Overview

• The Data Governance Specialist will drive the development of a tailored public health data governance framework that is aligned with industry standards and regulatory requirements. This role is aligned to the Workforce Acceleration Initiative (WAI). WAI is a federally funded CDC Foundation program with the goal of helping the nation’s public health agencies by providing them with the technology and data experts they need to accelerate their information system improvements. Working within the South Dakota Department of Health the Data Governance Specialist will collaborate across technical and non-technical teams to conduct a comprehensive assessment of current data governance practices, policies and procedures to identify gaps and risks. Working closely with the Data Modernization Administrator and the State Epidemiologist, who leads the Department of Health’s Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Informatics Center, the Data Governance Specialist will be instrumental in developing and implementing structured policies and procedures that enhance the department’s ability to utilize data effectively, fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making and sharing. The Data Governance Specialist will be hired by the CDC Foundation and assigned to the South Dakota Department of Health. This position is eligible for a fully remote work arrangement for U.S. based candidates.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with various departmental programs to bridge the gaps between siloed systems and data stewardship, enabling better utilization of data for informed decision-making.
• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of current data governance practices, policies and procedures to inventory existing documentation as well as identify gaps and risks.
• With input from existing staff, lead the development of clear policies, procedures and guidelines for data management, privacy, security and compliance.
• Develop foundational governance policies for data sharing such as agreement frameworks (Assurances of confidentiality, Data use agreements (DUA), Research Material Distribution agreements (RMDA)).
• Assist in the creation of privacy and protection policies (Small populations policy, HIPAA compliance (i.e. safe harbor) policy).
• Ensure data stewards and key partners have the training and resources to perform effectively on their data management, quality, and governance responsibilities.
• Define access policies and optimize data-related workflows and communication.
• Define clear roles and responsibilities to ensure standards and best practices are followed.
• Coordinate meetings; prepare agendas, take minutes, assign follow up tasks and ensure progress on action items.
• Effectively communicate insights and plans to cross-functional team members and management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in health administration, computer science, information systems, computer engineering, operations management or related field required. Master’s or other related advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of related experience in data governance, data management, or data quality
• Experience developing and documenting data governance processes and procedures
• Advanced understanding of data management, confidentiality, compliance, laws and regulations such as, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
• Ability to effectively communicate both data and health concepts, like healthcare, public health, or epidemiology, bidirectionally with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience coordinating data governance for or directly managing data management documentation for data systems, metadata, and metadata standards (e.g. file layouts, data dictionaries, data attributes, data user policies, data management policies)
• Experience collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams for information gathering, input, and decision making around change and risk management initiatives and roll-out.
• Strong understanding of data-related technical concepts and systems.
• Outstanding interpersonal and teamwork skills; and the ability to develop productive working relationships with colleagues and partners.
• Experience working in a virtual environment with remote partners and teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.