Data Governance Lead in Southend-on-Sea

Permanent, Full Time, 35 Hours per week

Are you passionate about data and able to communicate its importance to diverse audiences? Join us in a pivotal role during an exciting merger! As our Data Governance Lead, you'll ensure compliance with data protection regulations, lead investigations into data breaches, and manage information requests. Working closely with the Data Protection Officer and Governance Team, you'll also drive improvements in data governance policies and processes building transparency, trust, and shaping best practice across the organisation.

Estuary Housing Association is a regulated housing provider managing more than 4,600 homes across Essex, outer East London, and Suffolk Coastal. In March 2025, Estuary's Board agreed to explore a potential merger with CHP, another Essex based housing association. The intention is to create a stronger, more resilient organisation with shared values and goals, greater capacity to improve services and maintain homes, and a stronger ability to serve the people of Essex now and in the future. In December 2025, the Boards of both organisations agreed to proceed with the merger. From 1 April 2026, CHP and Estuary will formally come together as Delta Housing.

We offer a hybrid approach with homeworking as standard and office visits when required. We're committed to flexibility and open to accommodating individual needs.

Role Duties

• To support the Data Protection Officer in their activities related to data protection compliance and management, including responding to general queries quickly and accurately by monitoring corporate email inboxes and responding or escalating, as appropriate.
• To lead on data breach investigations.
• Develop and maintain collaborative and productive relationships with all staff including senior management.
• To have primary responsibility for responding to access to information requests under the UK GDPR and Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs).
• To lead on the collating and serving of documents, data and information in response to information requests, including but not limited to: Subject Access Requests, STAIRs Requests, Other requests for information under regulatory obligations.
• To ensure data integrity, accuracy, and timeliness in line with UK GDPR and other data governance legislation in all elements of your work.

Qualifications

• Good general education (A-level or equivalent) with excellent literacy and numeracy skills.
• A strong working knowledge of current Data Protection principles and general understanding of the legislative framework.
• Demonstrable ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders and collaborate effectively with colleagues and external partners.
• Excellent organisational and project/time management skills, with the ability to manage a busy workload with competing deadlines while maintaining meticulous attention to detail.
• Strong, creative, problem-solving skills and able to work well under pressure.
• Excellent numerical and analytical skills with the ability to analyse data and translate into reports and presentations.
• A high level of proficiency using Microsoft Office applications.
• Substantial experience managing data and information requests under a legislative framework.
• Previous work experience and ability to demonstrate a good understanding of data governance and data protection.
• Experience of working in the non-profit, charitable, or another regulated sector.

We reserve the right to close this recruitment if it is deemed that we have received a suitable number of applications. On this basis we would advise that applications are submitted as soon as possible. Closing date: 28th January 2026

Rewards & Benefits

• We offer a range of benefits including an excellent pension scheme, healthcare cash plan, Cyclescheme and season ticket loans.
• Generous holiday and paid leave allowances, tailored induction programme and fantastic ongoing training and development opportunities.
• Flexible and Hybrid Working
• Pension Scheme
• Generous Holiday and Additional Paid Leave Allowances
• Mental Health Support Portal
• Healthcare Cash Plan

Values-Based Recruitment

Estuary has a value-based recruitment policy which means our selection process is aligned with our core values of Respect, One Estuary, Accountable and Responsible.

Safeguarding & Recruitment

Estuary is committed to safeguarding and practices safer recruitment standards and expects all staff to share the commitment to safeguarding children and people with care and support needs. The successful applicants will be required to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK. Please note that at this time, we're unable to accept applications from candidates who require visa/work permit sponsorship. We appreciate your understanding and we welcome applications from all candidates who are eligible to work in the UK without sponsorship.

If applicable: This post is also subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check.

Estuary is Inclusive

At Estuary, we're committed to embedding equality and diversity at the heart of our work. We aim to be an inclusive organisation, where individual differences are respected, where staff, people who use services, as well as their families and carers, are treated with dignity and on the basis of their merits, abilities and needs, and where everyone has a fair opportunity to fulfil their potential without suffering discrimination or disadvantage. We always strive to recruit the person most suited to the job, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

Anonymous Shortlisting

To further support our aim to be an inclusive employer, we use specific software to remove all person-identifiable information from CVs, including name and dates of employment/education, also date of birth, age and gender where a candidate has included these details in their CV. Your personal details will only be made available to hiring managers if you are selected for interview.

Estuary is Disability Confident

Actively seek to attract and recruit people with disabilities. Provide a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Offer a guaranteed interview to applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. Be flexible with our assessment process to ensure applicants with disabilities have the best opportunity to demonstrate their ability to do the job. Make reasonable adjustments to support people with disabilities as needed.

Accessibility

If you are unable to use the online process to apply, please call us to request an application pack in an alternative format.

About Estuary

Estuary is a Housing Association with a strong and clear regional commitment within Essex. We work very successfully within every district in Essex, the three outer East London Boroughs and in the Suffolk Coastal District. We currently own and manage over 4,600 properties. We are always looking at ways to increase the number of homes we can offer and believe it is important to build communities, not just homes. We are committed to the provision of good-quality housing, care and support services to meet local needs and to contribute to the development of sustainable communities. Our residents are at the heart of everything we do, their views are important to us in helping shape future services. We employ just over 300 people, two thirds of whom work providing care and support to people with learning disabilities. We also have an army of dedicated people behind the scenes providing a variety of services including rent collection, gardening, estate management and working on projects to build new houses.