Senior Data Governance Manager

About us

At Exchange for Change, we are building something the UK has never had before. Working across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, we are designing and delivering a Deposit Return Scheme from the ground up, creating a system that helps reduce litter and waste by encouraging people to return their empty drinks bottles and cans for recycling. We are industry led, and driven by purpose. A national movement with a clear mission. No bottle unreturned. No can left behind.

This is not just another job. This is a rare opportunity to do meaningful work, shape a landmark national programme, and help deliver lasting positive impact for people, businesses and the planet alike.

Your role

Reporting to the Head of Data, AI & Insights, you will design and implement Exchange for Change’s enterprise data governance capability. This is a rare opportunity to build data governance from the ground up in a greenfield organisation. Rather than governing an existing landscape, you will define how trusted information becomes part of how Exchange for Change operates from its very first day.

Your responsibility extends beyond governing data inside our platform. You will help design how trusted information flows across the entire Deposit Return Scheme ecosystem, from participant onboarding and data submission through to financial settlement, operational reporting, regulatory compliance and future AI-enabled optimisation. You will create the governance, metadata, standards and operating model that allow the organisation to trust its information, scale confidently and continuously improve.

Working closely with Technology, Product, Operations, Finance, Legal and external scheme participants, you will make governance a practical capability that enables delivery rather than slowing it down. Success will be measured not by the number of policies produced, but by how confidently people use trusted information to run and improve the scheme.

You’ll be based at our Milton Keynes office (30min from Euston) with the option to work from home 2/3 days per week.

Key Responsibilities & Priorities

• Own and continually evolve Exchange for Change’s enterprise data governance framework, including standards, ownership, stewardship and decision rights.
• Govern information at source by defining participation standards, submission requirements and validation processes with producers, retailers, logistics providers and other scheme participants.
• Establish business ownership of critical data domains, master data and information products, creating a single trusted version of the truth across the scheme.
• Define metadata, business glossary, lineage and data quality standards that make information trusted, understandable and reusable.
• Partner with Data and Technology to embed governance into platform design, data models, validation, security and audit capabilities.
• Enable governed self-service through trusted information products, consistent business definitions and an effective data catalogue.
• Ensure financial, operational and regulatory information is accurate, traceable and compliant, working closely with Finance, Legal, Security and the Data Protection Officer.
• Build governance foundations that support the organisation’s evolution from operational reporting to predictive analytics and AI.
• Build strong relationships across the organisation and wider ecosystem, making governance a valued business capability rather than a compliance function.

What success looks like

• Exchange for Change launches with trusted information at the heart of its operations. Critical financial and regulatory outcomes are accurate, explainable and fully traceable to source.
• Clear ownership exists across data domains and information products, with governance embedded into day-to-day ways of working.
• Producers and other scheme participants consistently provide high-quality information because standards and validation are built into onboarding from the outset.
• Governance tools, including the data catalogue and business glossary, are actively used to support trusted self-service and consistent decision-making.
• Data quality issues are identified early, resolved quickly and continuously reduced through effective ownership and controls.
• Exchange for Change is able to evolve from operational reporting to predictive analytics and AI on strong, trusted data foundations.

About you

You are an experienced data governance leader who combines strategic thinking with practical delivery in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. You understand that effective governance is not about creating bureaucracy. It is about enabling organisations to trust their information, make better decisions and confidently scale.

You bring:

• Experience building or transforming enterprise data governance within a large-scale or regulated organisation, ideally from the ground up.
• Expertise in data governance, metadata management, master data management, information architecture and data quality.
• Experience governing information across multiple organisations, suppliers or external partners.
• The ability to translate between business, technology and data, building trust and alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Experience embedding governance into technology platforms, engineering delivery and operational processes.
• A pragmatic, outcomes-focused mindset suited to a build-from-scratch environment.
• A commitment to ethical, responsible and transparent use of data and AI.

The opportunity

Work that makes a difference - and a place where you can too. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help establish a scheme of national importance, working with purpose-driven colleagues and partners to deliver visible, real-world impact. You’ll contribute directly to meaningful environmental and social change and in return, we support and reward our team through a range of benefits and initiatives, including:

• Competitive base salary
• Bonus scheme
• 34 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays, additional holidays for length of service
• Flexibility with holidays. You may work on a local public holiday and take an alternative day off, giving you the freedom to celebrate the days that matter most to you.
• 5% employer pension contribution
• Life Insurance: Cover of 4 times base salary
• Private Medical Insurance: Includes GP access and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for wellbeing support
• Income protection
• Family Leave: Maternity, adoption, parental, and paternity leave policies will be developed to be progressive and inclusive.
• Hybrid Working: 60% office or field-based and 40% home-based, with some flexibility according to business and personal needs.