Data Governance Consultant

Data governance consultants help organizations implement frameworks and practices for managing data quality, security, privacy, and usage.

You develop data governance policies and standards, implement metadata management, establish data stewardship roles, create data quality processes, ensure regulatory compliance, and build governance operating models.

This work becomes critical as data becomes strategic asset and regulatory requirements increase (GDPR, CCPA, etc.).

Projects range from $25,000-$150,000 for governance program implementation with ongoing support opportunities.

Consultants charge $150-$280 hourly.

Revenue potential reaches $150,000-$380,000 annually with 65-80% margins.

Target clients include regulated industries (healthcare, finance) with compliance needs, enterprises with data quality issues, companies after data breaches or incidents, organizations with GDPR or privacy requirements, and businesses treating data as strategic asset.

Services include governance framework design, policy and standards development, metadata management implementation, data catalog setup, stewardship program creation, compliance assessment, and ongoing governance support.

Success requires understanding data governance frameworks and best practices, knowledge of regulatory requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.), ability to design practical policies that organizations follow, change management skills driving adoption, and governance tool knowledge (Collibra, Alation, etc.).

Leading governance consultants often have compliance or data management backgrounds, develop industry-specific governance frameworks, balance governance rigor with practical usability, implement modern data catalog tools, and potentially offer managed governance services.

The work is part compliance, part organization design, part technology implementation.