BigQuery Data Governance & Access Management Consultant

BigQuery Data Governance & Access Management Consultant Contract: 6 Months Location: Kent (Hybrid – 2 days onsite) Rate: £550 per day (Inside IR35) We are looking for an experienced BigQuery Data Governance & Access Management Consultant to join a major UK organisation on a 6-month contract. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in establishing a secure, scalable, and business-focused data governance framework across a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) environment. Working with business stakeholders, technology teams, security, and compliance functions, you will define and implement governance standards, access management models, and operating processes that enable secure self-service analytics while maintaining regulatory compliance. Key Responsibilities Data Governance • Assess the current BigQuery and GCP data landscape. • Define enterprise-wide data governance, access, and usage policies. • Establish governance guardrails for analytical data consumption. • Develop data ownership, stewardship, and accountability models. • Create data classification and handling standards. Access Management & Security • Design and implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) within BigQuery and GCP. • Apply least privilege access principles. • Define business-aligned access groups and entitlement structures. • Develop privileged access management processes. • Establish periodic access reviews and recertification processes. • Work closely with security and compliance teams to ensure auditability and traceability. Self-Service Analytics • Enable secure self-service analytics across the organisation. • Develop governance controls for trusted data consumption. • Support data cataloguing and metadata management practices. • Create reusable access request processes. • Enable trusted data domains while reducing dependency on central data teams. Governance Operating Model • Define responsibilities for Data Owners, Data Stewards, and Custodians. • Produce governance policies, standards, and supporting documentation. • Facilitate governance workshops and stakeholder engagement. • Support governance adoption and organisational change initiatives. Essential Skills & Experience • 8+ years' experience in Data Governance, Data Management, or Data Strategy. • Strong experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP). • Deep understanding of BigQuery security and access management. • Proven experience designing enterprise data governance frameworks. • Experience implementing RBAC and enterprise access management models. • Strong stakeholder engagement and consulting skills. • Experience creating governance policies and operating models. • Good understanding of UK GDPR and data privacy principles. Desirable Experience • Utilities, Water, Energy, Financial Services, or other regulated industries. • Google Dataplex, Data Catalog, IAM, and Cloud Identity. If you are an experienced Data Governance professional with strong Google Cloud and BigQuery expertise and are looking for your next contract opportunity, we'd love to hear from you.