Data Governance Coordinator

Do you want to help power your career and be part of an evolving energy industry? An exciting opportunity has arisen for two Data Governance Coordinators to join our Digital & Innovation team. The energy industry is advancing with investment in smart technology innovation and Northern Powergrid, as the company responsible for powering everyday life for 8 million customers across 3.9 million homes and businesses in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, is at the forefront of delivering a power network that meets the region’s needs now and in the future.

The Data Governance Coordinator supports the implementation and day-to-day operation of Northern Powergrid’s data governance frameworks. The role helps ensure data is defined consistently, managed responsibly, protected appropriately, and is fit for purpose for operational reporting, analytics, and regulatory requirements.

Along with a competitive salary of between £50,000 - £60,000 we also offer great benefits such as:

• 25 days holiday
• 15% Performance Bonus

Key Responsibilities

• Support the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the enterprise‑wide data governance framework, working collaboratively with business stakeholders to ensure policies, standards, and the operating model are consistently adopted across all functions.
• Maintain core data governance artefacts such as the data glossary, business terms, data definitions, ownership (RACI), and data domain documentation.
• Partner with Data Owners and Data Stewards to define critical data elements (CDEs), data quality rules, and coordinate remediation of data quality issues.
• Support the adoption and operation of data governance tooling across the organisation (e.g. data catalogue, lineage, metadata, and data quality tools), working with business users to provide guidance, promote effective usage, and deliver management reporting.
• Produce and maintain business‑facing governance metrics, dashboards, and reporting on data quality, stewardship coverage, and governance adoption, supporting decision‑making in governance forums and with senior stakeholders.
• Support data access, sharing, classification, and retention processes in line with privacy, security, and information management policies.
• Support the Data Protection Officer (DPO) and Privacy team with investigations, incidents, data discovery, evidence collation, audits, and regulatory requests.
• Embed data governance requirements into change delivery and projects across the business, including system changes and master/reference data management practices, and support governance forums by coordinating inputs, tracking decisions, and monitoring actions.
• Understanding of data governance concepts including data ownership/stewardship, metadata management, data quality, data lifecycle, and data controls.
• Able to elicit, document, and maintain clear data definitions (business terms), data rules, and process documentation for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience supporting data quality management: profiling, issue logging, root-cause analysis support, and tracking remediation actions through to closure.
• Familiarity with data catalogues and metadata/lineage concepts; able to support onboarding of datasets and maintaining metadata completeness.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work with Data Owners, Stewards, SMEs, product teams, and delivery teams.
• Working knowledge of data protection and information management principles (e.g., GDPR/UK GDPR, retention, lawful basis, minimisation), and how they affect data use.
• Experience supporting privacy-related requests and investigations (e.g., DSARs, complaints, incident enquiries), including coordinating inputs and maintaining clear audit trails/evidence.
• Analytical mindset with strong attention to detail; comfortable working with datasets and translating findings into actions and governance reporting.

Skills, Knowledge & Qualifications

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Experience in a data governance, data management, business analysis, or data quality role (or equivalent experience gained in a data/analytics team).
• Experience producing governance artefacts such as glossaries, definitions, data dictionaries, data quality rules, process maps, or RACI matrices.
• Experience working with data and reporting tools (e.g., SQL, Excel, Power BI or similar) to support analysis, validation, and KPI reporting.
• Experience coordinating across multiple stakeholders to drive actions to completion.
• RFQ Level 5 qualification (e.g., HNC) or equivalent professional experience.
• Training/qualification in data, information management, governance, or a related discipline (or willingness to work towards).

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Working in regulated environments and supporting audit, risk, or compliance activities related to data.
• Understanding of data architecture concepts (e.g., data models, integration patterns, APIs) and the SDLC/project delivery lifecycle.
• Master/reference data management and controls.
• Operating in an Agile delivery environment.
• Experience with data governance tooling.
• Experience supporting privacy impact assessments, records management, or data sharing agreements.
• RFQ Level 6 qualification or above.
• Relevant certification (e.g., DAMA/CDMP, DCAM, DGSP) or equivalent experience.

Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday.

Location: Sunderland/Shiremoor/Castleford.

Applicants are considered on the basis of their suitability for the post irrespective of sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender re‑assignment, race, age or disability, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.