Senior Data Manager
Location: Remote, UK
Working pattern: Full-time, flexible working
Salary: £50k - £64k
Are you an experienced Data Management leader who wants the freedom to shape and deliver an enterprise-wide data transformation?
This is an opportunity to take genuine ownership of data governance, data quality, master data management and metadata across a complex, global, mission-driven organisation.
You will not simply write policies or coordinate activity. You will create the roadmap, develop a practical data management playbook and lead the transition from fragmented legacy approaches to modern, embedded data practices. With significant autonomy and the support of senior leadership, you will shape the team, tooling, governance model and measures of success.
What’s in it for you?
- Genuine ownership of a high-profile, enterprise-wide data transformation
- Freedom to design the roadmap, operating model, governance playbook and KPIs
- The opportunity to influence the development of a unified data platform from pilot through to production
- Autonomy and trust from day one, supported by a direct and collaborative manager
- The chance to shape and grow a data management team as further investment is made
- Exposure to complex, meaningful data challenges across an international organisation
- An opportunity to create visible, lasting change within a purpose-led environment
- Remote working from anywhere in the UK, with flexibility around family and caring responsibilities
The role
As Senior Data Manager, you will lead the strategy, governance and practical execution of enterprise data management across a global, federated organisation.
You will manage an established team of five and work closely with data engineering, analytics, technology and business stakeholders. Your remit will cover data governance, data quality, master data management (MDM), metadata, data lineage, data sharing and ethics.
A key priority will be developing and implementing a practical data management playbook that establishes clear ownership, standards and accountability across geographically dispersed teams.
You will also support the development of a modern unified data platform, ensuring governance and data quality are built into pipelines, data structures and technical controls rather than treated as separate policy exercises.
Key responsibilities
- Own and deliver the enterprise data management strategy and roadmap
- Lead a major data governance and data quality transformation from design through to adoption
- Develop and implement a practical data governance and management playbook
- Establish a federated data governance model across global business and technical teams
- Define data ownership, stewardship, standards, policies, controls and escalation routes
- Lead master data management initiatives across datasets with differing definitions, structures and levels of maturity
- Establish golden records, common definitions, hierarchies and consistent master data processes
- Develop enterprise data quality standards, KPIs, controls and monitoring
- Lead metadata management, data lineage mapping and business glossary development
- Drive the adoption and optimisation of data catalogue and governance tooling
- Partner with data engineering teams to embed governance and quality controls into data pipelines and platform architecture
- Support the development and rollout of a unified data platform and medallion data architecture
- Lead, develop and expand a team covering data governance, data quality, data sharing, ethics and business intelligence
- Build effective data governance forums and influence stakeholders without relying on direct authority
- Translate complex data management concepts into practical actions for non-technical audiences
- Drive organisation-wide behavioural change, data ownership and adoption
What we’re looking for
You will be an experienced and delivery-focused Data Management leader who can demonstrate that you have personally led, driven and embedded enterprise-scale change.
You should be able to show how you moved an organisation beyond policies and frameworks to create measurable improvements in data ownership, quality, consistency and adoption.
Essential experience includes:
- Leading enterprise data management or data governance transformation programmes
- Designing and implementing data governance frameworks and operating models
- Strong master data management (MDM) experience, including integrating datasets with conflicting definitions
- Developing data quality frameworks, metrics, controls and remediation processes
- Building data ownership and stewardship across a federated or decentralised organisation
- Leading cultural and behavioural change across technical and non-technical teams
- Influencing senior stakeholders and global teams without direct authority
- Working closely with data engineering, analytics, BI and technology colleagues
- Practical experience of metadata management, data lineage and business glossaries
- Experience using data catalogue or governance platforms such as Alation, Microsoft Purview, Collibra or Informatica
- Sufficient technical understanding of data pipelines, data lakes, data quality controls and modern data platforms to work credibly with engineers
- Strong people leadership, team development and programme management experience
- The autonomy, judgement and drive to progress complex initiatives with limited direction
Experience of Microsoft data technologies, Power BI, Databricks, unified data platforms or medallion architecture would be particularly useful.
A data management qualification such as CDMP would be advantageous but is not essential. Substantial delivery, transformation and leadership experience will be valued more highly than formal certification.
The person
This role will suit someone who is:
- Pragmatic, hands-on and focused on delivery
- Comfortable operating with ambiguity and competing priorities
- Confident challenging established thinking constructively
- Resilient and able to maintain momentum within a complex global environment
- Skilled at balancing strategic thinking with practical implementation
- Able to adapt their communication style for engineers, senior leaders and business users
- Motivated by building something meaningful rather than maintaining the status quo
- Comfortable being accountable for outcomes, not simply activity
Experience gained within an NGO, charity, certification body or purpose-led organisation would be beneficial but is not required. We are particularly interested in candidates who have successfully delivered change across complex, decentralised or international organisations.
This is a rare opportunity to shape an organisation’s data management capability at a pivotal point in its development. If you want the autonomy to lead, build and deliver a transformation with genuine organisational impact, we would be keen to hear from you.
Please apply now and we’ll be in touch.
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.