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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Governance Technician

💰 $55,000 - $85,000

Data GovernanceIT GovernanceData ManagementComplianceInformation Technology

🎯 Role Definition

As a Governance Technician, you will be the hands-on executor of our governance strategy. Reporting to the Data Governance Manager, you will be responsible for the day-to-day administration, monitoring, and support of our governance tools and processes. You will serve as a crucial link between business stakeholders and technical teams, translating governance requirements into actionable tasks and ensuring that our data is trusted, well-documented, and compliant with all relevant regulations. Your work will directly contribute to building a culture of data accountability and excellence across the organization.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Data Analyst
  • IT Support Specialist
  • Compliance Coordinator
  • Junior Business Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior Governance Analyst
  • Data Steward
  • Data Governance Lead
  • IT Auditor

Lateral Moves:

  • Data Quality Analyst
  • Metadata Analyst
  • IT Risk Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Administer and maintain the enterprise data catalog and business glossary, ensuring all entries are accurate, complete, and up-to-date.
  • Implement, monitor, and troubleshoot data quality rules and controls using dedicated data governance platforms and SQL.
  • Investigate and triage data quality issues, performing root cause analysis in collaboration with business and technical teams to drive remediation.
  • Execute data lineage mapping processes to document the flow of data from source systems to downstream reports and applications.
  • Support the Data Stewardship program by preparing materials for council meetings, tracking action items, and documenting key decisions.
  • Generate and distribute routine data quality dashboards and governance compliance reports to stakeholders at various levels of the organization.
  • Manage user roles, permissions, and access controls for data governance software suites (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Informatica).
  • Participate in the classification of data assets based on sensitivity, privacy, and regulatory requirements like GDPR and CCPA.
  • Collaborate with IT and data engineering teams to embed governance and data quality checks directly into data pipelines and development lifecycles.
  • Conduct periodic audits and reviews of data access, usage patterns, and policy adherence to identify and mitigate potential risks.
  • Develop and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for governance procedures, tool configurations, and standard operating processes.
  • Profile new and existing data sources to identify data patterns, anomalies, and inconsistencies, providing insights for improvement.
  • Assist in the definition and formalization of master and reference data, supporting Master Data Management (MDM) initiatives.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer specific business questions related to data quality and compliance.
  • Contribute to the continuous improvement of the organization's data governance framework, strategy, and roadmap.
  • Act as a subject matter expert and provide training and support to business users on governance best practices and the effective use of governance tools.
  • Assist in the evaluation, testing, and implementation of new data governance technologies and software enhancements.
  • Facilitate the data issue resolution lifecycle, from intake and prioritization to tracking remediation efforts and confirming closure.
  • Document business and technical metadata for Critical Data Elements (CDEs) to enhance enterprise-wide data literacy and trust.
  • Review proposed system changes, new applications, and data projects to assess their impact on existing governance policies and standards.
  • Liaise with IT security, legal, and compliance teams to ensure data governance efforts are aligned with broader risk management and security frameworks.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Strong proficiency in SQL for data querying, profiling, and performing complex data analysis.
  • Hands-on experience with one or more data governance and data cataloging tools (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Informatica Axon/EDC, Atlan).
  • Solid understanding of core data management principles, including metadata management, data quality, MDM, and data lineage.
  • Experience with data quality tools and techniques for profiling, cleansing, and monitoring data.
  • Familiarity with data privacy regulations and security standards (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA).
  • Competency with business intelligence and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) for building governance dashboards.
  • Knowledge of IT governance frameworks such as COBIT or ITIL is a significant plus.
  • Basic understanding of cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and how data governance applies in a cloud environment.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional attention to detail and a methodical, process-oriented mindset.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to perform effective root cause analysis.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of explaining technical topics to non-technical audiences.
  • Highly collaborative team player with strong interpersonal skills to work effectively across different departments.
  • Superior organizational and time-management abilities to manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously.
  • A proactive and self-motivated work ethic with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent practical experience in a data-centric role.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, or Data Management.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Information Systems
  • Computer Science
  • Data Management / Analytics
  • Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of experience in data management, data analysis, IT compliance, business systems analysis, or a related field.

Preferred: 2+ years of direct experience in a data governance or IT governance role, with proven, hands-on use of enterprise-level governance platforms. Professional certifications in data governance (e.g., DAMA CDMP) are highly desirable.

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