Senior Data Management and Governance Specialist with Top Secret clearance

Job Locations US-DC-Washington

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Data Management and Governance Specialist / Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support a classified U.S. Government contract within the Intelligence Community (IC). The successful candidate will provide subject matter expertise in enterprise data management, data governance, data interoperability, data standards, data integration, and data maturity.

The Data Management and Governance SME will assess the current state of Agency and customer data capabilities and maturity using established industry and IC data maturity frameworks, industry benchmarks, and stakeholder input. The SME will identify capability gaps, organizational challenges, and opportunities to improve how data is managed, governed, integrated, shared, and leveraged across the enterprise.

The position will lead development of an Enterprise Data Strategy that establishes a practical roadmap for improving data management and governance capabilities. The strategy will include documented practices, processes, standards, templates, guidance, roles, responsibilities, and implementation recommendations designed to enable consistent and sustainable data management across customer organizations.

The ideal candidate will combine strong knowledge of enterprise data management and governance with an understanding of the unique requirements of classified government and IC environments. The candidate must be comfortable working across organizational boundaries, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and translating strategic objectives into actionable data management practices.

Key Responsibilities

Serve as a Data Management and Governance SME supporting enterprise data initiatives across the Agency and customer organizations.
• Provide expertise in data management, governance, data standards, data interoperability, data integration, data quality, metadata, and data lifecycle management.
• Assess the current state of Agency and customer data management and governance maturity.
• Apply established industry and IC data maturity frameworks to evaluate organizational capabilities and identify areas for improvement.
• Conduct industry benchmarking and comparative assessments to identify leading practices and relevant maturity targets.
• Gather and analyze stakeholder input through interviews, workshops, surveys, working sessions, and other engagement mechanisms.
• Develop current-state assessments documenting organizational capabilities, processes, technologies, roles, policies, standards, and governance practices.
• Identify data management and governance gaps, risks, dependencies, and opportunities across the enterprise.
• Develop target-state data management and governance capabilities aligned with mission requirements and organizational objectives.
• Develop an Enterprise Data Strategy that establishes a vision, objectives, priorities, capabilities, and roadmap for enterprise data management.
• Develop practical implementation roadmaps that prioritize initiatives based on mission value, organizational readiness, dependencies, and available resources.
• Define and document enterprise data management practices, processes, procedures, standards, templates, and guidance.
• Develop and refine data governance frameworks, including governance structures, roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and operating models.
• Develop governance processes for data ownership, stewardship, quality, access, sharing, classification, metadata, and lifecycle management.
• Establish or enhance Data Stewardship practices and define roles and responsibilities across customer organizations.
• Develop data standards and guidance that promote consistency, interoperability, reuse, and effective data sharing.
• Assess existing data standards and recommend opportunities for alignment with applicable IC, Federal, and industry standards.
• Support development and implementation of common data definitions, taxonomies, metadata standards, data models, and other mechanisms that improve interoperability.
• Develop processes and guidance for managing authoritative data sources and identifying authoritative data assets.
• Support data quality management initiatives, including development of data quality standards, metrics, processes, and governance mechanisms.
• Define approaches for metadata management, data cataloging, data lineage, and data discovery.
• Develop governance and management practices that enable appropriate data sharing across organizational and mission boundaries.
• Collaborate with data architects, engineers, analysts, scientists, cybersecurity professionals, mission owners, and program leadership.
• Coordinate with multiple customer organizations to align data management practices and reduce organizational and technical data silos.
• Facilitate stakeholder workshops and working groups to establish consensus around data management priorities, standards, and governance practices.
• Develop executive-level briefings, presentations, reports, assessments, and recommendations.
• Communicate complex data management and governance concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Establish measurable data management and governance performance indicators to track progress toward target-state capabilities.
• Support development of governance artifacts, including policies, charters, operating procedures, standards, playbooks, templates, and implementation guides.
• Evaluate emerging data management and governance technologies and industry practices and recommend those applicable to the customer environment.
• Support integration of data governance practices into broader enterprise data, analytics, AI, and technology initiatives.
• Ensure data management and governance recommendations align with applicable security, classification, privacy, regulatory, and customer requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Management, Business, Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 12 years of relevant experience in data management, data governance, enterprise data architecture, data strategy, data quality, or a related discipline; Minimum of 10 years with MS/MA; Minimum of 7 years with Ph.D.
• Active TS or Q clearance or higher is required. Ability to obtain Q/SCI.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing enterprise data management and governance strategies.
• Experience conducting organizational data maturity assessments using recognized industry or government frameworks.
• Experience developing current-state and target-state assessments and associated improvement roadmaps.
• Strong understanding of enterprise data management disciplines, including:
• Data Governance
• Data Quality
• Metadata Management
• Data Architecture
• Data Standards
• Data Integration
• Data Interoperability
• Data Stewardship
• Data Lifecycle Management
• Data Sharing and Access
• Experience developing data management policies, procedures, standards, processes, templates, and implementation guidance.
• Experience facilitating stakeholder interviews, workshops, working groups, and organizational assessments.
• Demonstrated ability to work across organizational boundaries and build consensus among diverse stakeholders.
• Experience translating strategic objectives into actionable data management capabilities and implementation plans.
• Strong understanding of data interoperability and the role of common standards, metadata, taxonomies, models, and interfaces in enabling data sharing.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to work independently as an SME while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience supporting the Intelligence Community, Department of Energy, or other U.S. Government organizations.
• Experience developing data strategies within Federal or IC environments.
• Familiarity with established Federal and IC data management and maturity frameworks, standards, and policies.
• Experience with the Federal Data Strategy, Data Management Body of Knowledge (DAMA-DMBOK), or comparable data management frameworks.
• Experience with IC data governance, data-sharing, interoperability, or enterprise data initiatives.
• Experience developing enterprise Data Governance Operating Models.
• Experience establishing Data Governance Councils, Data Stewardship programs, or similar governance structures.

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.

$146,000 - $234,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.