Data Governance Analyst in Manchester

At Canopius, our delivery teams are responsible for ensuring that business users can effectively harness data insights to drive strategic decision making. Our data strategy is centred around an enterprise Lakehouse platform on Databricks, avoiding fragmented, ungoverned silos on legacy technologies that hamper creativity and scalability. We are building a governed, interoperable data estate that enables self-service for our business teams and provides the trusted foundation for advanced analytics, machine learning and AI to accelerate change across our industry.

The Data Governance Analyst supports the establishment and operation of effective data governance across Canopius, helping to ensure data is well-defined, trusted, controlled and used consistently across the business. Working within the Data Governance team, the role partners with Data Owners, Data Stewards and wider governance functions to embed policies, standards, metadata, lineage, business definitions and data quality practices across all business domains.

The role administers and maintains the Data Governance toolset, ensuring metadata, business glossary content, data ownership, classifications and supporting governance artefacts remain accurate, complete and up to date. It also supports governance forums, working groups, data issue management and reporting, helping projects and business teams understand and evidence compliance with data policies and standards.

The ideal candidate is an analytical and detail-focused data professional who is enthusiastic about building a stronger data-led culture and improving the way data is governed across the organisation. You will bring strong data analysis and Excel skills, an understanding of data governance principles, and the confidence to engage stakeholders across business and technology teams. You will also bring practical experience using governance tooling to support metadata management, data quality, business glossary maintenance and continuous improvement. Experience of insurance data, particularly Lloyd's market data, would be advantageous.

Responsibilities will include:

• Support the establishment and ongoing operation of data governance frameworks, including policies, standards, controls, classifications, and operating models, across business domains.
• Administer Data Governance tooling and define supporting processes to ensure metadata, lineage, and business glossary content remain accurate, complete, and governed.
• Capture, document, and standardise business definitions, key data elements, and data ownership across domains (e.g., business glossary, data dictionary).
• Support the continuous improvement of the internal Business Glossary application, capturing business feedback and proposing improvements to ensure it meets business and governance requirements.
• Collaborate with Data Owners and Data Stewards to develop, document, and maintain data standards, controls, classifications, and supporting governance artefacts.
• Monitor adherence to data governance policies, standards, and controls, supporting compliance and audit activities.
• Provide subject matter expertise on data governance concepts, tools, and best practices to business and technical stakeholders.
• Contribute to governance forums and working groups, and build strong relationships across business and technology teams to drive adoption of data governance practices.
• Promote a data-led culture through training, communications, and engagement activities relating to data governance, policies, and the Data Governance roadmap.
• Collate and publish management information on data governance activity, progress, risks, and outcomes.
• Record, track, and support the management of data incidents, including associated action plans, the Data Risk Register, and incident logs.
• Work with Data Owners, Data Stewards, Risk, Information Security, Compliance, and other governance functions to identify, escalate, and resolve data issues through appropriate governance forums.
• Manage own workload effectively, prioritising activity in line with team, department, and wider business objectives.
• Undertake other ad-hoc duties as required.

Qualifications Skills:

• Strong practical experience implementing data governance frameworks, including controls, workflows, and operating models across business domains.
• Experience designing and embedding governance controls into business processes (e.g. data quality rules, approvals, stewardship workflows).
• Experience supporting data governance tools, with the ability to translate business feedback into product enhancements that improve usability, adoption, and alignment to business processes.
• Knowledge of data quality frameworks, controls, and dimensions (accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness).
• Experience defining and documenting business terms, data definitions, and standards.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work across business and technical teams (e.g., Data Owners, Data Stewards, Data Engineering).
• Ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams or operating as a self-starter, taking ownership of activity and progressing work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to translate business requirements into governance artefacts and actionable controls.
• Understanding of regulatory and compliance considerations relating to data (e.g., PII).
• Strong time-management skills, and attention to detail when managing metadata, documentation, and governance artefacts.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Strong Excel and data analysis skills.
• Good communication and presentation skills.
• SQL skills are advantageous.
• Knowledge of Azure DevOps for issue tracking and workflow is advantageous.
• Familiarity with specialty (re)insurance or Lloyd's market data such as bordereaux, delegated authority, underwriting and claims is advantageous.