Senior Data Analyst

Job Title: Data Analyst V (Senior Data Governance Specialist) Location: Downtown Houston, TX (Hybrid) Schedule: 4 Days Onsite | Remote Fridays Duration: 12 Months Position Summary The Senior Data Governance Specialist is responsible for establishing, driving, and maturing the enterprise data governance framework. This role ensures the organization’s data is trustworthy, compliant, secure, and aligned with business strategy. The specialist provides cross-pillar leadership across metadata, lineage, data quality (DQ), access governance, policies, MDM, compliance, and change-management initiatives. This role works closely with senior business stakeholders, technical teams, Legal, Security, and audit partners. Key Responsibilities 1. Data Governance Strategy & Framework • Develop and maintain enterprise data governance strategy, policies, standards, and processes • Define and implement scalable operating models (centralized, federated, hybrid) • Lead KPI development, maturity assessments, and continuous improvement cycles 1. DataQuality Management • Define enterprise DQ dimensions, rules, and controls • Drive identification and governance of Critical Data Elements (CDEs) • Lead issue triage, root cause analysis (RCA), and remediation efforts 3.Metadata, Lineage & Catalog Management • Lead enterprise adoption of metadata standards • Govern Atlan catalog (domains, glossary, lineage, personas, policies) • Partner with architecture & engineering for automated/manual lineage expansion 4.Data Ownership & Stewardship • Establish Data Owner, Steward, and Custodian accountability models • Lead Data Governance Council and steward community • Ensure alignment on definitions, usage, and controls 5.Policy, Controls & Compliance • Ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations (GDPR, CCPA, SOX, HIPAA as applicable) • Partner with Legal, Security, and Compliance teams • Lead audit evidence collection and regulatory readiness initiatives 1. Master & Reference Data Governance • Govern master data domains in collaboration with MDM/architecture teams • Oversee enterprise reference data lifecycle and approved definitions 1. Data Access & Security Governance • Define classification schemes and access policies • Partner with IT/Security on RBAC, entitlement reviews, and data protection validation 1. Technology & Tools Enablement • Evaluate and implement DG tools (Atlan, Monte Carlo, MDM, workflow automation, ITSM integrations) • Lead Atlan & Monte Carlo enablement across the enterprise • Integrate metadata and quality signals into BI dashboards • Champion automation through APIs Required Skills & Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS, Data Management, or related field • 7–10+ years of experience in Data Governance, Data Management, Analytics Engineering, or Data Quality • Strong expertise in: • Metadata management • Master Data Management (MDM) • Data Quality frameworks • Data lineage • Regulatory compliance • Hands-on experience with Atlan and Monte Carlo (preferred) • Strong SQL and BI background • Experience integrating catalog/observability tools into dashboards • Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders across Business, Engineering, Legal, Security, and Compliance • Excellent communication skills with ability to simplify complex data concepts