Data Analyst - Sr Specialist

Job#: 3028307

Job Description:

Our client in Milwaukee is seeking a Data Analyst. This is a 8-month contract role,(hybrid/remote) based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
If you are interested, please send your resume to Ryan at .
Job Description: Metadata Specialist

The Taxonomist/Metadata Specialist role is the lead specialist and SME for the initiative to standardize and govern metadata across strategic HR content platforms and the core HR management system. The role is responsible for ensuring a consistent, trusted data foundation for AI-driven experiences. This hands-on, execution-oriented role balances theory with delivery to define and operationalize metadata practices for the HR domain that materially improve findability, reuse, and AI and search experience outcomes in production systems.

Top 3-4 must-have skills?

• Hands-on taxonomy/metadata development across enterprise platforms (scope, design, validation, launch) especially to improve findability and reuse for AI/search experiences
• Metadata governance design & operationalization (standards, templates, approval workflows, and rules to maintain integrity over time)
• Stakeholder facilitation and alignment (eliciting domain knowledge, reconciling competing mental models)
• Independent, delivery-oriented execution in a greenfield/less mature environment driving production-ready outcomes

Top 3-4 nice-to-have skills?

• Familiarity with knowledge graph and graph databases, semantic technologies
• Experience with metadata management/governance processes and tools (e.g., Collibra, Informatica, Atlan) and enterprise search/content management system ecosystems
• Data management fundamentals (catalog/inventory, lineage concepts, classification practices) and comfort advising on enabling technologies to support metadata standards
• Measurement/optimization mindset using search logs, content audits, and consumption analytics to refine metadata models

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze existing metadata structures across HR information systems and HR content platforms to identify gaps, overlaps, and inconsistencies.
• Define the overall metadata, ontology, and classification strategy for HR content and data to support AI use cases and experiences.
• Develop and operationalize for sustainability a comprehensive, HR-wide metadata framework tailored to AI-driven search, retrieval, and AI user experiences including future-state agentic experiences.
• Define operational rules, standards, and governance processes (including approval workflows) to maintain metadata integrity over time.
• Establish and govern metadata standards including catalog/inventory, lineage, and classification practices in partnership with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Collaborate with content strategists, business partners, and IT teams to create and sustain classification systems and taxonomies.
• Partner with technology teams to align metadata with underlying AI infrastructure and implementation needs.
• Lead and/or consult on the design of activities for co-creation workshops with key stakeholders to gather input on metadata standardization and validate/refine taxonomy and metadata models.
• Drive education, documentation, and best practices in partnership with change management partners on tagging practices and metadata.
• Consult with technology partners to define and evolve an HR ontology for HR AI systems and experiences and advise on potential technologies (existing and emerging) that can support metadata standardization across HR platforms and systems.
• Elicit domain knowledge from HR SMEs, policy owners, call center leads, and other key stakeholders to apply to the HR metadata framework.
• Audit real content, search logs, and data from consumption models to apply to framework and to validate usefulness and make iterative, evidence-based adjustments.
• Establish pragmatic governance that balances control with adoption, including sunset criteria and change thresholds.
• Serve as a single-practitioner taxonomist/metadata lead, setting standards, templates, and repeatable processes without reliance on a large taxonomy team.

Key Deliverables

• A fully documented, unified HR-wide standardized metadata framework.
• Operational governance guidelines, standards, and workflows for maintaining and evolving metadata.
• Training materials and stakeholder education sessions on tagging and metadata usage.
• Workshop outcomes, including documented stakeholder feedback on gaps, overlaps, and concerns.
• An HR ontology developed in collaboration with key stakeholders.
• A roadmap for implementation of metadata standardization and ongoing refinement and adaptation of taxonomy to future AI initiatives to ensure sustainability.
• A documented technology advisory report outlining recommended tools or platforms to support metadata standardization.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information science, library science, semantics/ontology, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 2+ years of experience in a metadata-related field (taxonomy, ontology, semantics, computational linguistics), including creating, implementing, and governing taxonomies.
• Demonstrated experience building and working with metadata, taxonomy, or ontologies in support of AI-enabled experiences in an enterprise environment including scoping, design, validation, and launch.
• Hands-on experience implementing taxonomies or standardizing metadata in a CMS and/or enterprise search platform (not purely academic or archival work).
• Experience working directly with business SMEs to reconcile competing mental models into a single controlled vocabulary.
• Ability to operate independently in a greenfield environment and drive work to tangible, production-ready outcomes.
• Strong facilitation and decision-making skills to prevent analysis paralysis and over-engineering.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and coach stakeholders on metadata standardization value and design.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to navigate organizational networks and drive alignment across teams.
• Awareness of industry trends and standards (knowledge graphs, semantic technologies, graph databases) and advise on relevant applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in highly mature FAANG-style taxonomy environments is acceptable but must be paired with demonstrated success operating as a solo or small-team practitioner in less mature organizations, with limited tooling and evolving governance.
• Familiarity with graph databases and semantic/knowledge graph technologies.
• Ability to create processes and tools to establish, maintain, and update ontology, taxonomy, and metadata models.
• Knowledge of data management principles and technology to support metadata and ontologies (e.g., Informatica, Collibra, Atlan, Microsoft Power BI) and enterprise search/content management and HR data ecosystems (e.g., Lucidworks, Optimizely, ServiceNow, Workday).

Technical Skills: 2. Information Architecture, Metadata & Taxonomy Application

AI-ready content infrastructures

Demonstrated effective stakeholder management

Metadata Standards

EEO Employer

Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law. If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation in using our website for a search or application, please contact our Employee Services Department at or .

Apex Systems is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico. Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details.

Apex Benefits Overview: Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Apex team member can provide.