Data Governance Officer

Join Ofwat’s Delivery Directorate as a Data Governance Officer.

Office Location: London (E14 4HD) or Birmingham (B5 4UA) with hybrid working.

About Us

We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non‑ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales. Following the Independent Water Commission’s final report, the UK government has set out a bold new direction – one that brings together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment. We are working in collaboration with the government and other regulators to help establish a new body for England, combining our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency, and Natural England. We’re also continuing to engage with the Welsh Government to support future decisions for Wales. While these changes take shape, our mission remains the same: to hold water companies to account, drive performance, and ensure the sector delivers real value for customers, communities, and the environment. If you’re passionate about making a difference, this is a unique moment to join us and help shape the future of water, and together we can continue to make a positive impact.

The Role

This is a great opportunity to work on a new data initiative with modern technology, helping to change the way data is used in the public sector and to maximise the value of data and insights to Ofwat. You'll be at the forefront, working in a small team that is establishing and overseeing a robust data governance framework, ensuring our data's integrity and quality and that we make the best use of our data assets to drive improvements in data maturity. This role plays a crucial role in how we will transform company performance as outlined in Ofwat strategy. The team's vision is to achieve this. We will need to get the best out of data, develop our use of Purview and mature our approach to data governance. The candidate will need to be delivery-focused, detail-focused, motivated, have experience in using Purview and of working on Data governance programmes and be able to communicate and collaborate effectively with others.

About the role

• Support the Data governance Lead in delivering and embedding data management and data governance activities across Ofwat, taking ownership of specific workstreams when required.
• Support the creation of a suite of data management policies and guidance for Ofwat.
• Assist with the development and ongoing enhancement of Purview, including rolling out new functionality and working with business teams to educate them on Purview capabilities, to drive adoption and effective use of the platform.
• Take ownership of the ongoing development and maintenance of Ofwat's Data Catalogue, including metadata, business glossary, classifications and supporting the expansion of data assets within the catalogue.
• Supporting the development, implementation and monitoring of organisational data standards for quality and metadata, formatting and classification and tracking adherence to these standards.
• Helping to promote better data use and management by engaging with teams and directorates and sharing good practice.
• Supporting the implementation of data governance structures, including data owner and data steward roles, providing training and support.
• Support the monitoring and reporting of data governance activities, including tracking progress, risks and key metrics to demonstrate improvements in data maturity and adoption.
• Supporting data governance forums and meetings, including preparation of materials, tracking actions and outcomes, and helping establish and maintain Data Steward communities of practice.
• Contributing to data quality improvement activities by identifying and tracking data quality issues, supporting remediation approaches, and monitoring progress to improve consistency and accuracy.
• Establish ways to communicate effectively with business teams to promote data governance best practices.
• Work with a high level of independence and autonomy.

About You

Below are some of the key essential experience, skills you'll be given the autonomy and the support to do your role in the best way.

• Innovative Work Environment: We embrace agile and new ways of working and have a culture built on trust, flexibility, and collaboration.
• Development Opportunities: Gain valuable experience and develop your skills in a supportive and dynamic setting.
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy the flexibility of working from home combined with the benefits of in-person collaboration in our Birmingham and London offices.
• Excellent employer pension contributions.
• 25 days’ annual leave, increasing to 30 with each year of service, plus bank holidays and an extra 2.5 days of privilege leave.
• Access to exclusive discounts on a variety of goods and services, including retail outlets, theatre tickets, holidays, insurance, and a gym membership.
• Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies.
• Up to 3 volunteering days per year.
• Generous shared parental leave and pay supporting your family life.