Principal Data Curation Architect

Description

Do you want to help build how a research organization manages, governs, and prepares decades of scientific and engineering data for current and future use?

Are you motivated by building comprehensive solutions from the ground up?

If so, we are seeking a Principal Data Curation Architect to develop and lead the launch and continuous improvement of data management and curation capabilities within a sophisticated research and classified IT environment at JHUAPL!

Our programs have produced decades of datasets across multiple scientific, engineering, and mission domains. Much of this information requires improved organization, documentation, governance, discovery, and lifecycle management to support researchers, mission teams, and emerging AI/ML-enabled applications. This role combines IT project management, data governance, process improvement, technology implementation, stakeholder engagement, and data-curation practices to deliver sustainable data-management capabilities.

On our team, you will work closely with a set of data owners, IT, cybersecurity, security officers, technical teams, and leadership to establish practical standards and processes that make data more discoverable, understandable, governed, and reusable.

As a Principal Data Curation Architect, You Will...

• Lead projects to establish and implement data-management and curation capabilities, including project objectives, scope, schedules, budget estimates, and measures of success.
• Develop, implement and manage end-to-end data pipelines and lifecycle workflows, including data intake, assessment, cleaning, documentation, quality review, versioning, retention, and archiving.
• Lead the inventory and assessment of legacy and active research data, working with data owners managing and enriching raw information so it stays accurate, searchable, and useful over time.
• Create and implement functional data governance processes, roles, responsibilities, standards, and operating procedures.
• Train, teach, and mentor, data owners, and consumers on how to collate, format, document, and curate data for optimal downstream usage and AI/ML readiness.
• Drive the evaluation, selection, configuration, and implementation of data catalogs, metadata-management tools, reporting automation, and new analytics solutions in collaboration with IT and cybersecurity.
• Establish lightweight metadata and documentation standards aligned with FAIR principles and applicable sponsor, security, and data-management expectations.
• Coordinate technical teams and subject-matter experts to prepare and package datasets for downstream research, analytics, and AI/ML use.
• Develop project plans, schedules, status reports, risk registers, and executive-level briefings to advise project leadership on priorities, risks, and resource requirements.
• Find opportunities to improve existing processes, systems, and tools through automation, integration, and technology modernization.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, templates, guidance, and training materials.

Qualifications

You will meet our minimum qualifications if you have...

• A Bachelor's degree in library/information science, data science, scientific research or a related field.
• At least 2 years of professional experience leading technology projects, application/data-management initiatives, or related technical projects
• Demonstrated proficiency in curating large, structured datasets, including data quality assessment, normalization, and traceable documentation of curation actions.
• Demonstrated experience establishing or improving technology processes, workflows, governance practices, or operational capabilities.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams involving technical experts, business/mission partners, quality assurance, security, and/or compliance teams.
• Background leading the lifecycle of technology systems, applications, or data-intensive solutions.
• Solid Understanding of FAIR data principles and research data-management practices.
• Proficiency in gathering requirements, analyzing business/mission needs, developing implementation approaches, managing risks, and delivering technology solutions.
• Experience developing standard operating procedures, governance documentation, process standards, and implementation plans.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, researchers, senior leadership, security staff, and program leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a complex environment with contending priorities and ambiguous requirements.
• Are able to obtain a Secret security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You will go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...

• Hold a Master, PhD, or advanced degree in a relevant scientific, engineering, or information field.
• Experience supporting federal research, scientific, engineering, healthcare, or military organizations (e.g., UARCs, FFRDCs, national laboratories, NIH, DoD).
• Advanced knowledge of databases, SQL, ETL pipelines, and reporting automation tools.
• Familiarity with metadata standards (Dublin Core, DataCite, DDI, schema.org/Dataset) and catalog platforms (Dataverse, CKAN, DSpace, Fedora).
• Experience preparing data and documentation for AI/ML reuse, and familiarity with AI/ML data-readiness concepts (Data Cards, Datasheets for Datasets, Croissant, or FAIR4ML).
• Active PMP, Scrum, or other recognized project-management certification, alongside experience with Agile/Scrum, SDLC, or continuous improvement.

About Us

Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact Accessibility@jhuapl.edu.

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Minimum Rate

$105,000 Annually

Maximum Rate

$290,000 Annually