Senior Metadata Officer

Motion Recruitment; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Motion Recruitment is assisting a Federal Government service delivery agency to recruit a Senior Metadata Officer (APS 6 equivalent) to lead metadata development across enterprise datasets, supervise metadata developers, and oversee quality assurance for mission-critical data assets prepared for official registration and AI readiness.

You will drive workstreams, curate metadata records, ensure ISO/IEC 11179, ONDC and DCAT standards compliance, and engage business SMEs, data stewards and AI

Qualifications

• Must have experience implementing the ISO/IEC 11179 metadata standard for metadata registries and dictionaries.
• Working knowledge of ONDC metadata attributes, DCAT, or NAA standards.
• Proven experience leading metadata development, quality assurance, or related enterprise data management work.
• Strong profiling and technical capability (advanced Excel, SQL, data model/lineage analysis).
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to bridge technical engineering and non-technical policy/business teams.
• Mandatory: Australian Citizenship (AGSVA Baseline or NV1 clearance held or checkable history required).

Responsibilities

• Workstream Leadership: Plan and coordinate metadata development work packages for assigned enterprise datasets, track blockers and delivery milestones, and mentor/supervise metadata developers.
• Metadata Curation & Assurance: Curate and assess metadata records, data models, Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) artefacts, data dictionaries, and lineage documentation.
• Harmonisation: Resolve duplication, data gaps, and terminology inconsistencies across related assets; author clear, plain-English definitions and standardised data element descriptions.
• Standards Compliance: Apply formal metadata standards (primarily ISO/IEC 11179), alongside frameworks such as ONDC, DCAT, and National Archives of Australia (NAA) requirements.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Facilitate workshops with business SMEs, data stewards, data engineers, and AI project leads to validate definitions and drive data asset registration.

Skills

ISO/IEC 11179 metadata standard

ONDC

DCAT

NAA standards

Metadata management

Excel

SQL

Data modeling / lineage analysis

Communication skills

Tools

Excel

SQL

Job description

We are working with a Federal Government service delivery agency to secure a Senior Metadata Officer (APS 6 equivalent). In this role, you will take operational leadership of metadata development across enterprise datasets, supervise metadata developers, and lead quality assurance to prepare mission-critical data assets for official registration and AI readiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Workstream Leadership: Plan and coordinate metadata development work packages for assigned enterprise datasets, track blockers and delivery milestones, and mentor/supervise metadata developers.
• Metadata Curation & Assurance: Curate and assess metadata records, data models, Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) artefacts, data dictionaries, and lineage documentation.
• Harmonisation: Resolve duplication, data gaps, and terminology inconsistencies across related assets; author clear, plain-English definitions and standardised data element descriptions.
• Standards Compliance: Apply formal metadata standards (primarily ISO/IEC 11179), alongside frameworks such as ONDC, DCAT, and National Archives of Australia (NAA) requirements.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Facilitate workshops with business SMEs, data stewards, data engineers, and AI project leads to validate definitions and drive data asset registration.

What You Bring

• Demonstrated expertise implementing the ISO/IEC 11179 metadata standard for metadata registries and dictionaries (essential).
• Working knowledge of ONDC metadata attributes, DCAT, or NAA standards.
• Proven experience leading metadata development, quality assurance, or related enterprise data management work.
• Strong profiling and technical capability (advanced Excel, SQL, data model/lineage analysis).
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to bridge technical engineering and non-technical policy/business teams.
• Mandatory: Australian Citizenship (AGSVA Baseline or NV1 clearance held or checkable history required).