We are seeking an accomplished Data Governance Head to drive the company’s enterprise-wide data governance and management agenda across UAE and 10 IBG countries and 12 departments. This role will be pivotal in driving the implementation of the company’s data strategy, operationalizing the data management framework (aligned to DAMA domains), and embedding a strong culture of data ownership, quality, and literacy across the organization. The successful candidate will be accountable for data governance tools implementation (Informatica EDC, Axon, DEQ), advancing data cataloguing, lineage, and quality maturity, and partnering with business and technology stakeholders to close regulatory gaps. This is a strategic leadership role with responsibility for building and developing a high-performing team, shaping the data governance roadmap, and enabling the company to achieve its ambitions of becoming a truly data-driven organization.
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Responsibilities
- Lead the bank-wide data governance and management agenda, ensuring alignment with business strategy and regulatory requirements.
- Drive the operationalization of the Data Management Framework (DAMA domains), ensuring adherence to the company’s Data Governance Policy.
- Develop, implement, and monitor the company’s data governance strategy, including roadmap planning, progress reporting, and risk management.
- Design, lead, and expand the enterprise Data Quality (DQ) programme, focusing on maturity development for Critical Data Elements (CDEs).
- Oversee data quality remediation, root cause analysis, and adoption of data quality by design principles in large-scale transformation programs.
- Partner with senior business and functional leaders across UAE and 10 IBG countries and 12 departments to embed governance into decision-making.
- Proactively identify, manage, and close regulatory gaps relating to data management, reporting regularly to senior leadership and regulators.
- Champion data governance adoption and literacy by leading company-wide awareness programs, workshops, and training.
- Build, grow, and manage a specialist Data Governance team, ensuring capability uplift, succession planning, and team development.
- Lead enterprise-scale data governance tool implementations, ensuring timely delivery, adoption, and business value realization.
- Provide regular updates and actionable insights to senior leadership on governance maturity, policy adherence, risks, and mitigations.
Required Skills
- 15+ years of experience in Data Governance, Data Management, Data Analytics, preferably in the banking or financial services sector.
- Proven track record of implementing enterprise data governance frameworks, policies, and tools (Informatica Axon, EDC, DEQ or equivalent).
- Strong expertise in data quality management, metadata management, data lineage, and regulatory compliance.
- Experience leading cross-functional teams across multiple geographies and business units.
- Demonstrated ability to engage with and influence C-suite stakeholders and regulatory bodies.
- Strong program management skills with experience delivering large-scale transformation.
- Familiarity with DAMA principles and best practices.
