Data Steward

The Health Data Service (HDS) unit builds IT and data solutions that support registries, data collection platforms, and research studies at LIH. We work closely with researchers, principal investigators, and national partners such as the Ministry of Health.
The Data Steward ensures that health data at LIH is well documented, consistently managed, and fit for research use. Within a matrix-based organisation, this role sits at the intersection of data governance, quality assurance, and day-to-day support for researchers and data producers. This is not a purely administrative role — the Data Steward works directly with research teams, data engineers, and clinicians to define data quality standards and enforce them, helping LIH move towards a culture where data is treated as a shared institutional asset.

Key Accountabilities

• Define and maintain data quality standards for research and clinical datasets within LIH
• Manage and curate the institutional metadata catalogue, ensuring datasets are documented, discoverable, and correctly classified
• Support researchers and project teams with data access requests, including documentation and compliance checks
• Monitor data quality across active projects and flag issues to the relevant teams
• Collaborate with data modelers to ensure that data governance requirements are reflected in the data architecture
• Support the implementation of data management plans for new studies and projects
• Contribute to the development of institutional data policies and standard operating procedures
• Liaise with the Information Security Officer on data protection and access control matters where needed
• Track and report on data quality metrics to the team lead and relevant stakeholders
• Contribute to cross-functional coordination sessions, team planning, and knowledge sharing
• Support onboarding of researchers and data producers on data governance processes and tools

Key Skills, Experience and Qualifications

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Medical Informatics, Information Science, Data Management, Public Health, or a related field
• Minimum 3 years of experience in data management, data governance, or a related function, preferably in a research or healthcare setting
• Understanding of data quality principles and metadata standards
• Familiarity with health data standards (openEHR, HL7 FHIR, SNOMED CT, LOINC) is an advantage
• Experience with data cataloguing tools or research data management platforms
• Awareness of GDPR and its application in health research contexts
• Strong communication skills; able to collaborate with stakeholders across technical and non-technical backgrounds
• Fluent in English (written and oral); French or German is an asset
• Experience in healthcare, public health, or health data management is a strong asset
• Experience working in agile environments; ability to coordinate across cross-functional and matrix-based teams

Required Tech Stack

• Metadata cataloguing and data governance tools (e.g. Apache Atlas, OpenMetadata, Collibra, or institutional equivalents)
• SQL for data quality checks and reporting
• Research data management platforms (e.g. REDCap, CKAN, or comparable)
• Familiarity with health data standards and terminology tools (SNOMED CT, LOINC, ICD browsers)
• Documentation and collaboration tools (Confluence, Jira, or similar)
• Basic scripting (Python or R) for data quality monitoring is an advantage