Enterprise Data Strategy Lead

Job

Agency:
Bureau of Information and Technology

Location:

Pierre;
Rapid City;
Sioux Falls; or Aberdeen, SD

Salary: $96,699.46 - $ Annual Salary, depending on qualifications

Pay Grade: IT 10

Closing Date: 1/2/26

This is a Full-Time 40 Hours Weekly position with the Bureau of Information and Technology. For more information on the Bureau of Information and Technology, please visit https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). .

The State of South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunication (BIT) is seeking an experienced visionary and collaborative Enterprise Data Strategy Lead to lead the development of a statewide data strategy that enables secure, ethical, and effective use of data across all state agencies. This role will serve as the central point of coordination for data governance, data sharing, and business intelligence (BI) initiatives, laying the foundation for a unified, data-driven government.

As the Enterprise Data Strategy Lead, the individual will be responsible for providing strategic leadership in the development and execution of a multi-year statewide data strategy. This strategy must align with BIT's and the Governor's priorities and the missions of various state agencies. A key part of this role involves identifying and prioritizing cross-agency data use cases that deliver measurable public value.

The lead will also be tasked with establishing a comprehensive data governance framework, including the creation of policies, standards, and clearly defined roles to ensure consistency and accountability across the enterprise.

Stakeholder engagement is central to the success of this role. You must have a proven capacity to build and sustain collaborative relationships with stakeholders. The lead will convene and guide a State Data Governance Council composed of representatives from key agencies. Building strong partnerships with agency data owners, IT leaders, legal teams, and external stakeholders is essential. Promoting a culture of data sharing, transparency, and ethical use will be a continuous focus.

On the operational side, the role includes leading a statewide data inventory and maturity assessment, implementing data stewardship models, and establishing metadata standards and data quality practices. The individual will also manage data sharing agreements, privacy policies, and compliance protocols to ensure responsible data use.

In the realm of business intelligence and analytics, the lead will assess current BI tools and recommend a standardized or federated architecture that supports statewide needs. Promoting data literacy and training programs across agencies will be key to building capacity and ensuring effective use of data. The role also includes supporting the development of dashboards and analytics that inform policy decisions and operational improvements.

From a policy and compliance perspective, the lead must ensure alignment with state and federal regulations such as HIPAA, FERPA, and CJIS, and work closely with legal and compliance teams to manage data classification and retention policies. Finally, the role requires defining and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of the data strategy and providing regular updates to executive leadership and stakeholders on progress and impact.

Remote work may be possible for the right candidate, but must be within the state of South Dakota.

A bachelor's degree in public administration, information systems, data science, or a closely related field. A minimum of five years of experience in data governance, information systems, analytics, or enterprise data management is required. Candidates should demonstrate a strong understanding of data privacy, compliance standards, and the ethical use of data, ensuring that organizational practices align with regulatory and societal expectations.

Candidates should have strong familiarity and experience with Power BI as well as Azure data platforms.

The candidate must have direct experience leading the development of a statewide data strategy that enables secure, ethical, and effective use of data across all state agencies,…