Data Steward

About the Role

We are seeking a highly detail-oriented Data Steward / Data Governance Specialist with strong expertise in data quality, governance, and compliance within the banking and financial services sector. The role will focus on ensuring that enterprise data assets are accurate, consistent, secure, and aligned with regulatory standards, while enabling business users to leverage trusted data for decision-making.

The ideal candidate will serve as the custodian of critical banking data—driving governance practices, managing metadata, monitoring data quality, and ensuring compliance with frameworks such as Basel III, BCBS 239, GDPR, and local regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary data custodian ensuring integrity, security, and compliance of enterprise data assets.
• Implement and enforce data governance frameworks, policies, and standards across banking operations.
• Define and maintain data dictionaries, metadata repositories, and data lineage documentation.
• Collaborate with business and technology teams to define data ownership, stewardship roles, and accountability.
• Monitor and report on data quality metrics (accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, validity, uniqueness).
• Ensure compliance with banking regulatory reporting requirements (e.g., BCBS 239, Basel III, IFRS 9).
• Partner with risk, compliance, and IT security teams to enforce data privacy and data protection standards (GDPR, PCI DSS, local banking regulations).
• Support master data management (MDM) initiatives to create a single source of truth for critical banking data (customers, accounts, transactions).
• Assist in data classification, access management, and role-based data security policies.
• Work with data owners and business stakeholders to resolve data quality issues and embed data governance practices in day-to-day banking operations.
• Support regulatory audits and inspections by maintaining robust data documentation and governance processes.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Management, Information Systems, or Finance.
• 5+ years of experience in Data Governance, Data Stewardship, or Data Quality roles, preferably within banking or financial services.
• Strong knowledge of banking domain data (customer, KYC, AML, transactions, loans, credit risk, financial reporting).
• Experience with data governance and metadata tools (e.g., Collibra, Informatica Axon, Alation, Talend, Ataccama).
• Proficiency in SQL and data profiling tools for analyzing and monitoring data quality.
• Understanding of data privacy and security regulations (GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, local banking compliance frameworks).
• Familiarity with risk data aggregation and reporting principles (BCBS 239).
• Strong stakeholder management skills with ability to bridge business and technology.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and enforce governance practices.

Preferred / Nice to Have

• Experience in core banking systems, data warehouses, or data lakes.
• Familiarity with cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their governance features.
• Knowledge of data lineage visualization, metadata management, and cataloging tools.
• Background in financial risk, compliance, or regulatory reporting.
• Certifications such as DAMA (CDMP), DCAM, Collibra Ranger, or equivalent.