Senior Data Analyst

Data Maturity Solutions; Canberra; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Australian Government is seeking a Senior Data Analyst (Metadata Lead) to drive metadata governance and register high-value datasets. The role requires hands-on ISO/IEC 11179 expertise and leadership of a metadata development team.

Initial onsite presence for six weeks, then hybrid by agreement, with potential for extension. Applicants must be a citizen and eligible for Baseline clearance in Australia.

Qualifications

• Hands-on expertise implementing ISO/IEC 11179 for metadata registries.
• Proven track record leading metadata development or data management work.
• Experience with metadata concepts and governance across datasets.

Responsibilities

• Lead the metadata workstream: shape scope, governance and success measures, assign work across the team.
• Maintain a live view of progress, quality, coverage, risks and registration status.
• Analyze existing metadata, data dictionaries and models to identify gaps and inconsistencies.
• Harmonise definitions, naming and governance attributes and write clear descriptions for business and technical readers.
• Collaborate with experts to validate metadata and drive registration and stewardship.

Skills

ISO/IEC 11179

Metadata governance

Metadata registries

Leadership

DCAT knowledge

Education

Australian citizenship

Baseline security clearance

Job description

Senior Data Analyst (Metadata Lead) | Australian Government

Contract, up to 12 months with extension options | Senior (APS6 equivalent) | Baseline clearance

Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Cairns or Robina. Onsite for the first six weeks, then hybrid by agreement.

A large federal agency is putting proper metadata behind its highest-value datasets, including the data that feeds its approved AI projects. It needs someone who knows ISO/IEC 11179 well enough to apply it at scale, and who can lead a team of metadata developers to get records written, validated and registered. If you have spent years telling people why good metadata matters, this is a chance to build it with real backing and a clear mandate.

What you’ll do

• Lead the metadata workstream: shape scope, governance and success measures, pick the high-value assets to tackle first, and allocate work across the team.
• Keep a live view of progress, quality, coverage, risks and registration status.
• Dig through existing metadata, warehouse artefacts, data dictionaries, models, lineage and source-system documentation to find gaps, duplicates and conflicting terminology.
• Harmonise definitions, naming and governance attributes, and write plain-English descriptions that both business and technical readers can use.
• Work with subject matter experts, data stewards, engineers, analysts and AI project leads to validate metadata and take it through to registration.
• Coach the team in ISO/IEC 11179 and agency standards, review their work, and set up the handover to ongoing stewardship.

What you’ll bring

• Hands-on expertise implementing ISO/IEC 11179 for metadata registries.
• A track record leading metadata development, quality assurance or similar data management work.
• Working knowledge of ONDC metadata attributes, National Archives of Australia requirements and DCAT, or the ability to pick them up fast.
• Australian citizenship and the ability to obtain and hold a Baseline security clearance.
• Willingness to be based at the role location for the full contract.

Your application will be assessed against the Data Capability Framework: Level 2 in data communication, data outputs, research questions, statistical analysis and subject matter expertise, and Level 1 in data integration and visualisation.

It helps if you also have

• Data governance and data management experience
• Strong research, synthesis and facilitation skills
• Advanced Excel and project coordination skills
• Experience supervising or coaching staff
• A habit of getting across a new agency’s programs and data landscape quickly
• Start: 1 December 2026 (estimated)
• Term: up to 12 months, with extension options
• Hours: full time, up to 50 hours per week