Data Governance Specialist

Position Summary

Key Responsibilities

• Support data governance maturity and compliance assessments across relevant data management domains.
• Collect and analyse information through interviews, workshops, document reviews and questionnaires.
• Assist in identifying gaps in data governance policies, processes, roles, controls and supporting tools.
• Support the development of data governance policies, procedures, standards, templates and checklists.
• Assist in defining responsibilities for Data Owners, Data Stewards, Data Custodians and other data stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain RACI matrices, role-mapping documents and governance process flows.
• Support the design of the Data Governance and Management Office, governance committees and working groups.
• Assist in developing data classification criteria, handling requirements and classification registers.
• Coordinate with departments to identify, catalogue and classify critical data assets.
• Support the preparation of business glossaries, data dictionaries and metadata documentation.
• Assist in documenting data lineage and identifying critical data elements.
• Support the development of data quality rules, issue logs, performance measures and governance KPIs.
• Prepare assessment reports, workshop materials, presentations and implementation trackers.
• Monitor agreed governance actions, risks, issues and evidence of compliance.
• Support training, awareness sessions and stakeholder communications.
• Coordinate with business, IT, cybersecurity, legal, privacy and records-management teams.
• Maintain organised repositories of governance documents, approvals and supporting evidence.
• The role should contribute to the governance, organisational, policy, classification, metadata and compliance activities required by the project, without being expected to independently lead the entire programme.

Typical Deliverables

• The specialist may support the preparation of:
• Current-state assessment findings
• Data governance gap analysis
• Data governance policies and procedures
• Data roles and RACI matrices
• Governance committee and working-group documentation
• Data classification framework and register
• Data asset inventory
• Business glossary and data dictionary templates
• Data lineage documentation
• Data quality issue and rule registers
• Governance KPI register
• Compliance assessment checklists
• Training and awareness materials
• Implementation action trackers
• Workshop minutes and stakeholder reports

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science, data management, business administration, information governance or a related field.
• Relevant data management or data governance training is preferred.
• Certification such as CDMP Associate, DAMA training, DCAM foundation or an equivalent qualification would be advantageous but is not mandatory.

Required Experience

• Approximately 4–6 years of professional experience.
• At least 2–3 years of relevant experience in data governance, data management, information governance, data quality, metadata management or related consulting work.
• Experience supporting data governance assessments or implementation projects.
• Experience preparing policies, procedures, process documents, RACI matrices or compliance documentation.
• Exposure to data classification, data catalogues, business glossaries, data quality or metadata management.
• Experience coordinating with both business and IT stakeholders.
• Government or public-sector project experience is preferred but not mandatory.
• GCC experience would be advantageous.

Required Knowledge And Skills

• Basic to intermediate understanding of DAMA-DMBOK, DCAM or similar data governance frameworks.
• Understanding of data ownership, stewardship and accountability.
• Familiarity with data classification and handling requirements.
• Knowledge of metadata, business glossaries and data dictionaries.
• Basic understanding of data quality and data lineage.
• Ability to document processes, policies and operating procedures.
• Strong Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word skills.
• Ability to prepare structured reports, trackers and presentations.
• Strong workshop coordination and stakeholder communication skills.
• Ability to analyse information and convert findings into practical recommendations.

Behavioural Competencies

• Structured and detail-oriented approach
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong written communication
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments
• Willingness to learn and work under senior guidance
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines
• Professional stakeholder-management skills
• Strong documentation and follow-up discipline

Language Requirements

• Strong written and spoken English.