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- Tasks: Lead data governance and design teams to ensure high-quality, structured data.
- Company: Join L&Q, a leading housing association dedicated to quality homes and community wellbeing.
- Benefits: Enjoy excellent pension plans, generous leave, health benefits, and paid volunteering days.
- Other info: Hybrid working model with opportunities for career growth and development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on data quality and governance in a supportive, inclusive environment.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in data governance, strong technical skills, and leadership in data teams.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
Contract Type: FTC until 30th September 2027, Full-Time, 35 hours
Grade: 12
Persona: Agile Worker: 20% - 40% of contractual hours to be worked from reporting office/working location (hybrid working)
Closing Date: 22nd May 2026
Interview Dates: 8th June 2026. Please note that in person interviews will be held for at least one of the interview stages for this role.
Benefits include:
- Excellent pension plan (up to 6% double contribution)
- 28 days annual leave rising to 31 days with length of service + bank holidays
- Westfield Health Cash Plan
- Non-contributory life assurance
- Up to 21 hours volunteering paid days
- Lifestyle benefits
- Employee Assistance Programme
- And many more.
Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to close the advertisement and interview earlier than stated. With effect from February 2026, L&Q reserve the right to not shortlist applications from candidates with 3 or more unsuccessful applications within the last 24 months.
Your impact in the role:
- Leading our Data Governance and Data Design teams to deliver high quality, consistent, well structured data across L&Q.
- Driving the development and embedding of our data governance and Data quality framework – ensuring one version of the truth.
- Overseeing enterprise data modelling (conceptual, logical and dimensional) and ensuring data products meet agreed standards.
- Partnering closely with Data Owners, IT and senior stakeholders to improve organisational data maturity.
- Championing data quality improvement plans and ensuring timely, accurate regulatory returns.
- Chairing the Data Governance Forum and ensuring effective decision making, communication and alignment across the business.
- Acting as an ambassador for data – building engagement, trust and enthusiasm across all levels of the organisation.
- Supporting the Director of Data & Information in delivering our data strategy and ensuring it’s understood, adopted and delivered.
What you'll bring:
- A natural ability to influence, inspire and sell the value of data – even to sceptical audiences – with a strong track record of working collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong technical credibility, including extensive experience across data modelling, master and reference data, data quality frameworks and data governance best practice.
- Proven experience embedding Data Governance Frameworks (DGF) and Data Quality Processes (DQP) at senior and executive level, ensuring clear ownership, accountability and decision-making.
- Demonstrable experience managing regulatory and statutory data returns, with a strong understanding of accuracy, assurance and audit requirements.
- Experience within the housing sector or local government, with a solid understanding of the regulatory, operational and cultural context.
- Proven experience leading high performing data teams and working at senior level to solve complex, organisation-wide data challenges.
- A genuine passion for raising data maturity, improving data culture and enabling better decisions through trusted, high quality data.
A Recruitment Advocate will join this recruitment process as a panel member. This is part of an internal scheme supporting our recruitment process to be fair, transparent and consistent. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage during this process, including application stage, please email lqcareers@lqgroup.org.uk.
About L&Q:
We’re one of the UK’s leading housing associations and developers. We were founded on a simple belief: high quality housing is vital for people’s health, happiness and security. Everyone deserves a quality home that gives them the chance to live a better life. 250,000 people call our properties ‘home’, and we’re proud to serve diverse communities across London, the South East and North West of England.
People are at the heart of our business and our success depends on employing the best people and getting the best from them. The foundation of everything that we are is built on our corporate values, which outline our core expectations and should be demonstrated at all times, and all levels, when representing L&Q.
At L&Q, we know that diversity and inclusion make us stronger – and they’re at the heart of everything we do. When we recruit, we look at what really matters: your skills, experience and potential. We’re proud to be recognised for creating an inclusive workplace. We’re a Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) and we’ve introduced our own Recruitment Advocate scheme to make sure every step of our hiring process is fair, transparent and consistent. It’s all part of our commitment to ending discrimination and making L&Q a place where everyone feels welcome.
Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do. We recognise the responsibility we hold as one of the UK’s largest housing associations.
Head of Governance & Design employer: L&Q
Contact Detail:
L&Q Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Governance & Design
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research L&Q's values, mission, and recent projects. This will help you tailor your conversations during interviews and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of their team.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. Building relationships can give you insider info and might even lead to a referral, which is always a bonus!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those in-person interviews! Practice common interview questions and think about how your experience aligns with the role. Don’t forget to have some questions ready to ask them too – it shows you're engaged and keen!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining L&Q and makes it easier for us to keep track of your application.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Governance & Design
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight how your experience aligns with the role of Head of Governance & Design. We want to see how you can bring your unique skills to our team!
Showcase Your Passion for Data: In your application, let us know why you're passionate about data governance and quality. Share examples of how you've influenced others and improved data practices in your previous roles.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use bullet points where necessary to make it easy for us to see your key achievements and experiences that relate to the job.
Apply Early!: Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your application. We encourage early applications as we might close the advert sooner than the deadline. Head over to our website and get your application in!
How to prepare for a job interview at L&Q
✨Know Your Data Governance Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of data governance frameworks and data quality processes. Be ready to discuss your experience in embedding these frameworks at a senior level, as this will be crucial for the role.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your ability to lead high-performing data teams. Think about specific challenges you've faced and how you inspired your team to overcome them, especially in complex organisational settings.
✨Understand the Housing Sector
Familiarise yourself with the regulatory and operational context of the housing sector. Being able to speak knowledgeably about the unique challenges and opportunities in this field will set you apart from other candidates.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Be prepared to discuss how you've successfully collaborated with various stakeholders in the past. Highlight your ability to influence and inspire even sceptical audiences, as this is key to driving data maturity within the organisation.