Senior Data Governance Analyst

Job Title: Senior Data Governance Analyst
Work Type: Hybrid
Location: Richmond, VA 23219
Salary: $44 – $64 per hour
Start Date: November 16, 2026
End Date: November 30, 2027
Industry Category: Government / Healthcare / Data Governance & Information Technology
Employment Type: Contract
Requisition ID: 815251

Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Senior Data Governance Analyst to support the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) in Richmond, Virginia.

This CDC-funded contract opportunity focuses on implementing and continuously improving enterprise data governance by integrating people, processes, policies, and technology.

The ideal candidate will combine advanced business analysis and stakeholder facilitation skills with extensive experience in data analysis, data lineage, data cataloging, SQL, data warehousing, requirements elicitation, and data governance policy development.

The position emphasizes governance by design, sustainable business processes, stakeholder collaboration, operational accountability, and organizational adoption rather than hands-on application development.

This position requires two days per week on-site in Richmond, Virginia. Local Richmond-area candidates are preferred.

Application:

Application Deadline: Monday, November 9, 2026, at 4:00 PM Eastern Time.

Qualified candidates should demonstrate at least ten years of experience in data analysis, data lineage and cataloging, data policy and procedure development, SQL, data warehousing, and requirements elicitation.

Applicants must be able to work on-site in Richmond two days per week and attend a follow-up in-person interview if requested by the hiring manager.

Candidates must provide their current city and state of residence and confirm that they will physically reside within the United States throughout the assignment.

Do not upload personally identifiable information (PII) into PIXID.

Job Description:

The Senior Data Governance Analyst will support DBHDS in implementing and improving enterprise data governance practices through business analysis, process design, requirements management, and cross-functional stakeholder collaboration.

Working with data owners, data stewards, business units, enterprise architecture, engineering, security, analytics teams, and external partners, the analyst will translate governance policies, standards, and decisions into repeatable and measurable operational processes.

The position requires advanced facilitation skills to lead complex discussions, reconcile competing priorities, clarify governance responsibilities, and support decisions made by authorized stakeholders.

The successful candidate will identify governance gaps, perform root-cause analysis, document current-state and future-state processes, develop standard operating procedures, and support the implementation of operational controls.

The analyst will also contribute to data quality improvement, access governance, data sharing, enterprise data onboarding, master and reference data management, compliance reviews, and governed data product requirements.

Although the role is primarily focused on governance operations and business processes rather than software development, extensive technical data experience is required to collaborate effectively with enterprise technology teams.

Responsibilities:

Data Governance Business Analysis & Process Improvement

• Analyze business processes and data management practices to identify governance gaps, risks, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Facilitate requirements elicitation, root-cause analysis, and current-state and future-state process design.
• Translate governance policies, standards, and business needs into actionable requirements, workflows, procedures, and operational controls.
• Develop business requirements documentation, process maps, standard operating procedures (SOPs), RACI matrices, and performance measures.
• Support process implementation, automation, adoption, and continuous improvement.

Enterprise Governance Facilitation & Collaboration

• Facilitate cross-functional working sessions involving data owners, stewards, business units, enterprise architecture, engineering, security, analytics, and external partners.
• Lead complex discussions, evaluate alternatives, reconcile competing priorities, and build consensus.
• Support informed governance decisions by authorized stakeholders.
• Clarify decision rights, responsibilities, dependencies, and required implementation actions.
• Document decisions, communicate outcomes, and coordinate follow-through across responsible teams.

Data Analysis, Lineage & Cataloging

• Analyze enterprise data management practices to identify quality, consistency, transparency, and governance challenges.
• Evaluate data lineage, metadata, and cataloging practices to support governance objectives.
• Apply SQL and data warehouse knowledge to support data analysis and governance investigations.
• Collaborate with technical teams to understand data flows, data sources, and enterprise data dependencies.
• Identify opportunities to improve data documentation, traceability, and usability.

Data Governance Policies & Operational Controls

• Support data owners and stewards in implementing governance policies, standards, roles, and responsibilities.
• Develop and refine governance procedures, business rules, and operational controls.
• Support governance decision processes, including Awareness, Risks, Issues, and Decisions (ARID).
• Define and monitor measures of governance effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, compliance, and data quality.
• Promote consistent application of governance requirements across business operations and technology delivery.

Data Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Facilitate identification and investigation of enterprise data quality issues.
• Coordinate root-cause analysis, remediation planning, and continuous improvement activities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to establish data quality measures and accountability.
• Track governance-related improvement initiatives and implementation progress.
• Support sustainable processes for monitoring and resolving recurring data management issues.

Data Access Governance, Sharing & Compliance

• Support access governance processes by documenting authorization requirements, decisions, and implementation conditions.
• Facilitate data sharing requirements and coordinate with teams responsible for executing approved decisions.
• Support compliance reviews and governance-related process improvements.
• Help ensure governance requirements are incorporated into data acquisition, integration, management, and consumption.
• Maintain documentation of decisions, responsibilities, and operational requirements.

Enterprise Data Management & Data Products

• Support prioritized initiatives involving automated data onboarding and enterprise data integration.
• Collaborate on Enterprise Master Person Index (EMPI) and reference data management initiatives.
• Facilitate business and analytical requirements for governed enterprise data products.
• Support alignment between data consumer needs, governance requirements, and technical implementation.
• Collaborate with enterprise partners on interoperability, data management, and data lifecycle improvements.

Documentation, Reporting & Stakeholder Communication

• Prepare clear business requirements, governance procedures, process documentation, and decision records.
• Communicate complex governance and data management concepts to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Document implementation dependencies, action items, and follow-up responsibilities.
• Support reporting on governance effectiveness, compliance, and process adoption.
• Promote organizational accountability and consistent governance practices.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in data analysis.
• 10+ years of experience with data lineage and data cataloging.
• 10+ years of experience creating data policies, procedures, and related governance documentation.
• 10+ years of experience using SQL for enterprise data analysis and related activities.
• 10+ years of experience working with data warehouses and enterprise data warehousing environments.
• 10+ years of experience in requirements elicitation.
• 7+ years of experience working with relational databases and platforms such as SQL Server, Oracle, Snowflake, or comparable technologies.
• 5+ years of experience in business analysis, requirements elicitation, process improvement, or related enterprise business functions.
• Demonstrated senior-level business analysis and complex problem-solving capabilities.
• Advanced facilitation skills, including leading cross-functional working sessions, navigating competing priorities, building consensus, and driving decisions to resolution.
• Proven ability to analyze, design, document, and support implementation of sustainable business processes.
• Ability to interpret policies, standards, and business requirements and translate them into practical operational processes, business rules, and controls.
• Working knowledge of enterprise data governance principles, including data ownership, stewardship, access governance, data quality, compliance, and data lifecycle management.
• Strong analytical, written communication, verbal communication, stakeholder management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with business and technical stakeholders.
• Must be willing and able to work on-site in Richmond, Virginia, two days per week.
• Must be available for a follow-up in-person interview if requested by the hiring manager.
• Must physically reside within the United States throughout the assignment in accordance with Commonwealth of Virginia security policies.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Business Administration, Information Management, or a related field. Equivalent professional experience and relevant certifications may be considered.
• Experience supporting enterprise data governance initiatives, including governance process implementation, data stewardship, data quality, metadata management, or access governance.
• Experience in government, healthcare, or another regulated environment.
• Familiarity with enterprise data integration, interoperability, master and reference data management, and governed data products.
• Knowledge of data governance frameworks such as DAMA-DMBOK and DMMI.
• Familiarity with process improvement methodologies such as BPMN, Lean, or Six Sigma.
• Experience with AWS, Snowflake, and Commonwealth of Virginia/VITA standards.
• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) certification or other relevant professional certifications.
• Local residency in the Richmond, Virginia, metropolitan area.

Benefits

Compensation:

• Pay Range: $44 – $64 per hour

Schedule:

• Mandatory On-Site Requirement: 2 days per week
• Remote Work: Remaining scheduled workdays, subject to agency requirements

Work Location:

• Richmond, VA 23219