Lead Data Governance & Requirements Architect in Bristol

On behalf of the MOD, we are looking for a Lead Data Governance & Requirements Architect (Inside IR35) for an 8 Month hybrid contract 2/3 days per week in Bristol. An active SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks.

The Land Integrated Operating Service (LIOS) Programme requires assured, transparent, and resilient data plans and governance structures to enable effective data-driven decision-making and deliver enterprise-wide efficiencies across its portfolio of support contracts. To achieve this, LIOS will establish a coherent, standardised, and contractually enforceable framework defining how data is specified, generated, governed, and exploited within the Land Support Environment.

There are two distinct work packages in scope of this requirement:

• Data Requirements and Governance: You will define the data inputs, outputs, and governance structures necessary to enable delivery against existing Programme System Requirements. This work shall:

• Be derived from existing System Requirements Documents (SRDs).
• Be solution-agnostic (not tied to specific existing Information Systems).
• Leverage MOD Data Catalogues and Data Dictionaries to ensure consistency and alignment with Authority business terms.
• Ensure traceability between System Requirements and defined data requirements.

Contractual and commercial implementation: You will then translate all defined data requirements and governance into clear, measurable, and enforceable contractual provisions that are coherent with the existing and future landscape of MOD Information Systems. This should be suitable for inclusion in Invitation to Tender (ITT) or Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) documentation.

Deliverables: You will produce the following deliverables aligned to each work package:

• Data Requirements and Governance: The deliverables in scope of this work package are:

• Data Requirements Document: A structured definition of data inputs, outputs, and relationships mapped to existing LIOS SRDs and MOD Data Catalogues.
• Data Specification Pack: Detailed contractor-facing data requirements including formats, standards, metadata, quality criteria, and upload cadence.
• Data Governance Framework: Roles, responsibilities, processes, controls, and assurance mechanisms to ensure that data specifications are being suitably followed by external industry contractors.
• Information Exchange Requirements (IERs) and Security Management Plan (SMP): Defined data exchanges, triggers, and interfaces for data exchanges between identified systems as well as an accompanying Security Management Plan to ensure all transmissions of potentially sensitive data are Secure by Design (SbD).

• Contractual and commercial implementation: The deliverables in scope of this work package are:

• Contractual Artefacts: Draft obligations, clauses, and schedules suitable for inclusion in a Statement of Requirement (SoR) and supporting annexes.

All deliverables shall be:

• Provided in Authority-approved formats and templates.
• Traceable to originating requirements.
• Suitable for direct integration into procurement documentation.

Scope Boundaries and Assumptions: It is expected that you will be responsible for the definition of data requirements and governance structures, development of contractual data provisions and any necessary stakeholder engagement and validation. You are not expected to design or implement technical systems or tools, operate any live data platforms, or be responsible for the ongoing management of governance post-contract award. Mitigation shall be built into requirements, governance, and contractual provisions.

Essential Skills:

• Data Governance & Strategy: Ability to design and implement enterprise data governance frameworks, policies and classification models.
• Requirements Engineering: Expertise in translating complex business needs into scalable, interoperable data architectures and models.
• Procurement & Commercial Requirements: Experience converting technical and data requirements into contractual obligations, schedules, performance measures and procurement documentation.
• Stakeholder Management: Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to present to technical governance bodies and engage senior non-technical stakeholders.
• Leadership & Strategy: Proven ability to define target-state data architectures and drive data-centric organisational change.
• Regulated Environments: Experience delivering data solutions within regulated or security-sensitive environments (e.g. UK Public Sector, Defence, Financial Services or Healthcare).
• Agile Delivery & Pace: Demonstrable ability to work at pace, rapidly develop and deliver high-quality outputs, test assumptions, incorporate feedback, and adapt solutions in response to evolving requirements and priorities.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience supporting UK MOD or Defence procurement programmes.
• Knowledge of Defence Digital, NATO and JSP information management standards.
• Experience operating across multiple information systems in a technology-agnostic environment.
• Knowledge of support, asset management, logistics or land equipment domains.
• Experience producing procurement-ready artefacts for major government contracts.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident: As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, the MOD guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply.

Armed Forces Covenant: The MOD guarantees to interview veterans or spouses/partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates/military spouses or partners, who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following: this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.