Senior Data Governance Manager | IrisStar Technologies | Dubai, UAE

IrisStar Technologies; Dubai; On-site; AED 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

IrisStar Technologies in Dubai, UAE seeks a Senior Data Governance Manager to lead enterprise-wide data governance, data quality, and metadata management initiatives. This strategic role establishes governance frameworks, enhances data trust, and drives enterprise data management capabilities.

Responsibilities include policy design, data ownership governance, and data lineage, with cloud governance focus across Azure, AWS, and GCP.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in computer science, information systems, data management, engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 14+ years of experience in data management, governance, or enterprise information management.
• Extensive leadership of data governance and data quality programs.
• Expertise in metadata management, data cataloging, business glossary, and data lineage.
• Deep understanding of enterprise data governance frameworks and best practices.
• Experience designing and implementing enterprise data management operating models.
• Strong SQL skills and data profiling experience.
• Experience with cloud platforms: Azure, AWS, and GCP.
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
• Experience preparing governance policies, standards, and executive presentations.
• Understanding of data architecture, lifecycle management, and governance controls.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and enterprise transformation initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement enterprise data governance frameworks, policies, and standards.
• Lead enterprise-wide data governance and data quality programs.
• Establish governance processes for data ownership, stewardship, accountability, and compliance.
• Drive metadata management, data cataloging, business glossary, and data lineage initiatives.
• Define and maintain enterprise data management operating models and governance structures.
• Collaborate with business and technical teams to improve data quality, consistency, and accessibility.
• Develop governance controls to support regulatory compliance, privacy, and risk management.
• Conduct data assessments and recommend governance improvements across domains.
• Support cloud data governance strategies across Azure, AWS, and GCP.

Skills

Data governance leadership

Stakeholder management

Executive communication

SQL skills

Data quality

Regulatory compliance

Data architecture understanding

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in a relevant field

Tools

Collibra

Microsoft Purview

Informatica

Alation

Azure

AWS

GCP

Job description

Job Title: Senior Data Governance Manager | IrisStar Technologies | Dubai, UAE

Recruiting Company: IrisStar Technologies

Job Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Job Type: Full-Time

Location: Dubai, UAE

Experience Required: 14+ Years

Enterprise Data Governance Leadership Role

Cloud & Data Management Expertise Required

Position Summary

IrisStar Technologies is seeking a highly experienced Senior Data Governance Manager to lead enterprise-wide data governance, data quality, and metadata management initiatives. This strategic role is responsible for establishing governance frameworks, enhancing data trust and compliance, and driving enterprise data management capabilities across complex business environments.

Detailed Job Description

As a Senior Data Governance Manager, you will lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of enterprise data governance programs that ensure data quality, consistency, security, and regulatory compliance. You will collaborate with business stakeholders, data owners, architects, and technology teams to establish governance policies, standards, and operating models that support data-driven decision-making. The role requires deep expertise in metadata management, business glossaries, data lineage, and enterprise data cataloging solutions. You will also play a critical role in shaping cloud-based data governance strategies while ensuring alignment with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices. This position offers the opportunity to influence enterprise-wide data transformation and governance initiatives at a strategic level.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement enterprise data governance frameworks, policies, and standards.
• Lead enterprise-wide Data Governance and Data Quality programs.
• Establish governance processes for data ownership, stewardship, accountability, and compliance.
• Drive metadata management, data cataloging, business glossary, and data lineage initiatives.
• Define and maintain enterprise data management operating models and governance structures.
• Collaborate with business and technical teams to improve data quality, consistency, and accessibility.
• Develop governance controls to support regulatory compliance, privacy, and risk management requirements.
• Conduct data assessments and recommend governance improvements across business domains.
• Support cloud data governance strategies across Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) environments.
• Create executive dashboards, governance reports, and KPI scorecards for leadership teams.
• Facilitate stakeholder workshops and governance forums to drive data maturity across the organization.
• Work closely with data architects, engineers, analysts, and business leaders to deliver enterprise data initiatives.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Management, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 14 years of experience in Data Management, Data Governance, or Enterprise Information Management roles.
• Extensive experience leading Data Governance and Data Quality programs.
• Strong expertise in Metadata Management, Data Cataloging, Business Glossary, and Data Lineage frameworks.
• Deep understanding of enterprise Data Governance frameworks and industry best practices.
• Experience designing and implementing enterprise data management operating models.
• Strong SQL skills with hands-on data analysis and data profiling experience.
• Experience working with cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
• Experience preparing governance policies, standards, architecture documents, and executive-level presentations.
• Strong understanding of data architecture, data lifecycle management, and governance controls.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and enterprise transformation initiatives.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience with Collibra, Microsoft Purview, Informatica, Alation, or similar data governance platforms.
• Knowledge of data privacy regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and regional compliance frameworks.
• Experience with Master Data Management (MDM) and Reference Data Management.
• Familiarity with DataOps and modern cloud-native data architectures.
• Industry certifications in Data Governance, Cloud Platforms, or Enterprise Data Management.

Recruitment Pro Tip

For senior data governance roles, employers look for measurable business impact. Highlight achievements such as improving data quality scores, implementing enterprise governance frameworks, establishing data stewardship programs, deploying data catalogs, enabling regulatory compliance, or leading large-scale cloud data governance transformations. Quantifiable outcomes and executive stakeholder engagement experience will significantly strengthen your application.