Senior Data Governance Specialist

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced and client-focused Data Governance Specialist to join our team. In this role, you will be a trusted advisor to our clients, guiding them through the development, implementation, and maturation of their data governance programs to achieve operational efficiency. Your primary focus will be on building robust governance frameworks by engaging with business and technical teams, defining clear policies, and ensuring strong business engagement to help our clients treat their data as a strategic asset.

Your ability to engage, advise, and influence will ensure that governance is not just a policy on paper, but a way of working that supports better decision‑making, operational excellence, compliance, and long‑term business success.

• Consult and Advise: Partner with a diverse portfolio of clients to assess their current data landscapes, identify governance gaps, and design tailored data governance strategies.
• Framework & Policy Development: Lead the creation and implementation of data governance frameworks, including data standards, policies, and procedures that align with client business objectives and industry best practices.
• Business Engagement: Act as a liaison between business and technical teams. Facilitate workshops, interviews, and meetings with client stakeholders at all levels to build consensus, define roles (e.g., data owners, stewards), and foster a data‑driven culture.
• Program Implementation: Guide clients through the practical steps of rolling out a data governance program. This includes establishing governance councils, defining success metrics, and creating communication plans.
• Metadata and Data Lineage: Support the business and technical team in the creation and upkeep of metadata repositories and lineage documentation to improve data transparency, traceability, and understanding.
• Data Quality Management: Assist clients in monitoring and improving data quality by defining rules, tracking metrics, and supporting issue resolution to ensure data is accurate, complete, and reliable.
• Data Security and Compliance: Help enforce data access controls, privacy policies, and compliance requirements in the data pipeline to protect sensitive information and meet regulatory standards.
• Risk & Compliance: Help clients navigate regulatory (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and other compliance requirements, ensuring their data governance policies mitigate risk.
• Tooling & Technology: Advise clients on selecting and implementing data governance tools (e.g., Collibra, Informatica, Ataccama, data.world) to automate and streamline their programs.

• Minimum 12‑15 years of experience in designing and implementing data governance frameworks and policies for multiple organizations.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to build rapport and influence senior‑level stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills to understand complex client challenges and propose effective, scalable solutions.
• Technical knowledge across modern data ecosystems
  , including experience with data cataloging, metadata management, data quality tools, and cloud data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Big Query, or Redshift).
• Familiarity with data regulations and industry compliance standards.
• A collaborative and consultative mindset
  , with the ability to work closely with business stakeholders, build trust, and guide them through governance adoption.
• A problem‑solving attitude
  , proactively identifying data risks or gaps, and working creatively to implement practical, scalable solutions.
• A commitment to continuous learning
  , staying up to date on new technologies, and governance trends to keep your practices modern and effective.
• Fluency in French.

• Certifications such as CIMP (Certified Information Management Professional), CDS (Certified Data Steward), and CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional) are highly desirable.
• Bachelor's in Computer Science, IT, or Mathematics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• Data Catalog and Data Governance tools (Secoda, Atlan, Ataccama, data.world)
• Indust…