Water Business Group Data Steward

HDR; Roanoke (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Retirement plan with employer match

Employee assistance program

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time away

Job summary

HDR is seeking a senior leader to steward Water data across the Water Business Group. You will define standards, build shared data definitions, and drive consensus on data processes to enable reliable analytics, reporting, and AI initiatives.

This embedded role partners with Technology leadership to align data workflows with strategy. You will promote data fluency, governance, and responsible data practices, guiding teams and leveraging a broad network of data stewards to enable scalable data

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• 10+ years leading data-centric projects in engineering or water-related domains.
• Experience developing and managing diverse teams.
• Ability to work with senior leaders and manage change.
• Commitment to quality and HDR values.

Responsibilities

• Define and coordinate data standards across the Water Business Group.
• Develop and maintain business-aligned data definitions for key terms.
• Build consensus on data processes, priority, and usage.
• Promote responsible use of data including access and quality.
• Govern externally sourced datasets and ensure lifecycle considerations.
• Promote data fluency across the Water Business Group.
• Align data workflows with Water BG strategy with Technology Director.
• Lead change management to adopt data standards and tools.
• Collaborate with Data Stewards, Enterprise Data Science, and Data Operations teams.
• Ensure new tools align with Water BG data strategy.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Data-centric solutions

Change management

Cross-functional collaboration

Data governance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, data science, business, computer science, or related discipline or equivalent related experience

Job description

At HDR, our employee‑owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day.

This role shapes how our data is defined, used, and reused across the Water Business Group and HDR.

Why This Role Matters

Across the company, we all rely on data to plan work, deliver projects, answer questions, and make decisions. When data is defined differently from team to team, project to project, or region to region, it becomes harder to trust, reuse, and scale. Water Data Stewardship helps fix this at the source.

By clearly defining how our data aligns to proper business terminology and creating shared understanding for delivery teams, this role supports turning our data into solutions that our Water BG and employees can confidently use, reuse, and build upon. It reduces confusion, prevents rework, and makes it easier for teams to answer questions and deliver work without starting from scratch.

What You’ll Do

• Establish and coordinate a network of SME expertise across the Water Business Group to define technical standards, ensuring alignment to Water data practices and enterprise expectations.
• Develop and maintain business‑aligned data definitions for key engineering and technical terms that support structured data models, reporting, automation, and AI use cases.
• Use your technical network to build alignment and consensus around data processes, priority, and expected use.
• Promote consistent, responsible use of technical data, including access, data quality, formats, and reuse.
• Support governance of externally sourced datasets (access, approvals, inventory awareness, storage, lifecycle considerations).
• Promote data fluency across the Water Business Group.
• Coordinate with the Technology Director to align data workflows and initiatives to Water BG Strategy.
• Lead change management efforts to drive adoption of data standards, practices, and tools across the Water BG.
• Regularly communicate and collaborate with other Data Stewards, Enterprise Data Science Teams, and Enterprise Data Operations staff.
• Ensure new tools identified for implementation within the Water BG are aligned to data strategy.

What This Role Is

• Embedded in the Water Business Group (not an IT role)
• Enablement‑focused and collaborative
• Part of technology leadership, focused on supporting effective project delivery
• Connected to a broader Data Steward network
• Focused on defining and enabling use of Water and service line data

People Who Would be a Great Fit

• Understand how data is delivered, defined and used in the Water industry and on projects
• Trusted by peers and leaders
• Can translate complex practices into clear, usable guidance
• Comfortable making decisions and driving consensus
• Have strong data fluency and curiosity to keep learning
• Bring a solid technical network you can tap for feedback and alignment
• Demonstrate credibility in data, technology, and delivery practices and can influence teams through clarity, consistency, and outcomes
• Able to clearly communicate the importance of data integrity at all levels of the organization
• Established leader with influence and credibility (not intended for early‑career staff)

What Success Looks Like

• This role establishes repeatable data practices by defining how data is captured, structured, governed, and reused across systems, workflows, and delivery teams.
• Maintained Water service line data glossary used by the organization
• Water Business Groups have a well‑known steward who can train staff and answer data questions
• Data definitions and classifications translate into reliable data models and AI tools that answer leaders’ and teams’ questions
• Teams have the tools to effectively leverage data for project delivery and pursuits
• Teams proactively reference shared definitions instead of creating local terminology

Example of Water Data Steward Work and Potential Outcomes

In the Water facilities program of Business Classes (WWT&EM, Water Treatment, Pump Stations and Pipelines, Fisheries), a standardized data catalog classifies facility design according to tags such as facility type, size, geographic location, main process areas, and other attributes. This allows consistent use and data analyses across all facilities designed by the Water Business Group.

Valuable insights can be gained about production cost, number of installations, commonly used process configurations, and asset characteristics. Outcomes include leaders and teams no longer relying on custom reports or manual interpretation, enabling consistent answers, better planning, investment decisions, and confident reuse in analytics, automation, and AI tools.

Reporting Structure

This role reports to the Water Technology Director, who acts as the Water Data Owners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten years of strategic leadership experience focused on growing, developing and leading teams in change management and working with data.
• Fifteen years of overall experience providing diverse data‑centric solutions and services to an organization and the industry.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, data science, business, computer science, or related discipline or equivalent related experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the Water engineering industry.
• Experience in development and management of diverse teams.
• Ability to work cooperatively with other leaders, operations managers, technical directors and marketing managers.
• Committed to quality, improvement and HDR values.
• Active participant in our employee‑owned culture.
• Demonstrated respect for and commitment to fairness, diversity, inclusion and responsible data practices.

Benefits

We provide a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, short‑ and long‑term disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus, tuition reimbursement, and more.

Expected compensation range: $150,000–$200,000 depending upon skills, experience, education and geographical location.

Primary Location

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Employment Equity Statement

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.