Data Governance Lead

Joining: Immediate / ASAP

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly experienced Data Strategy, Governance & Solution Architect with 15+ years of experience across enterprise data strategy, data governance, data architecture, MDM and large-scale data transformation.

The successful candidate will be responsible for defining the Data Strategy and Data Governance framework, developing the Data Roadmap, and translating the strategy into a portfolio of executable projects. Each project should have a clear business case, delivery objectives, benefits, dependencies and measurable outcomes.

This is a senior, hands-on role requiring a combination of strategy consulting, architecture, governance and implementation experience. The individual should be a strong Solution Architect who can bridge business strategy and technical execution.

Key Responsibilities

Data Strategy & Roadmap

Define and establish the enterprise Data Strategy, aligned to business objectives and technology strategy.

Assess the current data landscape, capabilities, maturity, architecture, processes and pain points.

Develop the target-state Data Strategy and operating model.

Create a comprehensive Data Roadmap covering short-, medium- and long-term initiatives.

Translate the overall Data Strategy into a structured portfolio of projects / initiatives.

Prioritise projects based on business value, risk, regulatory requirements, dependencies, cost and complexity.

Define clear outcomes, milestones, dependencies and success measures for each initiative.

Ensure the roadmap is realistic, actionable and aligned with enterprise architecture.

Strategy-to-Project Transformation

Break down the overall Data Strategy into executable projects and workstreams.

Develop a clear scope, objectives, deliverables and implementation approach for each project.

Develop a business case for each project, including:

Business problem / opportunity

Expected benefits and business value

Costs and investment requirements

Risks and dependencies

Resource requirements

Delivery timeline

KPIs and success criteria

ROI / value realisation

Support senior leadership in prioritising and approving the project portfolio.

Provide architectural and strategic direction throughout project execution.

Ensure individual projects remain aligned to the overall Data Strategy and target architecture.

Data Governance

Define and implement the Enterprise Data Governance framework.

Establish data governance principles, policies, standards, processes and controls.

Define Data Ownership, Data Stewardship, RACI and decision rights.

Establish governance forums, councils and escalation mechanisms.

Define and implement governance processes covering:

Data Quality

Metadata Management

Data Lineage

Business Glossary

Data Classification

Data Ownership & Stewardship

Data Controls

Master & Reference Data

Define governance KPIs and maturity measures.

Drive adoption of governance practices across business and technology teams.

Data Retention & Archival





Define and implement Data Retention and Data Archival strategies aligned with business, regulatory, legal and compliance requirements.

Establish data retention policies, standards and ownership.

Define archival principles and target-state archival architecture.

Determine what data should be retained, archived, migrated or disposed of.

Work with legal, compliance, security, business and technology stakeholders to establish appropriate retention periods.

Ensure archival solutions consider accessibility, cost optimisation, security, auditability and data lifecycle management.

Develop implementation roadmaps for retention and archival initiatives.

Data Architecture & Solution Architecture

Act as a senior Data / Solution Architect across the data transformation portfolio.

Define current-state and target-state Data Architecture.

Develop conceptual, logical and physical data architecture where required.

Translate business requirements into scalable and sustainable technical solutions.

Define integration, data flow, storage, processing and consumption patterns.

Ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture principles and standards.

Evaluate architectural options and provide recommendations and trade-offs.

Review and govern solution designs delivered by project teams and technology partners.

Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, resilient and fit for long-term business requirements.

Master Data Management (MDM)

Demonstrate a strong understanding of Master Data Management (MDM) concepts, principles and implementation approaches.

Identify key master data domains and define appropriate ownership and governance.

Understand master/reference data relationships and dependencies across the enterprise.

Define MDM target-state architecture and roadmap where required.

Support selection and implementation of MDM solutions and processes.

Ensure MDM initiatives are aligned with the wider Data Strategy and Data Governance framework.

Asset Historian / Operational Data

Understand asset historian / historian data and its role within an asset-intensive environment.

Understand how operational/industrial asset data is captured, stored, governed and consumed.

Assess the relationship between asset information, historian data, master data and enterprise data.

Define appropriate governance, architecture and integration approaches for historian and asset-related data.

Identify opportunities to improve the accessibility, quality, lineage and value of asset data.

Required Experience & Skills

- 15+ years of overall experience in Data Strategy, Data Architecture, Data Governance, Data Management or large-scale Data Transformation.




- Strong experience in Data Strategy development and execution.
- Proven experience developing and implementing Data Governance frameworks and operating models.
- Solid Solution Architecture / Data Architecture background.
- Demonstrable experience translating strategy into projects, programmes and implementation roadmaps.
- Experience developing business cases for data and technology initiatives.
- Strong understanding of Data Retention, Data Archival and Data Lifecycle Management.
- Strong understanding of MDM and Master/Reference Data.
- Experience working with asset data / historian environments is highly desirable.
- Experience working across business and technology functions to define target-state architecture.
- Strong consulting background with proven ability to work with senior stakeholders.
- Demonstrable hands-on implementation and delivery experience.
- Strong understanding of enterprise integration and up-to-date data architecture patterns.
- Experience with Data Governance platforms such as Collibra, Alation, Atlan, Microsoft Purview, Informatica or equivalent is desirable.
- Strong programme, portfolio and stakeholder management skills.
- Excellent communication, presentation, workshop facilitation and influencing skills.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a senior data leader and strong Solution Architect who can operate across the full lifecycle:

Data Strategy → Data Roadmap → Business Cases → Project Portfolio → Architecture → Data Governance → Implementation → Benefits Realisation

They should be equally comfortable:

Speaking with C-level and senior business stakeholders about strategy and value.

Defining the enterprise Data Strategy and target operating model.

Designing the Data Architecture and solution approach.

Establishing Data Governance and ownership.

Defining Data Retention and Archival strategies.

Understanding MDM and asset/historian data.

Breaking a high-level strategy into concrete projects and workstreams.

Building business cases and investment propositions for each project.

Providing architectural oversight and guiding delivery teams through implementation.

The key requirement is someone who can bridge strategy and execution — a senior architect who can define the vision, create the roadmap, convert the roadmap into funded projects and provide the technical and governance leadership required to deliver them.

Key Attributes

- 15+ years of relevant experience
- Strong Solution Architect / Data Architect
- Strategic thinker with strong execution capability
- Strong Data Governance expertise
- Strong Data Strategy and Roadmap experience
- Data Retention & Archival knowledge
- MDM understanding
- Asset / Historian data understanding
- Strong business case development capability
- Consulting + implementation experience
- Excellent senior stakeholder management
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to operate across business, data and technology
- Available to work onsite
- Available to join at short notice / ASAP

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