<p>This brief outlines the role of a Data Governance Lead, the expectations, and the skills required to manage data policy, stewardship and compliance across an organisation.</p>
<p>The Data Governance Lead establishes policy and practice to ensure data is accurate, accessible and compliant. They guide stakeholders and champion data stewardship across business units.</p>
<h2>Data Governance Lead Job Profile</h2>
<p>The Data Governance Lead is a senior specialist responsible for defining and delivering a pragmatic governance framework. They work with business and technical teams to create accountable data ownership, policies and standards.</p>
<p>This role suits an experienced data professional who can translate regulatory requirements into operational controls, coach data stewards, and drive continual improvement in data quality and usability.</p>
<h2>Data Governance Lead Job Description</h2>
<p>The Data Governance Lead designs, implements and maintains a comprehensive data governance programme. They define policy, standards and processes to ensure data assets are managed consistently across the organisation. The role involves creating governance artefacts such as a business glossary, data catalogue and stewardship model while establishing metrics to measure data quality and compliance.</p>
<p>Working closely with information security, legal and data engineering teams, the postholder ensures alignment with regulatory obligations, including GDPR and sector-specific rules. They lead stakeholder engagement, provide training, and act as the escalation point for data incidents and disputes. The role requires pragmatic decision-making, strong communication skills and the ability to influence at senior levels.</p>
<h2>Data Governance Lead Duties and Responsibilities</h2>
<ul>
<li>Develop, document and maintain data governance policies, standards and procedures.</li>
<li>Establish and manage a data stewardship model with clear roles and responsibilities.</li>
<li>Create and maintain a business glossary, data catalogue and metadata definitions.</li>
<li>Define data quality metrics and run measurement and reporting programmes.</li>
<li>Coordinate with legal and information security to ensure regulatory compliance, including GDPR.</li>
<li>Lead data governance councils, working groups and stakeholder forums.</li>
<li>Define processes for data access, retention, classification and disposal.</li>
<li>Investigate and resolve data incidents, supporting root cause analysis and remediation.</li>
<li>Provide training and guidance to business users and stewards on governance practices.</li>
<li>Support data architecture and engineering teams to embed governance controls in systems and pipelines.</li>
<li>Drive continuous improvement and change management related to data practices.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Data Governance Lead Requirements and Qualifications</h2>
<ul>
<li>Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Management, Business or related discipline; relevant postgraduate qualification desirable.</li>
<li>Proven experience in data governance, data management or information governance roles.</li>
<li>Strong knowledge of data protection law, such as GDPR and sector specific regulation.</li>
<li>Experience developing business glossaries, data catalogues and metadata frameworks.</li>
<li>Familiarity with data quality tools, master data management and data lineage techniques.</li>
<li>Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills; able to influence senior leaders.</li>
<li>Analytical mindset with experience in metrics and reporting for data quality and compliance.</li>
<li>Practical experience working with data engineers, architects and security teams to implement controls.</li>
<li>Professional certifications such as DAMA CDMP, DGIQ or similar are advantageous.</li>
<li>Ability to manage multiple priorities and lead cross-functional initiatives in a complex environment.</li>
</ul>