Role Purpose

The Data Governance Consultant helps clients design, document and activate practical governance arrangements for their data. The role works with business, data, technology, security and compliance stakeholders to clarify decision rights, establish ownership and stewardship, develop policies and operating procedures, and create the registers and reporting mechanisms needed to sustain governance.

The consultant combines structured analysis with facilitation and high-quality documentation. Work may include evidence reviews, maturity assessments, role mapping, committee support, policy drafting, issue tracking and governance-performance reporting. The consultant prepares options and recommendations for client approval and supports implementation, but does not become the client's Data Owner, policy owner or governance authority. The expected outcome is a set of usable governance practices and artefacts that client teams understand and can operate after handover.

Key Responsibilities

Conduct governance discovery interviews and review policies, charters, role descriptions, registers, reports and implementation evidence. Support data-management maturity and governance-capability assessments using traceable evidence. Draft governance frameworks, operating procedures, policies, standards, charters and decision records. Map client roles and responsibilities and develop practical RACI matrices for governance activities. Support the definition of Data Owner, Data Steward, focal-point, committee and working-group practices. Prepare workshop materials and facilitate discussions on mandates, ownership, escalation and policy requirements. Maintain issue, decision, action, exception and dependency registers for governance workstreams. Prepare committee agendas, evidence summaries, recommendations and follow-up records without exercising client approval rights. Develop governance indicators and reporting views that show adoption, issues, decisions and implementation progress. Coordinate governance requirements with metadata, quality, architecture, sharing, security, content and analytics teams. Support policy communication, role-based training and governance activation across client departments. Document implementation decisions and transfer tools, methods and operating guidance to client personnel.

Minimum Requirements

Education

Bachelor's degree in information systems, data management, business, public administration or a related field. An equivalent combination of relevant education and directly applicable consulting or implementation experience may be considered.

Professional Experience

Typically 4-8 years in data governance, information governance, risk, compliance or data management. Experience supporting data-governance, information-governance, risk, compliance or data-management initiatives. Practical experience drafting policies, procedures, RACI matrices, charters, registers or governance reports. Experience engaging business and technical stakeholders and documenting agreed decisions. Exposure to public-sector or regulated environments is preferred.

Technical and Domain Knowledge

Data-governance principles, operating models and decision rights. Policy and standards lifecycle, exceptions and compliance evidence. Data ownership, stewardship and committee practices. Governance maturity assessment and evidence mapping. Issue, action, decision and risk registers. Governance indicators, reporting and implementation tracking. Interfaces with metadata, data quality, architecture, sharing and security. Working knowledge of QDKC-aligned governance artefacts and processes.

Core Competencies

Governance frameworks. Policy drafting. RACI design. Issue management. Documentation and reporting. Documentation discipline. Stakeholder coordination. Structured interviewing and evidence collection. Workshop preparation, facilitation and accurate decision capture. Clear policy, procedure and report writing. Translating governance concepts into practical business actions. Managing stakeholders with different mandates and priorities. Producing traceable deliverables and maintaining version control. Supporting implementation while respecting client accountability.

Preferred Certifications

CDMP Associate or Practitioner, with Data Governance specialty preferred Prosci Change Practitioner

Focus areas

Governance frameworks Policy drafting Facilitation

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