Data Governance Consultant

Data Governance Consultant Long-Term Contract Opportunity with a Major Financial Services Firm Location: Newark, NJ (Hybrid – 3 Days/Week Onsite) Duration: Long-Term Contract Pay Rate: Up to $80/hr W2 Employment Type: W2 Only (No Corp-to-Corp) Candidates: Local Candidates Only We are seeking a Data Governance Consultant to help drive enterprise-wide data governance initiatives within a leading financial services organization. This role will focus on establishing and enhancing data governance frameworks, defining best practices, improving data quality, and partnering with both business and technology teams to ensure trusted, well-managed data across the organization. The ideal candidate will bring a combination of data governance expertise and technical capability, with experience working in financial services, fintech, banking, payments, capital markets, or similar highly regulated environments. This is a hands-on consulting role requiring both strategic thinking and the ability to work directly with data, systems, and stakeholders. What You Can Expect on a Typical Day Partner with business and technology teams to establish and mature enterprise data governance practices Define, document, and implement data governance standards, policies, procedures, and operating models Develop and promote best practices related to data quality, metadata management, data lineage, stewardship, and data ownership Collaborate with data owners, business stakeholders, and technical teams to improve data management processes across the organization Support enterprise initiatives focused on data quality, regulatory compliance, and risk management Identify data governance gaps and recommend process improvements to strengthen data controls and governance maturity Facilitate discussions with business and technical teams to establish governance requirements and drive adoption Assist in the development and implementation of data governance metrics, reporting, and monitoring processes Partner with data engineering, analytics, and architecture teams to ensure governance principles are incorporated into data solutions Support data cataloging, metadata management, and lineage initiatives Participate in governance councils, working groups, and enterprise data management initiatives Provide guidance and education to stakeholders on governance standards and best practices Required Qualifications 5+ years of experience in Data Governance, Data Management, Data Quality, Data Stewardship, or related disciplines Experience developing or implementing enterprise data governance frameworks, policies, and best practices Strong understanding of data governance concepts, including: Data Quality Metadata Management Data Lineage Data Stewardship Data Ownership Data Cataloging Experience working within financial services, banking, fintech, payments, insurance, capital markets, or other regulated industries Ability to communicate effectively with both business and technical stakeholders Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills Experience facilitating cross-functional discussions and driving consensus across stakeholder groups Technical Qualifications Hands-on experience working with SQL for data analysis, validation, profiling, and governance-related activities Experience using Python for data analysis, data quality assessment, automation, or governance initiatives Ability to analyze and interpret complex data structures, relationships, and business processes Familiarity with enterprise data platforms, databases, and cloud-based data environments Understanding of data architecture and data lifecycle management concepts Preferred Qualifications Experience with data governance platforms such as Informatica, Collibra, Alation, Microsoft Purview, or similar tools Knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements related to financial services data management Experience supporting large-scale data transformation or modernization initiatives Familiarity with AWS, Azure, Snowflake, Databricks, or other modern data platforms Experience establishing data governance programs within complex enterprise environments JSR Tech Consulting