Principal Data Governance Analyst

Overview

The Principal Data Governance Analyst will report to the Associate Director of Metadata Management and Data Governance within the I&A department. This role will play a key part in advancing the Institute’s data governance strategy, ensuring that data assets are discoverable, trustworthy, and accessible to drive meaningful insights and outcomes. The Principal Analyst will collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, implement, and manage data governance frameworks, metadata solutions, and policies that support secure and simplified data use across the Institute. This role will also serve as a key liaison between technical teams and end users, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and user needs.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Data Governance Strategy & Execution
• Collaborate with the Associate Director and other stakeholders to define and execute a comprehensive data governance strategy that aligns with the Institute’s goals and data strategy.
• Partner with teams across Informatics & Analytics, Research, Clinical Operations, and Business Functions to identify and prioritize data governance needs.
• Contribute to the design of metadata management solutions that integrate technical and enriched metadata, enabling seamless data discovery and use.
• Evaluate existing metadata and data governance tools, recommending enhancements or new solutions to meet evolving needs.
• Explore opportunities to incorporate emerging AI technologies to streamline metadata management and governance processes.

Metadata Management and Data Governance Implementation
• Lead the development and maintenance of a metadata catalog that documents data lineage, definitions, and governance policies, ensuring data assets are discoverable and trustworthy.
• Design and implement workflows for metadata enrichment, glossary curation, and data stewardship, empowering stakeholders to take ownership of their data.
• Collaborate with technical teams to ensure metadata solutions are integrated with data platforms and analytics tools.
• Conduct user training and engagement sessions to promote adoption of data governance tools and practices.

Policy Development and Process Optimization
• Author data policies, processes, and procedures per best practice data management standards to support the data governance program, data governance initiatives, and data projects.
• Establish frameworks for data stewardship, data quality monitoring, metadata management, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Pilot new approaches to data governance, gathering feedback to refine and optimize processes.
• Monitor and report on the effectiveness of data governance initiatives, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Enablement and Change Management
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across the Institute, ensuring their needs are understood and addressed.
• Facilitate a community of practice for metadata management, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among data users.
• Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders, providing guidance on data governance best practices and tools.
• Communicate program updates, progress, and value generation to leadership and other key stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated experience implementing data governance frameworks, policies, and regulatory compliance.
• Proven expertise in metadata concepts such as lineage, classifications, and the effective use of data catalog tools.
• Hands-on expertise with at least one data governance tool (Collibra, Alation, Atlan, data.world, or others).
• Strong understanding of enterprise analytics environments (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, Tableau, Looker).
• Working knowledge of data quality tools and best practices (Informatica Data Quality (IDQ), Talend, DataGaps, Precisely).
• Familiarity with knowledge graph concepts and modern metadata management solutions.
• Outstanding verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels. This includes active listening, understanding stakeholder needs, managing expectations, conflict resolution, and delivering high-quality service to foster trust and satisfaction.
• Familiarity with data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) and compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on delivering practical and impactful solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects, working independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive and collaborative work environment.

Minimum Job Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Information Systems, Analytics, Business, or Engineering) required. Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Information Systems, Analytics, Business, or Engineering) preferred. 7 years of experience in data governance, metadata management, data quality, or data stewardship required. Experience in healthcare, life sciences, or other highly regulated industries is strongly preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

None

Patient Contact:

No

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

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Pay Transparency Statement

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

$136,500.00 - $151,300.00