Data Governance Analyst

Baker McKenzie; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Baker McKenzie is seeking a Data Governance Analyst to support our data governance objectives. You will profile the data landscape, identify critical data elements, and maintain the business glossary and data catalog across multiple domains, ensuring accuracy and trust in our data assets.

Collaboration with data stewards and analysts is essential to translate findings into actionable guidance. You will work with SQL Server as the core platform, with exposure to Microsoft data tools and evolving

Qualifications

• 3+ years in data governance, data analyst, BI, or data quality/profiling.
• Experience building or maintaining a data catalog or metadata repository (tool-agnostic).
• Experience translating technical findings into plain-language recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Profile source systems and baseline data quality, structure, and completeness.
• Shortlist 5–10 critical data elements per domain and document business criticality.
• Maintain the business glossary, data catalog and lineage documentation across domains.

Skills

SQL

Data profiling

Data governance

Stakeholder communication

T-SQL

Tools

SQL Server

Power BI

Microsoft Purview

Collibra

Alation

Job description

The Data Governance Analyst supports the Firm's data governance objectives by profiling the current data landscape, identifying critical data elements across business domains, and maintaining the business glossary, catalog and lineage documentation that underpin trusted and reliable data. The Firm's primary data technology stack is Microsoft, with SQL Server as the core database platform; familiarity with Snowflake is an advantage given the ongoing evaluation of the Firm's future Enterprise Data & AI Platform. In this role, you will work closely with the Lead Data Steward, Business Data Stewards, Data Quality Analyst, and domain Working Groups to assess source systems, align on critical data elements, and ensure the Firm's business glossary and catalog remain accurate, current and trusted. Main responsibilities:

Data Profiling and Landscape Assessment

• Profile source systems — structured and semi-structured — to baseline current data quality, structure and completeness ahead of each domain's onboarding.
• Feed profiling and landscape-assessment findings into transformation scoping and prioritisation discussions.

Critical Data Elements and Catalog

• Work with each domain's Business Data Steward to shortlist the domain's 5–10 critical data elements from profiling output, and confirm business criticality.
• Build and maintain the business glossary, data catalog and lineage documentation across domains, in the platform selected for the transformation.
• Confirm and document each domain's system of record as part of the Minimum Viable Governance Pack.

Working Group and Steward Support

• Support Domain Working Groups with data analysis, reporting and documentation through the six-step delivery model (define scope, assess, agree minimum governance, pilot, operationalise, expand).
• Support the Data Quality Analyst with the technical detail behind quality thresholds and dashboards.

Tooling and Technical Delivery

• Write and maintain SQL queries and scripts to extract, profile and validate data across source systems, primarily in SQL Server.
• Contribute to catalog and metadata tooling selection and configuration as the lakehouse platform is built out.

Skills and Experience

Data Governance and Analysis Experience

• 3+ years in a data governance, data analyst, business intelligence, or data quality/profiling role.
• Experience building or maintaining a data catalog, business glossary or metadata repository (tool-agnostic — Microsoft Purview, Collibra, Alation or similar).
• Experience working with business stakeholders to translate technical findings — profiling results, data quality issues — into plain-language recommendations.
• Prior experience supporting a data governance or data quality programme is strongly preferred; professional or legal services experience is a plus but not required.

Microsoft Data Platform (Primary Stack)

• Hands-on experience with Microsoft SQL Server — writing and optimising T-SQL, profiling data at scale, working across multiple source systems.
• Working knowledge of the wider Microsoft data stack: Azure Data Factory / Synapse, Power BI, Microsoft Purview (or equivalent metadata/catalog tooling).
• Strong SQL skills (T-SQL) and comfort working directly in SQL Server Management Studio or equivalent.

Data Profiling, Cataloguing and Documentation

• Data profiling technique — able to independently assess a dataset's quality, structure and fitness for purpose.
• Clear, structured documentation skills — glossaries, catalog entries and lineage records need to be usable by non-technical business stewards.
• Comfortable working in a lean, evolving structure — this role flexes across profiling, cataloguing and working-group support as domains stand up and dissolve.

Preferred Qualifications

• Snowflake experience (SQL, data modelling or administration) — the primary stack is Microsoft/SQL Server, but Snowflake familiarity is an advantage given the platform evaluation currently underway.
• Exposure to a lakehouse or modern cloud data platform migration.
• Familiarity with data classification and access-tiering concepts (public / internal / confidential / privileged) and how they interact with a data catalog.
• DAMA-DMBOK awareness or working knowledge of data governance frameworks.
• Experience in a law firm or other professional/partnership services environment, including sensitivity to client confidentiality and conflicts requirements.

Reports to: Chief Data Officer

Position Type: Centre Services

Development Framework: Specialist