Senior Data Protection Specialist - Governance

ADNOC Abu Dhabi UAE; Dubai; On-site; AED 312,000 - 469,000; Full time

Job summary

ADNOC Group in Dubai seeks a Senior Data Protection Specialist - Governance to lead enterprise data governance, privacy, and related regulatory compliance. You will translate complex requirements into practical policies and drive adoption across ADNOC Group and its entities.

The role emphasizes data quality, information ownership, and protection while coordinating governance across business and technology teams in a large oil and energy organization.

Qualifications

• Extensive data governance and protection experience required.
• Strong knowledge of data privacy and security controls.
• Ability to translate governance requirements into practical policies and standards.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement enterprise-wide data governance framework.
• Develop and coordinate adoption of the corporate data governance program across ADNOC Group.
• Establish policies, standards, and controls for data governance and information management.

Skills

Data governance

Data protection

Information governance

Privacy controls

Digital risk

Job description

Senior Data Protection Specialist - Governance Job Snapshot

Role: Senior Data Protection Specialist - Governance

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Oil and Energy

Function: Information Technology

Experience: Extensive data governance and protection experience required

Job Type: Full-time

Senior Data Protection Specialist - Governance in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a specialist Oil and Energy opportunity with ADNOC Group responsible for enterprise data governance, data protection, information asset management, digital risk, data quality, privacy, and regulatory compliance. The role develops and maintains corporate governance frameworks covering data and technology policies, standards, ownership, stewardship, security, and protection while ensuring consistent adoption across ADNOC and its Group Companies.

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Dubai

Industry: Oil and Energy

Function: Information Technology

Salary: 28000-42000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer.

Gender: Any

Candidate Nationality: Any

Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Senior Data Protection Specialist establishes the governance structures required to manage enterprise information as a controlled, trusted, secure, and valuable corporate asset. Working across business, operational, digital, architecture, risk, and technology teams, the position translates data protection and governance requirements into practical policies, standards, controls, accountability models, and assurance activities. The role has enterprise-wide impact by improving data quality, strengthening privacy and security controls, clarifying information ownership, maintaining visibility of authoritative data assets, and ensuring digital risks are systematically identified and managed. It also supports ADNOC 's response to evolving regulatory requirements and emerging data protection technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement an enterprise-wide data governance framework covering data quality, security, privacy, ownership, stewardship, and protection.
• Develop the corporate data governance program and coordinate its adoption across ADNOC Group.
• Establish policies, procedures, standards, and controls for enterprise data governance and information management.
• Ensure data governance requirements are consistently applied across business, operational, and technology environments.
• Work with business and operational teams to define requirements for protecting sensitive and critical information.
• Translate business data protection requirements into clear technology, governance, and operational controls.
• Ensure data protection requirements are incorporated into operational planning and prioritization.
• Coordinate resources across business and operational areas to support data governance objectives.
• Resolve governance, data quality, stewardship, and protection issues escalated by data governance representatives.
• Develop and maintain an enterprise inventory of information assets.
• Identify authoritative systems, information owners, custodians, and responsible stakeholders for critical data assets.
• Support implementation and continuous improvement of enterprise data quality standards.
• Facilitate adoption of data protection standards and associated compliance requirements throughout the organization.
• Define data governance roles, responsibilities, ownership structures, and accountability requirements.
• Establish clear stewardship responsibilities for ADNOC Group information assets.
• Define Enterprise Architecture Information Principles and establish standards supporting their implementation.
• Incorporate information governance principles and controls into annual assurance programs.
• Monitor compliance with approved data governance policies, standards, and information management requirements.
• Establish an enterprise digital Risk Management Framework, supporting methodologies, controls, and assessment practices.
• Support risk champions and practice owners in identifying, evaluating, documenting, and reporting digital risks.
• Maintain digital risk registers and ensure risk information remains current and actionable.
• Conduct periodic risk reviews in accordance with Enterprise Risk Management framework requirements.
• Escalate material data governance, data protection, privacy, and digital risk issues to appropriate stakeholders.
• Build effective working relationships across internal functions, departments, Group Companies, government authorities, shareholders, vendors, and service providers.
• Provide specialist guidance on emerging data protection technologies and their potential application within ADNOC.
• Conduct market assessments covering technology developments relevant to enterprise data protection.
• Identify and evaluate vendors capable of delivering appropriate data governance and protection technologies or services.
• Provide technical expertise for RFPs and RFQs covering data protection solutions and services.
• Review tendering and contractual documentation to support cost-effective procurement and appropriate protection requirements.
• Participate in negotiations covering contractual provisions and Service Level Agreements.
• Ensure vendor agreements adequately protect ADNOC 's data, technology, commercial, and service interests.
• Monitor relevant service expectations and support effective vendor governance.
• Plan, supervise, and coordinate assigned data governance and protection activities.
• Coach and develop assigned personnel in data governance, digital risk, information management, and protection practices.
• Provide input for functional and departmental budget preparation.
• Support execution of approved budgets and work plans and investigate significant variances.
• Implement approved policies, systems, processes, standards, and procedures in accordance with company and international requirements.
• Contribute to approved performance objectives within the company performance framework.
• Develop tools and techniques that improve data governance quality, assurance, and operational efficiency.
• Benchmark internal practices against recognized industry approaches and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Comply with applicable HSE policies, legislation, sustainability guidelines, and ADNOC Codes of Practice.
• Provide data governance, protection, and risk inputs for MIS and management progress reports.

Ideal Profile

The successful candidate should have substantial professional experience in enterprise data governance, data protection, information governance, digital risk management, data quality, or related information technology disciplines. Strong knowledge of data governance frameworks, privacy and protection controls, data ownership, stewardship, information asset inventories, authoritative data sources, and enterprise data quality practices is important. Candidates should understand how governance requirements interact with Enterprise Architecture, information security, operational technology environments, business processes, regulatory obligations, and Enterprise Risk Management. The position requires the ability to translate complex governance and protection requirements into practical policies, standards, controls, roles, and accountability structures that can be implemented across a large organization. Experience with vendor evaluation, technology market analysis, RFP and RFQ development, contractual requirements, SLA negotiations, assurance programs, and senior stakeholder engagement will be valuable.

Skills Set

• Enterprise data governance
• Data protection
• Information governance
• Data privacy
• Data quality management
• Data security
• Data governance frameworks
• Data governance policies
• Data management standards
• Information asset management
• Information asset inventory
• Data ownership
• Data stewardship
• Authoritative data systems
• Sensitive data protection
• Enterprise Architecture Information Principles
• Enterprise architecture
• Data assurance
• Governance compliance
• Digital risk management
• Enterprise Risk Management
• Risk assessment
• Risk registers
• Risk reporting
• Regulatory compliance
• Privacy controls
• Information security
• Governance issue management
• Data quality standards
• Technology assessment
• Vendor evaluation
• RFP development
• RFQ development
• Contractual requirements
• Service Level Agreements
• Vendor management
• Stakeholder management
• MIS reporting
• Policy development
• Continuous improvement

Why Join Us

This position provides the opportunity to shape enterprise data governance and protection across a large Oil and Energy organization where information quality, security, privacy, and regulatory compliance are increasingly important to digital operations and strategic decision-making. The role combines governance leadership with digital risk, enterprise architecture, data quality, technology assessment, vendor management, and information protection. It offers experienced specialists the scope to establish standards and accountability structures that influence how critical data assets are governed and protected across ADNOC Group.

About the Company

ADNOC Group is an integrated energy organization with operations spanning exploration, production, drilling, processing, logistics, refining, petrochemicals, and related energy activities. Its continuing digital transformation depends on secure, reliable, high-quality information assets supported by effective enterprise data governance, information protection, risk management, and technology standards.