation of data quality issues
Facilitate alignment between technical teams and business stakeholders on data definitions, quality expectations, and usage standards
Support streamlined, user-centered data access-request workflows and access controls, in alignment with data classification principles
Partner with the Data Architect to ensure the underlying data environment supports accurate, complete, and consistent data, including metadata capture and lineage tracking
Deliver quarterly data maturity assessments with specific improvement recommendations, including catalog coverage and adoption metrics
Communicate data quality and governance maturity findings clearly to technical and executive stakeholders
Support technical analysis behind the AI Compliance and Risk Management Plan's bias and training-data-quality sections, including data origin, quality, and known limitations
Contribute data lineage and data card documentation supporting the AI Compliance and Risk Management Plan's data origin and quality assessments
Maintain well-organized, audit-ready documentation of data assessments, findings, and remediation activity