Data Governance Manager

Location: Manchester (Hybrid, 2 days per week in the office)

The Opportunity

I'm currently working with a leading insurance organisation based in Manchester that is looking to appoint a Data Governance Manager to help strengthen and mature its data governance capability.

This is an excellent opportunity to take ownership of data governance across a complex, data-driven insurance environment, working closely with senior stakeholders across Data, Technology, Risk, Compliance and the wider business.

The organisation is continuing to invest heavily in its data capabilities, with a strong focus on improving data quality, ownership, accountability and the overall management of critical business data.

As Data Governance Manager, you'll play a key role in developing and embedding the organisation's data governance framework, ensuring that data is managed consistently, responsibly and effectively across the business.

You'll work closely with Data Owners, Data Stewards, technology teams and business stakeholders to establish clear governance standards, improve data quality and drive greater accountability around the use and management of data.

This is a particularly exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys operating at both a strategic and hands-on level , with the opportunity to shape how data governance operates across a large and established insurance business.

If you're an experienced Data Governance professional looking for the opportunity to take ownership of a growing governance function and make a genuine impact on how an organisation manages its data, this could be an excellent next step in your career.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and continuously develop the organisation's data governance framework, policies, standards and processes.
• Develop and embed a consistent data governance operating model across the business.
• Establish clear ownership and accountability for critical data assets through Data Owners, Data Stewards and relevant business stakeholders.
• Define and maintain data ownership, stewardship and accountability frameworks.
• Develop and implement data governance policies, standards and procedures aligned with business and regulatory requirements.
• Establish and maintain data definitions, business glossaries, critical data elements and associated metadata.
• Work with Data Owners and Data Stewards to improve the quality, consistency and usability of critical business data.
• Develop and monitor data quality frameworks, including data quality rules, controls, issue management and remediation processes.
• Identify data quality issues and work with relevant stakeholders to drive root-cause analysis and resolution.
• Establish appropriate data controls, governance processes and standards across key data domains.
• Support the development and ongoing management of the organisation's data catalogue and metadata capabilities.
• Ensure appropriate data lineage and traceability is established for critical data.
• Work closely with Risk, Compliance, Information Security and Technology teams to ensure data governance aligns with wider control frameworks.
• Support regulatory and compliance requirements relating to data management, data quality, data protection and information governance.
• Provide governance oversight across key data initiatives, projects and transformation programmes.
• Develop data governance KPIs, MI and reporting to demonstrate governance maturity, data quality and areas requiring improvement.
• Chair or support relevant data governance forums and working groups.
• Engage with senior stakeholders to communicate data risks, governance requirements and improvement opportunities.
• Promote a strong culture of data ownership and accountability across the organisation.
• Develop training, guidance and communications to improve data governance awareness across the business.
• Identify opportunities to improve existing governance processes, controls and ways of working.
• Support the wider Data & Analytics function in establishing a consistent and scalable approach to data management.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Proven experience working in Data Governance, Data Management or a closely related discipline .
• Previous experience operating at Data Governance Manager, Data Governance Lead, Data Management Manager or similar level.
• Strong understanding of data governance frameworks, principles, operating models and best practice.
• Experience establishing or embedding data ownership and stewardship models.
• Strong understanding of data quality management, including data quality rules, monitoring, issue management and remediation.
• Experience defining and maintaining data policies, standards, processes and controls.
• Strong understanding of metadata management, business glossaries and data cataloguing.
• Experience working with Data Owners, Data Stewards and senior business stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex data governance requirements into practical processes and controls.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders across both business and technical teams.
• Experience working across multiple data domains and/or large, complex organisations.
• Strong understanding of data lifecycle management and the principles of effective data management.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain data governance concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Experience managing multiple governance initiatives and priorities within a complex organisation.
• Previous experience within insurance, financial services or another highly regulated industry .
• Understanding of FCA, PRA, ICO or other regulatory expectations around data management and governance.
• Experience working within risk, compliance or regulatory data environments.
• Experience with data governance frameworks such as DAMA-DMBOK or similar.
• Experience with data cataloguing and governance platforms such as Collibra, Alation, Informatica, Microsoft Purview or similar .
• Experience with data lineage and metadata management tools.
• Understanding of Master Data Management and reference data governance.
• Experience working with Data Quality tooling and frameworks.
• Knowledge of information governance, data privacy and data protection principles.
• Experience working with cloud data platforms such as Azure, Snowflake or Databricks.
• Exposure to modern data platforms, data warehouses and enterprise data architecture.
• Experience working within Agile or transformation environments.

Package and Benefits

• £70,000 - £85,000 salary (depending on experience).
• Hybrid working (2 days per week in the Manchester office).
• Annual performance bonus.
• Private medical insurance.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Life assurance.
• Flexible benefits package.
• Ongoing learning and professional development opportunities.
• Clear progression opportunities within a growing Data & Governance function.
• Opportunity to shape and mature data governance across a large insurance organisation.
• High level of exposure to senior stakeholders across Data, Technology, Risk and Compliance.
• Opportunity to play a key role in improving data quality, ownership and accountability across the business.