Senior Manager, Data Governance

Pandora; København; On-site; DKK 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Pandora in Copenhagen is seeking a Senior Manager to lead and grow the Operational Data Governance team. You will unify architecture, governance, data quality and delivery into one high‑performing function that makes data trustworthy and well defined across our platforms.

You will build governance into day‑to‑day data products and platforms, align data, engineering, and business teams, and scale the governance model. This role sits at the heart of Pandora's data strategy in Denmark.

Qualifications

• 6–10+ years of experience in data governance, data management, or data architecture.
• Experience leading cross-functional governance teams at scale.
• Proven track record embedding governance operating models into delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Full Governance Function.
• Own and continuously improve governance across architecture, engineering, quality, and delivery.
• Ensure governance is built into data products and platforms day-to-day.
• Keep Data, Engineering (Athena), and business teams aligned.
• Define and maintain governance standards, reference models, and metadata management.
• Grow and lead governance specialist teams for architecture, quality, and delivery.

Skills

Data governance

Data architecture

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Data quality

Job description

We're looking for a Senior Manager to lead and grow Pandora's Operational Data Governance team. This person will bring together four areas: architecture, technical governance, data quality, and governance delivery into one strong, well‑run function.

The role is about turning our company-wide governance strategy into practical, everyday reality: making sure data is trustworthy, clearly defined, and properly governed across all our data products and platforms: built in from the start, not bolted on later.

This Leader Will Manage a Team Covering

• Governance Architecture
• Platform & Engineering Governance
• Data Quality & Trust
• Governance Delivery & Operating Model

What You'll Do

• Lead the Full Governance Function
• Own and continuously improve how we run operational data governance across architecture, engineering, quality, and delivery
• Make sure governance is built into how data products and platforms work day‑to‑day, not an afterthought
• Keep Data, Engineering (Athena), and business teams aligned and working well together
• Governance Architecture & Metadata Management

Lead a Team Of Governance Architect Specialists Who Will

• Set the standards and reference models for data architecture
• Build our approach to metadata: how we name, structure, and describe data consistently

Own And Grow

• The business glossary and semantic layers (our shared data vocabulary)
• The data catalog and metadata systems
• Data lineage tracking (knowing where data comes from and where it goes)

Make Sure The Architecture Supports

• Data products that can scale
• Systems that work well together
• Proper data storage, archiving, and retention
• Push forward better tools and automation for governance work
• Platform & Engineering Governance ("Governance by Design")

Lead the team that builds governance directly into our data platform:

• Build governance checks straight into how data is ingested and transformed
• Make good governance the automatic, default outcome, not something people have to remember to do

Make Sure These Are Technically Enforced

• Capturing metadata
• Tracking data lineage
• Data quality checks
• Data contracts (agreements about data format and quality between teams)

Work closely with the Data Platform / Athena teams to:

• Build governance into engineering standards
• Cut down on manual governance work
• Make sure governance can scale, is actually enforced, and can be measured
• Data Quality & Trust

Lead a team of Data Quality & Trust Specialists who will:

• Build company-wide frameworks and rules for data quality
• Set: Data quality standards, rules, and acceptable thresholds
• Set: Service-level agreements (SLAs) and performance expectations
• Investigate root causes of data problems and fix them properly, not just patch them
• Own how we monitor and track data quality over time
• Make sure data quality ownership sit with the teams who own each data product
• Track KPIs and trust metrics for governance
• Governance Delivery & Operating Model

Lead a Team Of Governance Delivery Specialists Who Will

• Roll out and keep improving our Data Governance Operating Model

Define And Maintain

• RACI charts and decision‑making rights
• Who owns what, both on the business and technical side
• How issues get escalated and how new requests get triaged

Run Governance Processes Day-to-day, Including

• Governance forums/meetings
• Change management and controls
• Escalating and resolving issues
• Build governance into how programmes and projects are delivered
• Give hands‑on support to business and product teams

What We’re Looking For

• 6–10+ years of experience in data governance, data management, or data architecture
• Experience with governance in a data platform/engineering context
• Experience with data quality and operational excellence
• A track record of leading cross‑functional governance teams at scale
• Proven success building governance operating models and embedding them into how teams actually deliver work
• Experience managing a team of this size: 6 internal staff, plus 2–4 external/contract staff depending on workload

Icing on the cake

You will be working out of our beautiful Digital & Technology Hub in Copenhagen, in a rapidly growing environment of highly skilled and experienced colleagues, which is a key initiative that goes along with Pandora’s experience & ambitions. Besides our beautiful interior design, we are also proud of our LEED Gold Certification for Energy and Environmental Design. This means that we use as few natural resources as possible and that we use them with respect. The result is a professional and dynamic space that is unique, comfortable and inspirational – and delivers a true Pandora experience to anyone who works here or comes to visit.

About Pandora

Pandora is the world's largest jewellery brand, specialising in the design, crafting and marketing of accessible luxury jewellery made from high-quality materials. Each piece is created to inspire self‑expression, allowing people to share their stories and passions through meaningful jewellery. Pandora jewellery is sold in more than 100 countries through 7,000 points of sale, including more than 2,800 concept stores.

Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Pandora employs around 39,000 people worldwide and crafts its jewellery with 100% recycled silver and gold. Pandora is committed to leadership in sustainability and has set out to halve greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2030. Pandora is listed on the Nasdaq Copenhagen stock exchange and generated revenue of DKK 32.5 billion (EUR 4.4 billion) in 2025.