Lead IS Business Analyst, Governance

The J.M. Smucker Company; Akron (OH); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Close to Cleveland/Akron

Job summary

The J.M. Smucker Company is seeking a Lead IS Business Analyst, Governance to bridge business and technology teams, translating governance strategy into scalable ways of working. You will guide cross-functional collaboration, enable decision pathways, and drive the Analytics Data Governance program with clarity and impact.

Location in Orrville, OH with a hybrid work approach; lead governance enhancements, partner enablement, and data platform initiatives across domains and platforms.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of business analysis, process improvement, data governance, or related discipline.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives with business and technical teams.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and establish structure in evolving environments.
• Translate policies and business needs into practical processes and guidance.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills with influence without authority.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day ADG program operations, intake, prioritization, planning, and stakeholder coordination.
• Facilitate cross-functional discussions, gather requirements, drive decisions, and track actions.
• Identify stalled work, unclear ownership, or friction and escalate as needed.
• Support enterprise data platform initiatives through requirements and design work.
• Monitor governance health and prepare leadership updates for ongoing improvement.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Facilitation

Communication

Ambiguity tolerance

Process design

Tools

SQL

Atlan

Governance tooling

Job description

Your Opportunity as the Lead IS Business Analyst, Governance

The Lead Analyst, Governance serves as a bridge between business stakeholders, technical teams, and governance partners, applying business analysis, facilitation, process design, and relationship management skills to translate governance strategy into practical, scalable ways of working. This role sits at the intersection of business and technology, partnering closely with Data Owners, Data Stewards, technical teams and other governance partners to ensure processes are understandable, consistently applied, and supported through clear documentation, decision pathways, and enabling technology. Working with limited guidance, the Lead Analyst coordinates the day-to-day operation and evolution of the Analytics Data Governance (ADG) program. Responsibilities include facilitating cross-functional collaboration, enabling governance decisions, administering governance tooling, and identifying opportunities to improve program effectiveness.

The role applies core business analysis disciplines, including stakeholder engagement, requirements elicitation, process analysis, facilitation, documentation, and change enablement to support both the ongoing Cloud Analytics Platform Implementation (CAPI) Program and the long-term evolution of the Analytics Data Governance capability. This role offers the opportunity to help shape and mature a growing enterprise capability. Individuals who thrive in this role are comfortable navigating ambiguity, aligning diverse stakeholder groups, and driving initiatives forward through influence rather than direct authority.

Location: Orrville, OH (Close proximity to Cleveland/Akron)

Work Arrangements: Hybrid - onsite a minimum of 9 days a month primarily during core weeks as determined by the Company; maybe more as business need requires

In this role you will:

Program Operations & Functional Coordination

• Coordinate the day-to-day operation of the ADG program, including governance intake, prioritization, planning, and stakeholder coordination across domains.

• Facilitate cross-functional discussions, working groups, and Governance Forum activities to gather requirements, drive decisions, identify risks, and advance actions toward resolution.

• Identify stalled work, unresolved issues, unclear ownership, or recurring points of friction and initiate appropriate follow-up or escalation.

• Support strategic Enterprise Data Platform initiatives through requirements gathering, process design, and cross-functional coordination.

Governance Standards, Processes, & Decision Enablement

• Establish and maintain processes, decision frameworks, documentation, and guidance that enable consistent adoption of governance practices.

• Enable effective decision-making by helping stakeholders understand decision authority, navigate escalation pathways, and document outcomes.

• Contribute to the design and continuous improvement of governance processes and controls as business needs and governance maturity evolve.

Platform & Metadata Enablement

• Administer & maintain business-facing configurations within the enterprise data governance platform that support data governance, data discovery, analytics consumption, and governance workflows.

• Translate governance requirements into scalable platform capabilities partnering with platform engineering and technical teams on integrations, workflows, and support practices.

• Coordinate the governance aspects of onboarding new domains, data products, or data sources, including ownership, metadata, classification, documentation, and workflow readiness.

• Evaluate platform usability and governance needs, recommending improvements that strengthen discoverability, traceability, consistency, and adoption.

Monitoring, Reporting, & Continuous Improvement

• Monitor governance health through adoption, participation, documentation, workflow, and effectiveness measures.

• Analyze governance activity and recurring issues to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Prepare governance insights, risks, recommendations, and program updates for leadership and Governance Partners.

• Lead continuous improvement efforts that strengthen the consistency, usability, scalability, and sustainability of governance practices and supporting tools to enable trusted analytics and emerging AI use cases.

Partner Enablement, Communication, & Adoption

• Develop and deliver governance communications and enablement resources, including role-based guidance, training, playbooks, and office hours that support partner adoption and engagement.

• Build trusted relationships and shared accountability with Data Owners, Data Stewards, data producers, technical teams, and business stakeholders.

• Advise governance partners on navigating governance processes, documenting decisions, using governance tools, escalating questions, and operating within established role boundaries.

• Assess and support change impacts associated with evolving governance policies, processes, roles, and tooling through targeted communication, training, coaching, and adoption activities.

What we are looking for:

Minimum Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in business analysis, process improvement, enterprise transformation, data management, governance, information technology, or a related discipline

• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives or complex work involving business stakeholders, technical teams, and multiple interdependent contributors

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in ambiguity, learn unfamiliar subject areas, and establish structure in evolving environments

• Experience translating policies, standards, business needs, or technical concepts into practical processes, guidance, and sustainable ways of working

• Strong facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority and partner effectively across technical and non-technical teams

Additional skills & experience that we think would make someone successful in this role (not required):

• Prior experience with Consumer Packaged Goods industry

• Handson experience with SQL for basic data profiling, validation, and issue analysis

• Experience implementing, administering, or supporting an enterprise data catalog or governance platform; Atlan experience highly preferred

• Experience with change management, training, communications, or partner enablement

• Experience using reporting or analytical techniques to measure adoption, activity, process performance, or program health

TheRight Placefor You

We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs, and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.

Stay connected with uson LinkedIn

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, age, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.