Lead Data Governance Analyst

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally.

The team marries technology with creativity to build world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touch points serving millions of people around the world. 

Here are a few reasons why we think you’d love working here:

• Building the future of Disney’s media: Our Technologists are designing and building the products and platforms that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.

• Reach, Scale & Impact: More than ever, Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature doorway for fans' connections with the company’s brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News…and many more. These products and brands – and the unmatched stories, storytellers, and events they carry – matter to millions of people globally. 

• Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Commerce, Data & Identity provides the core product management functions for areas crucial to Disney’s media businesses. These include initiatives and products that power digital commerce, identity, and growth, as well as those that reach uniquely across The Walt Disney Company enterprise, such as messaging and privacy, among others. Additionally, it is responsible for the data engineering, science, and products for Disney Entertainment & ESPN, along with their interconnection with other parts of The Walt Disney Company.

The Lead Data Governance Analyst will be essential in ensuring effective data governance across Disney, focusing on data stewardship, developing and operationalizing data policies, standards, and processes, data cataloging and metadata management, and reference data management. This role will lead and manage data governance projects, develop and operationalize key data governance policies, standards, and processes, ensure all data projects are in compliance with data governance policies, support alignment of our critical KPIs and metrics, and ensure best practice data management for our master and reference data.
 

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role: 

• Lead and manage data governance initiatives ensuring timely completion and delivery.

• Communicate and present data governance initiatives and progress to senior management.

• Author data policies, processes, and procedures per best practice data management standards to support data governance initiatives, as well as data product projects.

• Monitor and audit data governance processes to ensure compliance with policies and standards.

• Partner with our Data Stewards who are responsible for data ownership, classification, and metadata management of our data products and platforms, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and Data Governance policies.

• Lead Business and Functional Data Working Groups to assess and document current-state business processes, identify data-related challenges, and synthesize findings into best practice recommendations, ensuring their implementation through to completion.

• Advocate for data governance initiatives and promotes a culture of data stewardship and accountability across the organization.

• Provide training and support to stakeholders to increase data literacy and awareness of data governance principles.

• Mentor and coach junior team members to grow the team’s data governance knowledge base.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, and/or equitable experience

• 7+ years of hands-on experience in Data Governance, Master Data Management, Data Quality, or Metadata Management disciplines.

• Deep understanding of Data Governance principles, policies, and best practices; knowledge of data ownership, data classification, metadata management, and compliance with regulatory requirements such as GDPR, CCPA, COPPA is essential.

• Outstanding verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively interact with all levels of management. This includes active listening, understanding stakeholder needs, managing expectations, conflict resolution, and delivering high-quality service to foster trust and satisfaction.

• Excellent follow-up skills and the ability to take initiative, as well as a proactive problem-solving approach, leveraging critical thinking and analytical skills to develop innovative solutions.

• Experience with a data catalog tool such as Alation, Collibra, or Informatica Axon.

• Ability to manage multiple complex projects, competing priorities, working independently with guidance in only the most complex situations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in a related field, and/or related certification/s

• Experience in the Media & Entertainment field, and/or consulting

• Hands-on experience with Snowflake and Databricks environments.

• Knowledge of any of the following: Python, SQL, AWS, GitHub.

• Experience with a reporting tool such as Tableau or Looker.

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in New York, NY and Seattle, WA is $145,400 to $195,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.