Data Governance Lead,DCAM,DAMA,CDMC,GDS

Location: Bristol 3 days a week on site

Rate: £550-600 Inside IR35

Contract Type: Contract

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Data Governance Lead to oversee and drive the delivery of data governance initiatives within a dynamic and evolving organization. This role is pivotal in ensuring that our data governance practices are aligned with our strategic goals and successfully integrated into our operations. You will play a key role in leading data governance efforts, overseeing project delivery, managing external suppliers, and building internal capability to ensure long-term sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Oversight & Alignment: Ensure data governance initiatives align with organizational objectives. Manage risks, ensure timely delivery, and track progress to meet strategic goals.
• Intelligent Customer for Consultancy: Act as the intelligent customer for consultancy work, validating approaches, ensuring quality delivery, and driving continuous improvement in governance frameworks.
• Capability Embedding & Skills Transfer: Define and implement a structured knowledge transfer plan to ensure internal teams gain the necessary skills and understanding of data governance frameworks, tools, and processes for ongoing compliance and sustainability post-contract.
• Stakeholder Advocacy & Consensus Building: Promote the project across the organization, engaging stakeholders at all levels to build consensus and internal capabilities, ensuring that data governance becomes a core business priority.

Essential Experience and Competencies

• Data Governance & Strategy Expertise: Proven understanding of data governance principles and frameworks (e.g., DAMA, DCAM, CDMC). Significant experience leading data governance initiatives within public sector or geospatial organizations. Deep knowledge of data management, data quality, metadata, and regulatory compliance practices.
• Strategic Leadership & Business Change: Ability to align data governance practices with strategic objectives and effectively articulate the business case for investment. Experience working with business change teams to embed data governance within organizational culture, ensuring it is prioritized across all functions.
• Programme & Supplier Management: Experienced in project management methodologies (MSP, Agile, or equivalent). Strong supplier management skills to ensure external vendors meet milestones and deliverables as agreed in the business case. Proven ability to manage budgets, assess risks, and resolve issues to keep projects on track.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Communication: Experience engaging with executive and senior leadership to ensure data governance alignment with organizational priorities. Ability to collaborate across technical, data, and business teams to ensure governance practices meet operational needs. Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex data governance concepts into clear, actionable business value.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in cloud data governance and managing data in hybrid cloud environments.
• Knowledge of AI/ML governance and the necessary data readiness to support AI/ML initiatives.
• Experience managing data operating model transformations at an enterprise level.

Key Skills & Attributes

• Leadership: You will be an advocate for data governance, promoting its importance across all levels of the organization and embedding it into the company culture.
• Problem-Solving: You will demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills, particularly in relation to data governance frameworks, processes, and tools.
• Communication: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, capable of translating complex technical concepts into business terms that resonate with senior leadership and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively with internal teams, external suppliers, and stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of data governance objectives.