Senior Technical Project Lead – Data Lifecycle Management

Pauwels Consulting; Brussel; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Pauwels Consulting in Brussels seeks an experienced Data Governance Leader to drive the Data Retention Initiative within a large-scale enterprise data strategy. You will define end-to-end lifecycle management policies, lead cross-functional delivery, and translate GDPR/NIS 2 requirements into actionable retention and deletion obligations.

You will collaborate with senior stakeholders across business units, shape information governance tools and classifications, and oversee archival jobs and data

Qualifications

• 8+ years in IT/data management or information governance within large orgs.
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Responsibilities

• Lead the Data Retention Initiative and turn policies into operational practice.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Data governance

Regulatory knowledge (GDPR/NIS 2)

Scripting / data workflows

Data lifecycle management

Change management

Bilingual Dutch/French and English

Education

Master’s degree in IT/Data Management or related field

Tools

Microsoft Purview

SharePoint

Job description

Our client, a leading organization in the transportation sector, is seeking an expert to drive their Data Retention Initiative as part of a broader enterprise data strategy. The project aims to operationalize data retention policies by defining and implementing end-to-end lifecycle management plans across various business units and information domains.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of the Data Retention Initiative to turn information policies into operational practice.
• Define and execute end-to-end Data Lifecycle Management plans across diverse business units and systems.
• Manage cross-functional delivery by engaging with senior stakeholders and business units in a complex environment.
• Perform technology assessments, RFP selections, and enterprise-wide implementations for information governance tools.
• Oversee technical delivery aspects including archival jobs, data-expiry configuration, scripting, and integration.
• Translate regulatory requirements such as GDPR and NIS 2 into actionable retention and deletion obligations.
• Implement classification and tagging strategies for security, privacy, and structured data identification.

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional experience in IT, data management, or information governance within large organizations.
• 3+ years of specialized experience in data lifecycle management, records and retention, or archiving.
• Proven track record leading cross-functional delivery involving senior stakeholders in complex environments.
• Deep domain expertise in IMPs, retention schedules, legal hold, and archiving.
• Technical proficiency in scripting, integration, and archival jobs to drive deletion at scale.
• Experience with Microsoft Purview for retention and enforcement across M365.
• Working knowledge of regulatory drivers for data retention, specifically GDPR and NIS 2.
• Master’s degree in IT, Data Management, or a related field.
• Strong experience in stakeholder management and change leadership across decentralized organizations.
• You have a native level of Dutch or French with at least B2 level in the other and English.

Nice to Haves

• Experience with SharePoint Advanced Management.
• Familiarity with data governance & cataloguing tools, e-archiving, or structured-data expiry.
• Certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, Agile/SAFe, or DAMA CDMP.
• Microsoft Information Protection & Compliance Administrator or other Purview certifications.
• Knowledge of ISO 27001, EU Data Act, or EU AI Act.

Offer

• Work regime: Full-time
• Location: Brussels
• Working model: Hybrid (minimum 2 days onsite)
• Contract: open to both permanent employees and freelancers