Principal Data Governance Architect

UCB•Atlanta, GA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Data Governance Architect advances UCB’s mission by governing U.S. commercial data assets that enable patient insights to drive scientific and business innovation. This role ensures data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR principles)—accelerating digital transformation and supporting informed decision-making. By embedding UCB’s patient value principles and collaborating across functions, the Principal Data Governance Architect strengthens data-driven outcomes and supports UCB’s objectives for scientific excellence, inclusive leadership, and collective success. The Principal Data Governance Architect partners closely with stakeholders across IT, business units, and the Global Data Office to anticipate organizational needs and translate them into scalable, governed data solutions. Drawing on a deep understanding of enterprise data flows, Systems of Record, and the intersection of business processes with technical architecture, this role guides the strategic evolution of UCB’s data platforms—including Azure Databricks, Collibra, and Power BI—to deliver value for both business users and enterprise data consumers. Reporting to the Head of U.S. Data Governance, the role serves as a connective leader across teams, bridging technical implementation and business intent while strengthening governance accountability, data literacy, and adoption across the organization.

Requirements

Master's degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Business, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, Information Technology, Analytics, or related field)
10+ years of experience in data management, data governance, or related data stewardship roles
5+ years of experience with data governance platforms and tools (Collibra, Informatica, Alation, or equivalent)

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated expertise building and scaling Data Catalogs, Data Dictionaries, Business Glossaries, and metadata repositories across multiple business domains
Deep understanding of data flows and the strategic impact of data throughout the system landscape from creation to consumption into downstream business systems and data warehouse/lake environments
Working knowledge of SQL and ability to validate data queries, understand relational data structures, and review technical implementations
Strong understanding of enterprise data architecture principles and industry‑standard design best practices
Knowledge of modern, cloud‑native data pipeline architectures and orchestration frameworks
Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives, aligning diverse stakeholders (IT, business, analytics) toward shared governance objectives while ensuring accountability
Track record of mentoring and developing team members, fostering capability-building and knowledge transfer across data governance functions
Collibra certification (Data Steward, Ranger, or equivalent) with demonstrated platform leadership experience
Familiarity with Collibra APIs for technology stack integration and automation
Experience with Unity Catalog on Azure Databricks for data governance and access control architecture
Deep experience with enterprise data lineage tools and automated metadata capture strategies across complex platform ecosystems
Experience with data warehouses (Azure, Snowflake, SQL Server) and reporting/visualization tools (PowerBI)
Experience with data processing, including ETL/ELT workflows and integration patterns from data sources to data warehouses to governance tools
Programming language experience (Python, R) for data analysis and automation
Knowledge of Master Data Management (MDM) and Reference Data Management practices and their roles in enterprise data governance
Familiarity with data privacy and regulatory principles (U.S. federal and state regulations, GDPR, HIPAA, etc.)

Responsibilities

Data Governance Strategy & Leadership:
Architect and steer the US Data Governance Roadmap for metadata management UCB’s data strategy by proactively identifying critical data gaps, evaluating potential solutions, and aligning cross-functional stakeholders to drive enterprise-wide adoption
Translate business priorities into data architecture roadmaps, oversee execution, and ensure outcomes are communicated in a clear, actionable way to stakeholders at all levels
Drive cross-council and working group alignment, ensuring data governance decisions advance broader enterprise vision and maintain consistency across data domains
Lead data governance decision-making with domain expertise, ensuring appropriate business and technical stewards drive policy, standard, and process development aligned to enterprise objectives
Establish and govern Systems of Record authority across the enterprise, driving alignment on data sharing vision, ownership, and accountability across domains
Define and govern the US Go-to-Market business metadata strategy for Life Science domains (HCP/HCO, Payer, Patient, etc.), ensuring alignment between commercial brand needs and technical schemas
Stakeholder Engagement & Enablement:
Champion data fluency and governance awareness across the organization, enabling business leaders to leverage high-quality, well-governed data for informed decision-making
Serve as the authoritative liaison between IT data teams and business stakeholders, translating technical concepts into business terms and business requirements into technical specifications
Facilitate Data Governance councils and subcommittees, bringing data impact perspectives and proactive insight into scope, vision, and feasibility discussions
Lead and facilitate working groups of business and technical data stewards, driving implementation of policies and processes while fostering capability-building, consistency, and knowledge sharing
Mentor and coach business data stewards in developing their governance expertise, guiding the creation and maintenance of accurate business definitions, business rules, metrics, and metadata
Elevate team capabilities through hands-on technical guidance, knowledge transfer, and establishment of best practices that enable stewards to operate with increasing independence and impact
Platform Alignment & Technical Oversight:
Maintain the Data Intelligence platform (Collibra), ensuring accurate metadata, business glossaries, data dictionaries, and data catalogs are current and accessible
Drive data lineage strategy and implementation across platforms (Unity Catalog on Azure Databricks, Collibra) to ensure end-to-end transparency and traceability of enterprise data flows
Coordinate schedules and managing jobs for ingesting metadata from data sources, ensuring timely synchronization between technical platforms and governance tools
Oversee platform health monitoring and object usage analytics for the Data Intelligence community, driving continuous improvement and optimization recommendations
Partner with IT teams to validate technical implementations against business requirements, providing quality assurance and holding teams accountable for governance deliverables and commitments
Drive strategic collaboration with Digital Technology (IT), Global Data Office, and US Data Operations teams on platform integration requirements and enterprise data policy implementation
Data Quality, Compliance & Reporting:
Ensure appropriate data policies and controls are architected and linked to sensitive datasets (e.g., Financial, PII) with proper implementation across the Data Intelligence community Assist in triage and analysis of data quality issues, supporting impact assessment, mitigation, and remediation activities
Lead impact analysis for data definitions and processes across lines of business, ensuring business continuity, standardization, and strategic alignment with enterprise data architecture
Establish and monitor governance metrics, prepare executive-level reports and strategic recommendations for councils and Steering Committee Drive data maintenance, issue management, and change control excellence for data assets within Data Governance scope, leveraging SharePoint and Teams for collaboration and documentation
Collaborate with business data stewards to create and maintain accurate business definitions, business rules, metrics, and metadata for their respective domains
Lead triage and analysis of complex data quality issues, driving impact assessment, mitigation strategies, and remediation activities with clear accountability and resolution timelines