Strategic Data Quality & Controls Lead

Optum; Dublin; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Optum Ireland is seeking an Associate Director, Data Quality & Controls to lead the design, implementation, and operating model for the Data Control Tower. This role shapes how controls are defined, prioritized, implemented, validated, monitored, and translated into operational action, with a focus on data quality and risk management.

The successful candidate will combine technical fluency with strong stakeholder leadership, working with SQL, Snowflake, control evidence, dashboards, and senior

Qualifications

• Significant experience in data quality, data controls, governance, or related leadership.
• Understanding of data quality principles and reconciliation.
• Ability to work with SQL-based analysis and collaborate on control logic.
• Translate business requirements into data rules, dashboards, and governance processes.
• Stakeholder management across senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
• Explain data issues in business terms and connect to operational impact.
• Experience in matrixed environments with accountability across teams.
• Documentation skills for control specs, runbooks, and logs.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and operating model for Data Control Tower.
• Define, prioritize, and implement data controls and evidence.
• Develop and maintain a control catalog with ownership and runbooks.
• Collaborate with engineering and analytics to implement controls using SQL and Snowflake.
• Translate control results into business impact assessments and actions.
• Support trust-state management for datasets and outputs.
• Coordinate structured issue management for data quality failures.
• Support controls across domains such as member identity, eligibility, claims, and clinical data.
• Contribute to dashboards and executive risk views.
• Promote evidence-first data quality and governance improvements.

Skills

SQL proficiency

Data governance

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in a data-related field

Tools

Snowflake

dbt

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Optum Ireland is seeking an Associate Director, Data Quality & Controls to lead the design, implementation, and operating model for the Data Control Tower. This role shapes how controls are defined, prioritized, implemented, validated, monitored, and translated into operational action, with a focus on data quality and risk management.

The successful candidate will combine technical fluency with strong stakeholder leadership, working with SQL, Snowflake, control evidence, dashboards, and senior