Metadata / Data Cataloging Analyst

About the role

The Metadata / Data Cataloging Analyst (Senior Consultant) supports enterprise metadata baselining, data catalog tool evaluation, and governance workflow operationalization by executing structured metadata intake, normalization, validation, and evidence-based documentation across DHA stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Execute structured metadata intake & normalization: Conduct in-person/virtual interviews and working sessions with system owners, data stewards, custodians, and SMEs to elicit, capture, and normalize technical, business, operational, and security metadata; reconcile findings with available artifacts (e.g., inventories, data dictionaries) to produce catalog-ready metadata records.
• Standards-aligned metadata structuring: Apply standardized intake templates and ensure metadata is structured in catalog-ready formats aligned to recognized metadata standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 11179 and DCAT-US) and schema categories (technical, business, operational, security), including ownership/stewardship and sensitivity indicators as applicable.
• Steward validation cycles & quality controls: Drive completeness/consistency checks, document discrepancies, and coordinate steward validation cycles to confirm definitions, resolve gaps, and improve metadata reliability prior to repository or catalog ingestion.
• Embedded engagement model: Embed with system owners and designated stewards to improve metadata accuracy and completeness, support rapid clarification loops, and ensure metadata reflects real operational usage and constraints.
• Hands-on catalog tool evaluation: Perform structured evaluation of catalog solutions across discovery, lineage, governance workflows, UX, and APIs; capture evidence through demos and testing; document strengths, gaps, and constraints; and contribute to comparative scoring inputs aligned to requirement taxonomies (functional, integration, infrastructure/compute, access/security, vendor support/cost).
• AoA workshop and documentation support: Support criteria refinement sessions, requirement prioritization inputs, and synthesis of findings into decision-quality artifacts (e.g., evaluation notes, evidence logs, comparison matrices, and recommendation inputs).
• Federated governance & workforce readiness pilot support: Support pilot experiments with federated stewardship roles; assist in capturing observations and metrics on role clarity, policy execution, escalation paths, stewardship effectiveness, metadata lineage demonstration, and policy audit traceability; contribute to pilot reporting outputs.
• Data product lifecycle workflow support: Help define, test, and refine prototype workflows for data product creation, publication, discovery, change control, versioning, SLA enforcement, and deprecation; support measurement of compliance to data quality rules, role-based controls, and semantic tagging protocols.
• Program operations & stakeholder coordination: Maintain meeting agendas, stakeholder rosters, minutes, and decision/action logs; maintain RACI and risk/issue/action tracking; support facilitation logistics across in-person/virtual sessions; and maintain document control and versioning discipline.
• Reporting support: Prepare inputs for monthly and quarterly reporting; maintain supporting artifacts and evidence repositories required for status and governance reporting.

Requirements

• US Citizenship is required.
• Must be able to OBTAIN and MAINTAIN a Federal or DoD “PUBLIC TRUST”.
• Candidates with an ACTIVE SECRET CLEARANCE OR PUBLIC TRUST or suitability are preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in data management, data governance, metadata management, and/or data cataloging work in complex environments.
• Demonstrated experience supporting data cataloging/metadata management initiatives, including metadata intake, business glossary/data dictionary concepts, stewardship workflows, and metadata quality practices.
• Hands-on familiarity with one or more leading data catalog / metadata platforms (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Microsoft Purview, Informatica Axon/EDC) and the ability to evaluate solution capabilities using structured criteria.
• Working knowledge of metadata standards and structured approaches to defining and managing metadata (including capturing technical and business metadata, stewardship attributes, and sensitivity markers).
• Working proficiency with SQL and strong comfort with technical concepts such as APIs and integration patterns (sufficient to coordinate with engineers/architects and interpret system artifacts).
• Experience operating in structured delivery methods (Agile preferred), including managing action items, risks/issues, and producing clear stakeholder-ready documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to conduct interviews, facilitate working sessions, document evidence, and translate technical metadata into consistent, business-consumable forms.
• Ability to meet the project’s client security and access requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree obtained.
• Experience in data management, data governance, metadata management, and/or data cataloging work in complex environments.
• Hands-on familiarity with one or more leading data catalog / metadata platforms (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Microsoft Purview, Informatica Axon/EDC) and the ability to evaluate solution capabilities using structured criteria.
• Working knowledge of metadata standards and structured approaches to defining and managing metadata (including capturing technical and business metadata, stewardship attributes, and sensitivity markers).
• Working proficiency with SQL and strong comfort with technical concepts such as APIs and integration patterns (sufficient to coordinate with engineers/architects and interpret system artifacts).
• Experience operating in structured delivery methods (Agile preferred), including managing action items, risks/issues, and producing clear stakeholder-ready documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to conduct interviews, facilitate working sessions, document evidence, and translate technical metadata into consistent, business-consumable forms.
• Ability to meet the project’s client security and access requirements.

Skills

• Direct experience conducting or supporting catalog tool evaluations / AoAs, including criteria development, demo scripts, evidence logs, scoring, and synthesis of tradeoffs into decision-ready recommendations.
• Familiarity with federated governance concepts and readiness pilots (e.g., stewardship role clarity, escalation paths, policy execution, lineage demonstration, audit traceability).
• Familiarity with data product lifecycle governance concepts (e.g., workflow design for publish/discover/change control/deprecate; versioning; SLA alignment; semantic tagging; data quality compliance measurement).
• Experience building or administering structured metadata repositories/workflows in SharePoint/PowerApps/Power Automate or similar low-code environments used for interim metadata capture and validation.
• Background in regulated environments (healthcare preferred) and comfort working with metadata classification concepts related to PHI/PII/CUI and audit-oriented documentation.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., DAMA/CDMP) or formal training in data governance, metadata management, taxonomy/ontology, or information architecture.

Benefits

• Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays
• Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus
• Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Basic Life & Supplemental Life
• Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Student Loan PayDown
• Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities
• Skills Development & Certifications
• Employee Referral Program
• Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach
• Emergency Back-Up Childcare Program
• Mobility Stipend

Pay

Competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package.

Schedule

Full-time, remote work with up to 10% travel required.