Data Governance Leader

Senior Data Governance Lead (Data & BI Governance) Location: Remote from anywhere in the US. Employment Type: 12-month contract as a W2 employee of Talent Groups. Role Overview We are seeking a Senior Data Governance Lead to drive the planning, execution, and adoption of enterprise Data and BI governance initiatives. This role plays a critical part in ensuring data is trusted, well-defined, and consistently governed across the organization. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in data governance, metadata management, and data quality, along with the ability to influence stakeholders, mentor teams, and proactively manage risks in a fast-paced, Agile environment. Key Responsibilities • Lead the planning and execution of Data/BI governance initiatives, tasks, and deliverables • Drive timely completion of governance activities while ensuring alignment with organizational objectives • Proactively identify risks, issues, and dependencies; resolve issues before they impact delivery • Escalate blockers promptly through appropriate governance and delivery forums • Coach and mentor team members on data governance principles, policies, standards, and best practices • Drive metadata curation, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and quality within the enterprise business glossary • Collect, develop, and implement Data Quality (DQ) rules across prioritized data domains • Ensure semantic alignment between business and technical metadata, including: • Column names • Data definitions and types • Lineage and physical storage attributes • Apply governance standards consistently across all work efforts • Communicate effectively to drive collaboration, promote governance adoption, and showcase program success • Partner with business, analytics, and technical teams to embed governance into delivery processes Required Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred or equivalent professional experience • 8+ years of experience in data governance and data management implementations • Proven experience leading data governance, data quality, data management, and data stewardship initiatives • Strong understanding of DAMA/DMBOK principles and governance frameworks • Solid experience working with data models and enterprise data concepts • Demonstrated ability to manage stakeholders, influence outcomes, and communicate complex topics clearly • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills Preferred / Nice-to-Have Skills • Hands-on experience with Collibra Data Governance and/or Collibra Data Quality tools • Prior experience delivering data governance initiatives in an Agile environment • Experience working within enterprise-scale data or BI programs