Data Steward/Data Quality Steward

The Data Steward is responsible for strategically managing assigned data entities across a specified portion of the enterprise and ensuring high levels of data quality, integrity, availability, trustworthiness, and data security. This role is responsible for establishing consistent data definitions, maintaining business and technical rules and monitoring and auditing data quality. The Data Steward emphasizes the business value of data, fosters the goal of data re-use and articulates the significance of information to the organization. Other responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Serves as the primary contact for all questions throughout the data life-cycle relating to the data definition, its use, related processes and policies, and quality.
• Works as part of a team dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the overall usefulness, integrity and data security of data across the enterprise.
• Performs data quality checks for each data source system.
• Resolves definition, business rules, system of record, business process and other integrity issues on a case-by-case basis.
• Documents data issues that cannot be resolved directly and escalates them to the Data Governance Council for resolution.

Responsibilities

• Records the business use for defined data and assists in identifying and defining business glossary terms.
• Manages reference data libraries.
• Identifies opportunities to share and re-use data.
• Determines and gains agreement for target data quality metrics.
• Monitors the progress towards (and tuning of) data quality and data security target metrics.
• Oversees data quality and the information lifecycle strategy and remedial measures.
• Participates in the enforcement of data quality and data security standards.
• Ensures the quality, completeness and accuracy of data definitions.     
• Communicates concerns, issues, and problems with data to the individuals that can influence change.
• Researches and resolves data issues.  Research should include usage of metadata management tools.
• Ensures that data management methodologies include the steps, activities and deliverables required to consistently achieve high-quality secure data.
• Ensures that the data owners or systems of record adhere to defined data management practices, policies, and procedures.
• Identifies and manages the resolution of data quality and data security issues, such as uniqueness, integrity, accuracy, consistency, privacy and completeness in a cost-effective and timely fashion.

Qualifications/Certifications

• Possesses strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Has a solid understanding of relational database structures, theories, principles and practices.
• Experience with data processing flowcharting techniques.
• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Ability to represent the data management team as a key subject-matter expert and resource for the assigned data entity.
• Has a strong understanding of data capture, update, usage and other core business processes that influence the data life cycle.
• Depending on project requirements, should be familiar with common practices in Data Governance, Master Data Management and/or Product Information Management. 
• Experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
• Previous industry vertical experience is essential.
• Possesses excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Exhibits effective negotiating skills.
• Displays meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively with both business and technical stakeholders.
• Must facilitate collaboration and communication between business and technical stakeholders.

Further Note:

It cannot be over emphasized that Data Steward is a role and not necessarily a position that one typically hires and fills with external candidates.  The recommendation is to assign the responsibilities for this role to individuals already in the organization who meet the criteria, as they are likely to have more experience with the specific data and the business data issues that arise.