Senior Manager, Data Governance in London

The Senior Manager, Data Governance is a strategic leadership role responsible for advancing, maturing, and optimising the Firm's Data Governance Framework and broader data strategy. The role focuses on embedding data governance practices into business‑as‑usual operations, improving data quality, reducing risk, and enabling the effective use of data to support analytics, reporting, integrations, and emerging AI capabilities.

The Data Governance Framework provides the structure and operating model to drive effective data management and influence data‑related behaviours across the Firm. It has established the mechanisms for oversight, control (planning, monitoring, and enforcement), and leadership of data governance activities.

Operating within the Practice Solutions Function, this role is global and highly cross‑functional, working closely with senior stakeholders across Technology, Business Intelligence, Data Architecture, Information Governance, and the Data Privacy Office, as well as technical and functional Data Stewards throughout the Firm. The Senior Manager plays a critical role in ensuring the Firm's data is trusted, well‑managed, and positioned to deliver measurable business value.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Evolve and drive the strategic direction and continued maturity of the Firm’s Data Governance Framework, transitioning it towards a scalable, embedded, and value-driven operating model.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Data Governance team, providing clear direction, prioritisation, and oversight across all governance activities.
• Chair the Data Governors Board and provide leadership oversight to the Data Stewardship Council, driving engagement, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration across teams and regions.
• Embed data governance into business-as-usual processes, ensuring data ownership, stewardship, and accountability are consistently applied across the Firm.
• Enhance and optimise data governance policies, standards, operating models, and controls to ensure consistency, scalability, and regulatory alignment.
• Define, standardise, and govern the Firm’s data domain model, ensuring clear ownership, accountability, and alignment to business capabilities across our regions, business functions and practices.
• Drive measurable improvements in data quality, governance adoption, and data-related business outcomes across key domains.
• Define, monitor, and continuously improve data quality frameworks, metrics, and remediation processes to enhance data accuracy, completeness, and integrity.
• Own and drive the Firm’s central reference data strategy, establishing, driving adoption, and continuously improving a controlled, scalable, and authoritative approach to managing reference data across systems and processes.
• Define and support the adoption of external and industry data standards (e.g. SALI, NosLegal), ensuring alignment with internal data models and maximising consistency, interoperability, and business value.
• Oversee and optimise the Firm's Data Management Technology (DMT), ensuring effective use of metadata, lineage, reference data, and workflow capabilities to support data governance objectives.
• Partner with senior stakeholders (including leadership-suite) to align data governance with Firm and Functional strategic priorities: including analytics, automation, and AI initiatives.
• Support and enable Knowledge Solutions initiatives by ensuring high-quality, well-governed data foundations for knowledge management, enterprise search, and content intelligence capabilities.
• Oversee the identification, prioritisation, and resolution of critical data issues, ensuring robust governance, escalation, and tracking mechanisms are in place.
• Collaborate with Business Intelligence, Data Architecture, and Technology teams to support enterprise data platform initiatives and ensure governance is embedded by design.
• Oversee the maintenance and effective use of key data governance artefacts, including business glossaries, data dictionaries, lineage, and reference data repositories.
• Drive initiatives to improve data literacy and promote a strong data-driven culture across the Firm.
• Provide data governance oversight and strategic input into major transformation programmes, ensuring alignment with data governance principles and long-term data strategy.
• Manage relationships with third-party vendors and consultants supporting data management tooling and initiatives.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelors or Masters degree.
• Significant experience in data governance, data management, or related disciplines, with clear progression into leadership roles.
• Proven experience advancing and maturing data governance frameworks within complex, global organisations.
• Strong understanding of data governance, data quality, metadata management, data domains, and reference data management best practices.
• Experience with data management technologies (e.g. Collibra, Informatica, Data360).
• Experience defining and implementing data domain models and/or reference data strategies at scale is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with external or industry data standards (e.g. SALI, NosLegal) and their practical application is advantageous.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and partner with senior stakeholders across business and technology functions.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams and fostering engaged, cross-functional data communities.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate business priorities into practical governance outcomes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to operate effectively at both strategic and operational levels.
• Experience enabling analytics, reporting, or AI initiatives through strong data governance and data management practices.
• Familiarity with Knowledge Solutions or Knowledge Management capabilities (e.g. enterprise search, content management, or legal knowledge systems) is advantageous.
• Experience with Agile and/or Waterfall delivery methodologies.

Firm Benefits

• Private medical insurance
• Pension plan with matched employer contribution up to 7.5%
• Yearly wellbeing fund
• Income protection
• Holiday purchase
• Life insurance
• Critical Illness insurance
• Private GP services
• Travel insurance
• Dental coverage
• Cycle to work
• Holiday purchase (available during annual enrolment)

This role reports to Senior Manager, Data Governance.

Equal Opportunities

White & Case is committed to creating a fair workplace. It is our Firm’s policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, creed, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law. If you require assistance and/or adjustment to participate in our application and/or interview process, please email us. We will be happy to work with you. The Firm may modify and amend any job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment. The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.