Data Governance (Privacy & Security) Expert

The Data Governance (Privacy & Security) Expert is responsible for leading enterprise-wide data privacy, data protection, information security, and governance initiatives. The role ensures that organizational data management practices comply with legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal governance requirements while maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information.

The position plays a strategic role in developing and maintaining privacy governance frameworks, implementing data protection controls, managing compliance programs, conducting privacy risk assessments, and promoting a culture of security and responsible data usage across the organization.

The role also collaborates closely with business, operational, compliance, legal, and technical teams to strengthen data governance practices, improve data quality, and ensure secure handling of Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and other sensitive organizational data.

Key Responsibilities

Data Privacy & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure ongoing compliance with organizational policies, legal requirements, regulatory standards, contractual obligations, and privacy frameworks.
• Monitor and assess compliance with applicable data protection, cybersecurity, and privacy laws and regulations.
• Evaluate existing privacy and data protection frameworks to identify gaps, weaknesses, and remediation requirements.
• Conduct privacy impact assessments and data protection risk assessments for projects, systems, and operational activities.
• Identify critical privacy and compliance risks and recommend corrective and preventive actions.
• Support internal and external audits related to privacy, governance, and information security compliance.
• Develop remediation plans and monitor implementation progress for identified compliance issues.

Information Security & Data Protection

• Develop, implement, and maintain enterprise data security policies, standards, and procedures.
• Implement and enforce information security controls to protect Protected Health Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and sensitive organizational data.
• Ensure integration of privacy and security requirements into business operations, systems, and organizational strategies.
• Support identity and access management initiatives and secure data handling practices.
• Collaborate with operational and technical teams to optimize security controls and data protection technologies.
• Support data classification, encryption, retention, and secure data disposal initiatives.
• Monitor compliance with security controls and recommend improvements to strengthen organizational security posture.

Data Governance & Data Management

• Establish and maintain enterprise data governance frameworks, standards, policies, and procedures.
• Define and manage data standards, metadata structures, data definitions, and data entry and retrieval rules.
• Support enterprise-wide data discovery, data mapping, and data classification activities.
• Review organizational data usage practices to ensure compliance with governance and privacy requirements.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to maintain data quality, consistency, integrity, and accuracy across systems.
• Develop standards and acceptable methods for reporting, presenting, and sharing organizational data.
• Support the implementation and administration of unified data governance platforms and tools.

Data Analysis, Reporting & Quality Oversight

• Analyze organizational data trends and reporting patterns to identify improvement opportunities.
• Prepare governance, compliance, privacy, and risk management reports for stakeholders and leadership.
• Identify gaps in datasets and recommend additional data collection or governance measures.
• Work with business managers and technical teams to maintain long-term data quality and governance controls.
• Support large-scale data analysis initiatives while ensuring proper governance and data protection measures.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Advisory

• Collaborate with business, legal, compliance, operational, and technical teams on governance and privacy initiatives.
• Provide expert guidance and advisory support on data governance, privacy, and security matters.
• Review projects, systems, and business initiatives to ensure compliance with data protection requirements.
• Support vendor assessments and third-party privacy and security reviews.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to implement privacy-by-design and security-by-design principles.

Training, Awareness & Culture

• Promote a culture of data protection, governance, and compliance across the organization.
• Develop and deliver privacy, governance, and security awareness initiatives and training programs.
• Educate employees and stakeholders on data protection obligations, governance standards, and compliance best practices.
• Support ongoing awareness initiatives related to privacy, cybersecurity, and secure data handling.
• Perform related duties and special projects as assigned.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to governance, compliance, and enterprise security practices.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Cybersecurity, Information Management, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Additional professional education, certifications, or specialized training in privacy, governance, cybersecurity, or compliance is preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in data privacy, data protection, information security, governance and compliance, cybersecurity frameworks, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience working within highly regulated environments, preferably healthcare or other sensitive data environments.
• Proven experience developing and implementing enterprise privacy and governance programs.
• Experience conducting privacy impact assessments, compliance reviews, and governance audits.

Technical Knowledge

• Strong understanding of data privacy and protection laws, information security frameworks and standards, data governance principles, risk management and compliance practices, and privacy impact assessment methodologies.
• Knowledge of industry standards and frameworks, including ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 27018, NIST, CIS Benchmarks, and information security governance best practices.
• Experience with cloud security environments, identity and access management technologies, data discovery and classification tools, data protection and privacy management solutions, and unified data governance platforms.
• Hands-on experience with data privacy management tools, data governance platforms, security monitoring solutions, and enterprise reporting and documentation processes.

Preferred Certifications

• Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP).
• Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE).
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
• ISO 27001 Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor certification.
• Equivalent governance, privacy, cybersecurity, or compliance certifications.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to develop governance frameworks, policies, and compliance programs.
• Strong auditing, reporting, and documentation capabilities.
• Experience leading cross-functional governance and security initiatives.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in complex environments.
• Strong understanding of regulatory compliance and operational risk management.
• High attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to deliver training, awareness, and advisory support effectively.