Data Governance Engineer

Zendesk’s (Enterprise) Data Governance Office (DGO) is seeking a proactive, hard-working and experienced data governance engineer to build modern and scalable data and analytics governance controls, workflows, and Agents (LLM, LAM). This role requires a broad mix of business and technical savvy, teamwork, influencing decisions, and effective communication skills with key internal partners at all levels. This is your chance to build modern data governance capabilities with a modern data stack in a SaaS ecosystem during Zendesk’s evolution!

What you'll be doing
DGO Transformation & implementation “Build” & “Run” support:

• Implement data governance tools: Design, configure, and maintain data governance platforms and tools, such as Collibra, Alation, Atlan, Snowflake Horizon, Google Dataplex, Microsoft Purview.

• Build automated pipelines: Develop tooling and workflows to automate data governance operations, including metadata enrichment, data quality monitoring, and data access management.

• Manage metadata: Engineer and maintain metadata repositories and data lineage documentation to track data flow and dependencies.

• Integrate data solutions: Partner with data engineers to ensure data integration processes adhere to governance standards, including seamless data flow, data quality contracts, and standardized definitions.

• Conduct quality assessments: Develop and run automated data quality checks to identify anomalies and inconsistencies, and recommend corrective actions.

• Collaborate on policy: Work with data stewards and business units to translate data governance policies into practical, automated technical controls.

• Lead solution architecture: Oversee the design and deployment of services and tooling for data governance, particularly for complex data environments like a data mesh.

• Mentor and coach: Provide technical mentorship to junior engineers and team members on data governance practices and tool development.

• Solve complex problems: Proactively identify and lead the resolution of complex data governance and quality issues in collaboration with data stewards and stakeholders.

• Improve governance processes: Maintain and enhance data governance processes by identifying weaknesses and promoting efficiency within the data program.

• Influence long-range goals: Exert influence on the long-term goals of the data team and advocate for improvements to data quality, security, and standards.

• Advancing the Business Glossary, Data Dictionary, and Metadata Catalog (roadmap, UI, workflows, controls, metrics) with automation and integration techniques (metadata generation, validation, propagation)

• Launch and automate DGO dashboard & critical metrics

• Partner, influence, and collaborate with partners: Organisational Change, Security, Privacy, Legal, Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, Resilience, PMO, Internal Communications, Learning & Development Teams

Required Qualifications

• Proficiency in scripting languages like Python and SQL

• Proven experience working with data governance or data management roles, and hands-on experience with data governance tools like data catalogs, data dictionaries, business glossaries.

• Working knowledge and experience in the industry leading data governance principles, frameworks, practices, and standards (e.g. NIST, ISO, DMBOK, DCAM, CDMC, etc.)

• Demonstrated knowledge of major data regulations in the Enterprise Software industry (US CPRA, GDPR, Data Sovereignty/Locality, HIPAA, SOX, ISO 27701, Data Retention, Data Privacy, AI Act, etc.)

• Familiar with solutions/tools in the data stack: data catalogs (Alation, Snowflake), master data, ETL / ELT (Fivetran, DBT), observability, logging, cloud platforms, and BI / dashboards / visualization (Tableau, Looker)

• Demonstrable experience supporting data lake and/or data warehouse operations and large multi-functional data programs

• Hands-on, collaborative, and have strong interest in building new data governance capabilities and automation from the ground up

• Experience with supporting and improving enterprise-class SaaS systems. This includes planning, analysis and design, configuration, development, data migrations, system testing, cutover plan, and production support

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.

• Ability to travel internationally less than 5% of the time (e.g. US or EU offices)

Where We Work

Zendesk is not your average tech company. We have all the stuff you’d expect - competitive pay, benefits, appealing offices, snacks, and more. We also have a culture deeply dedicated to enabling conversations and providing appreciative support. We help our staff keep work-life balance, from flexible hours to remote work, to the most dynamic parental leave plans on the market. Our Social Impact team is actively engaged in our community and enables us to invest thousands of hours with local community groups each year. We invest in diversity and inclusion so that our team reflects the diversity of the world around us. We have a whole crew dedicated to ensuring our workplace experience is top notch and welcoming for all.

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

The intelligent heart of customer experience

Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency, we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with your specific accommodation request.