Metadata, Data Cataloging Analyst

Guidehouse

Metadata/Data Cataloging Analyst supporting metadata baselining, data catalog tool evaluation, and governance workflow operationalization in a federal environment.

Posted 5/21/2026full-timeMcLean • Virginia • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

InformaticaSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Execute structured metadata intake & normalization: Conduct in-person/virtual interviews and working sessions with system owners, data stewards, custodians, and SMEs to elicit, capture, and normalize technical, business, operational, and security metadata; reconcile findings with available artifacts (e.g., inventories, data dictionaries) to produce catalog-ready metadata records.
Standards-aligned metadata structuring: Apply standardized intake templates and ensure metadata is structured in catalog-ready formats aligned to recognized metadata standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 11179 and DCAT-US) and schema categories (technical, business, operational, security), including ownership/stewardship and sensitivity indicators as applicable.
Steward validation cycles & quality controls: Drive completeness/consistency checks, document discrepancies, and coordinate steward validation cycles to confirm definitions, resolve gaps, and improve metadata reliability prior to repository or catalog ingestion.
Embedded engagement model: Embed with system owners and designated stewards to improve metadata accuracy and completeness, support rapid clarification loops, and ensure metadata reflects real operational usage and constraints.
Hands-on catalog tool evaluation: Perform structured evaluation of catalog solutions across discovery, lineage, governance workflows, UX, and APIs; capture evidence through demos and testing; document strengths, gaps, and constraints; and contribute to comparative scoring inputs aligned to requirement taxonomies (functional, integration, infrastructure/compute, access/security, vendor support/cost).
AoA workshop and documentation support: Support criteria refinement sessions, requirement prioritization inputs, and synthesis of findings into decision-quality artifacts (e.g., evaluation notes, evidence logs, comparison matrices, and recommendation inputs).
Federated governance & workforce readiness pilot support: Support pilot experiments with federated stewardship roles; assist in capturing observations and metrics on role clarity, policy execution, escalation paths, stewardship effectiveness, metadata lineage demonstration, and policy audit traceability; contribute to pilot reporting outputs.
Data product lifecycle workflow support: Help define, test, and refine prototype workflows for data product creation, publication, discovery, change control, versioning, SLA enforcement, and deprecation; support measurement of compliance to data quality rules, role-based controls, and semantic tagging protocols.
Program operations & stakeholder coordination: Maintain meeting agendas, stakeholder rosters, minutes, and decision/action logs; maintain RACI and risk/issue/action tracking; support facilitation logistics across in-person/virtual sessions; and maintain document control and versioning discipline.
Reporting support: Prepare inputs for monthly and quarterly reporting; maintain supporting artifacts and evidence repositories required for status and governance reporting.

Requirements

What you’ll need

US Citizenship is required.
Bachelor’s degree obtained.
Must be able to OBTAIN and MAINTAIN a Federal or DoD “PUBLIC TRUST”.
Candidates with an ACTIVE SECRET CLEARANCE OR PUBLIC TRUST or suitability are preferred.
5+ years of experience in data management, data governance, metadata management, and/or data cataloging work in complex environments.
Demonstrated experience supporting data cataloging/metadata management initiatives, including metadata intake, business glossary/data dictionary concepts, stewardship workflows, and metadata quality practices.
Hands-on familiarity with one or more leading data catalog / metadata platforms (e.g., Collibra, Alation, Microsoft Purview, Informatica Axon/EDC) and the ability to evaluate solution capabilities using structured criteria.
Working knowledge of metadata standards and structured approaches to defining and managing metadata (including capturing technical and business metadata, stewardship attributes, and sensitivity markers).
Working proficiency with SQL and strong comfort with technical concepts such as APIs and integration patterns (sufficient to coordinate with engineers/architects and interpret system artifacts).
Experience operating in structured delivery methods (Agile preferred), including managing action items, risks/issues, and producing clear stakeholder-ready documentation.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to conduct interviews, facilitate working sessions, document evidence, and translate technical metadata into consistent, business-consumable forms.
Ability to meet the project’s client security and access requirements.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance
Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays
Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus
Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance
401(k) Retirement Plan
Basic Life & Supplemental Life
Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
Student Loan PayDown
Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities
Skills Development & Certifications
Employee Referral Program
Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach
Emergency Back-Up Childcare Program
Mobility Stipend

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

data managementdata governancemetadata managementdata catalogingmetadata intakebusiness glossarydata dictionarySQLAPIsAgile

Soft Skills

strong written communicationstrong verbal communicationinterviewingfacilitationdocumentationstakeholder coordinationquality controlproblem-solvingcollaborationattention to detail

Certifications

Bachelor's degreeFederal or DoD Public TrustACTIVE SECRET CLEARANCE