Senior Data Governance & Data Management Lead
Location: Remote, UK
What if your next role gave you the scope to build a modern data management capability, rather than simply maintain one?
We are looking for a senior data leader to take ownership of how data is governed, defined, measured and used across a complex international organisation.
This is a highly visible transformation role combining strategy, hands-on delivery, change leadership and people management. You will inherit an established team, senior-level backing and a developing unified data platform, but considerable work remains to turn the vision into sustainable, organisation-wide practice.
You will have the autonomy to determine how that happens.
Why consider this opportunity?
- Lead a significant enterprise data transformation with global reach
- Shape the data management roadmap, operating model and governance approach
- Influence a unified data platform as it progresses from pilot to production
- Build data quality and governance directly into modern engineering practices
- Lead an established team of five, with scope to reshape and expand it
- Select and develop the measures, processes and tooling needed for success
- Work within a supportive, trust-based environment where you can operate with real agency
- Apply your expertise to work with a meaningful purpose and visible impact
- Work remotely from anywhere in the UK, with flexibility for family and caring commitments
What you will be responsible for
You will lead enterprise data management across a global, federated organisation, creating the structure and momentum required to move from varied legacy practices towards a consistent, modern approach.
Your remit will span data governance, data quality, master data management, metadata, lineage, data sharing and ethics. You will work across business, technology, data engineering, analytics and senior leadership teams to establish ownership and make better data management part of everyday working practice.
This is not a role focused solely on writing policies. You will be expected to turn strategy into practical action, build organisational commitment and demonstrate measurable improvements.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Setting and delivering the enterprise data management strategy
- Creating a clear, practical roadmap aligned with organisational priorities
- Developing a data management playbook that teams can understand and apply
- Establishing a federated governance model across international business areas
- Defining data ownership, stewardship, standards and accountability
- Leading master data management across fragmented and inconsistently defined datasets
- Establishing common definitions, golden records and master data processes
- Creating data quality measures, controls, KPIs and remediation approaches
- Improving metadata management, lineage mapping and the business glossary
- Developing governance forums and effective decision-making processes
- Optimising data catalogue and governance technologies
- Embedding quality and governance controls into data pipelines and platform architecture
- Contributing to the rollout of a unified data platform and medallion architecture
- Leading and developing a multidisciplinary team covering governance, quality, data sharing, ethics and BI
- Influencing global stakeholders and encouraging lasting behavioural change
The experience you will bring
We are interested in what you have personally led and delivered, not simply the programmes you have supported.
You will need a strong track record of taking enterprise data management or data governance initiatives from design through implementation and into genuine adoption.
We are looking for experience across:
- Enterprise data management and data governance transformation
- Data governance frameworks, playbooks and operating models
- Master data management, including reconciling competing definitions and structures
- Data quality frameworks, measurement, controls and remediation
- Data ownership and stewardship in federated or decentralised organisations
- Metadata management, data lineage and business glossaries
- Organisational change and the practical adoption of new data practices
- Influencing senior, technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Working in partnership with data engineering, analytics, BI and technology teams
- Data catalogue and governance platforms such as Alation, Microsoft Purview, Collibra or Informatica
- Modern data platforms, data lakes, data pipelines and technical quality controls
- Leading, developing and motivating a specialist team
- Delivering complex initiatives with a high degree of autonomy
Knowledge of Microsoft data technologies, Azure, Power BI, Databricks, unified data platforms or medallion architecture would be valuable.
A qualification such as DAMA CDMP would be welcome but is not essential. Evidence that you have successfully delivered and embedded transformation will carry considerably more weight than formal certification.
The environment
The organisation operates internationally, with differing levels of data maturity, varied systems and geographically dispersed stakeholders. Some data is held within established digital platforms, while other information remains dependent on local processes and spreadsheets.
Success will require someone who can introduce structure without becoming overly theoretical, maintain momentum without ignoring organisational realities and build trust across teams with different priorities.
You are likely to thrive in this role if you are:
- Strategic but willing to remain close to delivery
- Pragmatic and commercially aware
- Comfortable making progress through ambiguity
- Confident challenging established thinking constructively
- Resilient, adaptable and able to influence without formal authority
- Credible with engineers while remaining accessible to business users
- Motivated by building lasting capability and being accountable for outcomes
Experience within a charity, NGO, certification body or purpose-led organisation could be helpful, but it is not a requirement. More important is your ability to lead change across a complex, international or decentralised environment.
If you want to build something with genuine scale, autonomy and purpose, please apply now for a confidential conversation.
Tilt Recruitment are specialists in IT Recruitment. We work hard to find our candidates their perfect roles within fantastic organisations across the UK. If this role isn’t right for you, please still get in touch with us as we may have other roles which may suit you better.
We also offer up to £500 for every successful referral, if you know someone who matches this skill set please let us know.
Tilt Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.