Data Governance SME

Steampunk; McLean (VA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Steampunk is seeking a Data Governance SME to design, implement, and operationalize data governance practices for a large federal client. You will drive metadata management, data cataloging, and stewardship workflows to ensure data assets are discoverable, trustworthy, and well-governed.

The role includes assessing data quality, governance maturity, and AI-related data risk, with collaboration across technical and business stakeholders and ongoing monthly reporting.

Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Data Management, Data Science, Business Analytics, Computer Science, or related field with 10+ years of total experience.
• 6+ years of data governance, data management, or data science experience.
• Experience assessing data quality and building data governance frameworks including stewardship operating models.
• Understanding of metadata types (business, technical, operational), data lineage, and schema management concepts.
• Familiarity with data privacy, security, and access control concepts including experience supporting data access-request workflows.
• Proficiency with data analysis and query tools (e.g., SQL, Excel).
• Experience with AI training data concepts to assess data quality, origin, and bias considerations.
• Strong written and verbal communication and facilitation skills.

Responsibilities

• Assess current-state data assets, governance practices, and interoperability constraints.
• Deliver a Data Management Framework.
• Implement and maintain data catalogs, metadata repositories, and business glossaries.
• Support data stewardship and ownership models, including workflows.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis to identify data quality issues and remediation priorities.
• Operate a data-quality remediation tracking process with monthly reporting.
• Align technical teams and business stakeholders on data definitions and usage standards.
• Support data access-request workflows and access controls per classification principles.
• Collaborate with the Data Architect to ensure supporting metadata capture and lineage tracking.
• Deliver quarterly data maturity assessments with improvement recommendations.
• Communicate data quality and governance findings clearly to technical and executive audiences.
• Contribute to AI Compliance and Risk Management Plan data origin and quality sections.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation of data assessments, findings, and remediation activity.

Skills

Data governance

Metadata management

Data quality

Data lineage

Stakeholder engagement

SQL

Excel

Cloud data platforms

Communication

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Data Management, Data Science, Business Analytics, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

Collibra

Alation

Atlan

Informatica

Cloud-native catalog tools

Job description

Overview

Steampunk is seeking a Data Governance SME to design, implement, and help operationalize data governance practices — including metadata management, data cataloging, and stewardship workflows — for a large federal client's data environment, ensuring data assets are discoverable, trustworthy, and well-governed. The role also supports assessment of data quality, governance maturity, and AI-related data risk.

Contributions

• Assess current-state data assets, governance practices, and interoperability constraints, and deliver a Data Management Framework
• Implement and maintain data catalogs, metadata repositories, and business glossaries to improve data discoverability
• Support definition and rollout of data stewardship and ownership models, including issue management and lifecycle processes
• Conduct exploratory data analysis to uncover trends and identify data quality issues informing remediation priorities
• Operate a data-quality remediation tracking process with monthly reporting, supporting identification and remediation of data quality issues
• Facilitate alignment between technical teams and business stakeholders on data definitions, quality expectations, and usage standards
• Support streamlined, user-centered data access-request workflows and access controls, in alignment with data classification principles
• Partner with the Data Architect to ensure the underlying data environment supports accurate, complete, and consistent data, including metadata capture and lineage tracking
• Deliver quarterly data maturity assessments with specific improvement recommendations, including catalog coverage and adoption metrics
• Communicate data quality and governance maturity findings clearly to technical and executive stakeholders
• Support technical analysis behind the AI Compliance and Risk Management Plan's bias and training-data-quality sections, including data origin, quality, and known limitations
• Contribute data lineage and data card documentation supporting the AI Compliance and Risk Management Plan's data origin and quality assessments
• Maintain well-organized, audit-ready documentation of data assessments, findings, and remediation activity

Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance
• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Information Systems, Data Management, Data Science, Business Analytics, Computer Science, or a related field, and 10+ years of total experience
• 6+ years of data governance, data management, or data science experience
• Demonstrated experience assessing data quality and building data governance frameworks, including stewardship operating models
• Understanding of metadata types (business, technical, operational), data lineage, and schema management concepts
• Familiarity with data privacy, security, and access control concepts, including experience supporting data access-request workflows
• Proficiency with data analysis and query tools (e.g., SQL, Excel) to assess data quality and structure
• Working knowledge of machine learning/AI training data concepts sufficient to assess data quality, origin, and bias considerations (not hands-on model development)
• Strong written and verbal communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate technical data findings for both technical and executive audiences
• Local to Baltimore, MD metro area and willing to go on client site at least 2 days a week

Preferred:

• Experience assessing bias or quality issues in training data for AI/ML use cases
• Federal data governance experience
• Master's degree in a related field
• Experience with data cataloging/governance platforms (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Atlan, Informatica, or cloud-native catalog tools)
• Familiarity with cloud data platforms
• DAMA CDMP (Associate or Practitioner), Collibra Ranger, or Alation Steward certification

About steampunk

Identity Statement

As part of the application process, you are expected to be on camera during interviews and assessments. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud

Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors. Through our Human-Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges.If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.Steampunk participates in the E-Verify program.