What is the role?
The Head of Data Governance is the senior lead responsible for the design, implementation and continuous improvement of the Group’s data governance. You will own the end-to-end governance operating model (policies, roles, processes, tooling and metrics), lead the Data Owners and Data Champions community across divisions and functions, and ensure governance extends to data used for AI/ML and advanced analytics. You will own data risk management for Howden and ensure that the control environment is well defined. You will work closely with the Data Platform, Data Management, Data Protection Office, Information Security, Architecture, Technology and business leaders to make data trusted, discoverable, governed and safe to use across the Group.
What will you be doing?
- Strategy & operating model
- Own and evolve the Group Data Governance strategy, framework and roadmap aligned to the Group Data & Analytics strategy and regulatory obligations.
- Define and run the governance operating model (Data Boards, Data Owners and Data Champions escalation paths, KPIs and funding model)
- Policies, standards & assurance
- Own group data policies (data classification, access, retention, usage, ethics, PII handling), and ensure consistent adoption across Howden businesses.
- Establish audit and assurance processes to show compliance with internal policy, GDPR and other relevant regulations and standards (ISO 27001, UKGC, PCI where applicable).
- AI, model & vendor governance
- Work with Head of AI Governance to implement Responsible AI and Model Governance frameworks that cover model registries, training data governance, synthetic data policies, explainability, model monitoring (drift, bias), and escalation for material models.
- Define controls for use of LLMs and third-party AI services (data leakage, prompt governance, vendor assessment, red-team testing).
- Access, security & privacy
- Work with InfoSec and Data Protection to design and monitor access controls (RBAC/ABAC), DLP, anonymisation/de-identification practices, and secure data environments for analytics and AI training.
- Change, adoption & capability
- Build and run the Data Owners and Data Champions community: training, playbooks, runbooks and a community of practice to drive cultural change and adoption.
- Lead stakeholder engagement across C-suite, business lines and technology teams to embed governance into delivery and product lifecycles.
- Delivery & leadership
- Lead a small team of governance professionals and programme managers; manage budgets and external supplier relationships for governance.
- Report governance KPIs and risk to the CDO, Audit, Risk and relevant executive forums.
What are we looking for?
- Proven leadership in enterprise data governance – 10+ years’ experience with at least several years in a senior, cross-functional data governance role (or equivalent) building and running governance programmes at scale.
- Insurance / financial services experience (preferably) – demonstrable experience of data governance in insurance or a heavily regulated industry (understanding of regulatory requirements and sector data flows).
- AI & model governance experience (desirable) – practical experience establishing Responsible AI, model risk management or ML governance frameworks; familiarity with model registries, explainability, drift detection and synthetic data controls.
- Strong technical understanding – hands-on knowledge of metadata/catalog tooling and MDM plus exposure to modern data platforms (Snowflake/Databricks/S3, lakehouse, data mesh concepts).
- Privacy & security competence – thorough understanding of GDPR, data protection principles, DLP, and IT security standards such as ISO 27001; comfortable working with DPOs and CISOs.
- Stakeholder & people leadership (essential) – excellent communication and influencing skills with C-level stakeholders; experience building and developing Data Owners/Stewards communities and leading small specialist teams.
- Regulatory & audit readiness – experience preparing for and responding to audits / regulatory enquiries and evidence-based assurance reporting.
- Education – degree in Computer Science, Information Management, Data Science, Business Information Systems or equivalent experience. Advanced degree desirable.
Desirable qualifications
- CISM / CISSP (or equivalent information security certification)
- Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) or equivalent privacy qualification
- Certifications or formal training in Responsible AI / ML governance, model risk management or AI ethics
- Advanced user / certification in Data Governance platforms (e.g., Collibra DQ, Informatica)
- Experience with cloud security and platform governance (AWS/Azure/GCP)
- Optional: BCS Diploma in Business Analysis, CII Certification or similar insurance/data professional qualifications
Benefits
Permanent position. The company values diversity and encourages a positive workplace culture. Employees have the opportunity to shape their career within the organization.
Reasonable adjustments
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to ensure that the position aligns well with individual needs. Adjustments such as flexible hours or hybrid working may be accommodated as appropriate.
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