Data Governance and Security Engineer

Job Title: Data Governance and Security Engineer

Location: Hybrid in Dallas, TX ; 1 day a week in office on Tuesdays. In person interview on a Tuesday also.

Duration: 3-6 month contract-to-hire;

Job Summary:

We are looking for an experienced Data Governance and Security Engineer to help manage and protect the organization s data assets using Azure Purview and Varonis. This role is responsible for implementing and maintaining data classification, discovery, and access policies across the enterprise. The ideal candidate will be familiar with both governance and security principles and can bridge the gap between privacy, compliance, and operational risk.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the deployment, configuration, and administration of Azure Purview for data cataloging, classification, and lineage tracking
• Monitor data access and user behavior through Varonis, investigating anomalies and recommending mitigations
• Define and enforce data governance policies, including data classification, retention, and stewardship
• Collaborate with data owners, legal, compliance, and IT to ensure regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA) are met
• Maintain an up-to-date inventory of sensitive data and ensure proper access controls are in place
• Work with security and cloud teams to design and implement protection measures for structured and unstructured data
• Provide actionable reports and dashboards to stakeholders using both Azure Purview and Varonis insights
• Support incident response related to data access, loss, or policy violations
• Conduct periodic audits of data permissions and user roles
• Educate business units on secure data handling, labeling, and sharing practices

Qualifications:

• Bachelor s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Data Management, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in data governance, information security, or risk/compliance roles
• Hands-on experience with Azure Purview (data cataloging, scanning, classification)
• Proficiency in using Varonis for data access monitoring and security alerting
• Strong understanding of data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, FERPA)
• Familiarity with Azure services, RBAC, and Microsoft Information Protection (MIP)
• Excellent analytical, investigative, and documentation skills
• Strong communication skills to interface with IT, compliance, and executive teams

Preferred Certifications:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals or Azure Security Engineer Associate
• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US or CIPP/EU)