Data governance Expert

Visser & Van Baars; Brussel; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Visser & Van Baars in Brussels, Belgium seeks a Data Governance Expert for a permanent internal role. Fluency in Dutch, French and English is required to communicate with stakeholders across the organisation.

You will strengthen the data governance framework, build a data community and coach Data Stewards to adopt governance practices across business lines.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Data Governance, Data Management, Data Stewardship or a closely related field.
• Understand data ownership, metadata management and governance processes.
• Experience working with Data Stewards, data owners or other data stakeholders.
• Technical knowledge of data structures and governance tooling to engage with technical teams.
• Translate governance principles into practical, adoptable processes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and embed the data governance framework across the organisation.
• Build and nurture the internal data community and data stewardship.
• Document and maintain data assets and metadata in the data catalogue.
• Translate governance concepts into practical guidance for diverse audiences.
• Support change management and adoption of governance practices.

Skills

Data governance

Data management

Data stewardship

Stakeholder management

Governance tooling

Tools

Collibra

Microsoft Purview

Job description

Location: Brussels, Belgium | Permanent, Internal Position

About the role

Data Governance Expert - NL/FR/ENG

I am currently looking for a Data Governance Expert for a client in Brussels. This is a permanent, internal position directly within the client's organisation, not a freelance assignment or an external consultancy role.

I am looking for someone who can help strengthen and further develop its data governance framework, build and develop its data community, and support the various Data Stewards in fulfilling their responsibilities.

In this role, you will combine your knowledge of data governance and data management with strong communication, coaching and stakeholder management skills. You will work closely with business and technical stakeholders to ensure that data governance principles are translated into practical processes and effectively adopted throughout the organisation.

Fluency in Dutch, French and English is a major requirement for this position. You will operate in a multilingual environment and need to communicate confidently with stakeholders across the organisation in all three languages.

Your responsibilities

Data Governance & Data Management

• Help further develop and implement the organisation's data governance framework.

• Ensure that data governance policies, processes and responsibilities are effectively embedded across the organisation.

• Support clear data ownership and accountability across different business domains.

• Promote consistent data governance standards and best practices.

• Identify opportunities to improve existing governance processes and ways of working.

Data Stewardship & Community Building

• Help build and further develop the internal data community.

• Guide, coach and support Data Stewards in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities.

• Encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing and the exchange of best practices.

• Help Data Stewards become more autonomous in managing and maintaining their respective data domains.

• Facilitate discussions, workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions to strengthen collaboration across teams.

Data Catalogue & Metadata Management

• Contribute to the further development, population and maintenance of the data catalogue.

• Ensure that Data Stewards actively document, review and update data assets and metadata.

• Promote consistent documentation of data definitions, ownership and responsibilities.

• Encourage the effective use of existing data governance tools and processes.

• Monitor adoption and identify where additional guidance or improvements are needed.

Stakeholder Management & Change

• Build strong relationships with business and technical stakeholders across the organisation.

• Translate data governance concepts into clear, practical guidance for different audiences.

• Bring stakeholders together and establish a shared understanding of data responsibilities.

• Support organisational change by helping teams adopt new governance processes and practices.

• Help ensure that data governance becomes a shared responsibility throughout the organisation rather than depending on a handful of individuals.

Your profile

I am looking for someone who combines a solid understanding of data governance with the interpersonal skills needed to drive adoption across a complex organisation.

Experience & technical knowledge

• You have proven experience in Data Governance, Data Management, Data Stewardship or a closely related field.

• You understand data ownership, metadata management, data catalogues and governance processes.

• You have experience working with or supporting Data Stewards, data owners or other data-related stakeholders.

• You have sufficient technical knowledge of data structures, data management concepts and governance tooling to engage confidently with technical teams.

• You can translate governance principles into practical processes that people can adopt and maintain.

Communication & interpersonal skills

• You have strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

• You are comfortable coaching, guiding and engaging people with different levels of technical knowledge.

• You can bring people together, create alignment and encourage collaboration across departments.

• You take a proactive and structured approach to your work.

• You understand that successful data governance depends as much on people and processes as it does on technology.

Languages: Dutch, French & English

Fluency in Dutch, French and English is a major requirement for this position.

• You communicate confidently in all three languages, both verbally and in writing.

• You can facilitate discussions, explain governance concepts and engage stakeholders in Dutch, French and English.

• You are comfortable operating in a multilingual environment with diverse internal and external stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Experience within the public sector, a federal institution or another complex organisational environment.

• Familiarity with data governance and catalogue platforms such as Collibra or Microsoft Purview.

• Experience building or developing a data community.

• Knowledge of change management, process improvement or organisational transformation.

• Experience working across multiple business units and stakeholder groups.

Experience with a specific data governance tool is not a strict requirement. My client is primarily interested in your understanding of data governance, your ability to work with stakeholders and your capacity to help embed governance practices throughout the organisation.

What makes this opportunity interesting?

• Permanent employment: Join the client's organisation directly in a long-term internal role.

• Organisational impact: Help shape how data is managed, documented and governed across the organisation.

• People and data: Combine your data expertise with coaching, collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

• Ownership: Play an active role in developing the data community and improving the adoption of governance practices.

• Complex environment: Work with diverse stakeholders and contribute to a more consistent and mature approach to data management.

Interested?

If you have a background in data governance and enjoy combining your expertise with coaching, stakeholder engagement and organisational development, I would be happy to tell you more about this opportunity.

I am particularly interested in speaking with professionals who can combine their knowledge of data governance with the ability to bring people together and drive lasting change within an organisation.