Data Foundations Lead

UCB S.A.; Old Warren; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on neurology and immunology. We are over 9,000 people worldwide, inspired by patients and driven by science.

This hybrid role shapes data foundations across Patient Solutions, driving metadata governance, ontology management and AI-enabled data initiatives to advance research and business outcomes. We value collaboration, curiosity and a human focus as we push forward together.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Data Architecture, Data Foundations, Data Governance or related field.
• Experience establishing enterprise data foundations, including metadata management and ontology management.
• Experience designing conceptual and logical data models in complex environments.
• Experience with research, scientific or life sciences data is desirable.
• Experience implementing AI-enabled approaches for metadata or knowledge management.

Responsibilities

• Establish and govern enterprise ontologies, business vocabularies and global identifiers for consistent data representation.
• Design scalable metadata management capabilities to improve data quality, lineage, interoperability and discoverability.
• Drive adoption of AI-enabled approaches to metadata generation and knowledge management.
• Partner with data owners and scientists to embed data standards at data creation.
• Define scalable conceptual and logical data models supporting research and business use cases.
• Design reusable domain data products for strategic programmes and AI initiatives.
• Promote FAIR data principles and modern data foundation practices across Patient Solutions.
• Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture to align business capabilities with data standards and technology platforms.
• Influence stakeholders to drive adoption of data governance and foundation capabilities.

Skills

Metadata management

Data governance

Ontology management

Data lineage

Data quality

Stakeholder engagement

Knowledge graphs

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Management, Bioinformatics or related discipline

Job description

What you'll do

• Establish and govern enterprise ontologies, business vocabularies and global identifiers to ensure consistent representation and traceability of data across Patient Solutions.
• Design and implement scalable metadata management capabilities that improve data quality, lineage, interoperability and discoverability across structured and unstructured data.
• Drive the adoption of AI-enabled approaches to metadata generation, curation and knowledge management.
• Partner with data owners and scientific teams to embed data standards and governance at the point of data creation.
• Define scalable conceptual and logical data models that support research, scientific and business use cases.
• Design and deliver reusable domain data products supporting strategic programmes and AI initiatives.
• Promote FAIR data principles and modern data foundation practices across Patient Solutions.
• Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture to ensure alignment between business capabilities, data standards and technology platforms.
• Influence stakeholders across scientific and digital communities to drive adoption of data governance and foundation capabilities.

Interested? For this role we're looking for the following education, experience and skills:

Education

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Management, Bioinformatics or a related discipline.

Experience

• +8 years of experience in Data Architecture, Data Foundations, Data Governance, Research Informatics, or a closely related field.
• Experience establishing enterprise data foundations, including metadata management, ontology management and data governance.
• Experience designing conceptual and logical data models in complex enterprise environments.
• Experience working with research, scientific or life sciences data is highly desirable.
• Experience implementing AI-enabled approaches for metadata management, knowledge management or information discovery.
• Experience defining data products, data standards and information models.
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary stakeholders, including scientists, business teams and technology teams.

Skills

• Strong understanding of metadata management, data lineage and data quality principles.
• Knowledge of ontology management, semantic technologies or knowledge graphs.
• Understanding of structured and unstructured data management.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, facilitation and communication skills.
• Ability to influence without direct authority in complex matrix organisations.
• DAMA, CDMP, TOGAF or similar certifications are considered an advantage.

About us

UCB is a global biopharmaceutical company, focusing on neurology and immunology. We are over 9.000 people in all four corners of the globe, inspired by patients and driven by science.

Why work with us?

At UCB, we don't just complete tasks, we create value. We aren't afraid to push forward, collaborate, and innovate to make our mark for patients. We have a caring, supportive culture where everyone feels included, respected, and has equal opportunities to do your best work. We 'go beyond' to create value for our patients, and always with a human focus, whether that's on our patients, our employees, or our planet. Working for us, you will discover a place where you can grow, and have the freedom to carve your own career path to achieve your full potential. At UCB, we've embraced a hybrid-first approach to work, bringing teams together in local hubs to foster collaborative curiosity. Unless expressly stated in the description or precluded by the nature of the position, roles are hybrid with 40% of your time spent in the office.

UCB is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions will be made without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable laws.

Job Summary

Job number: 93225

Date posted : 2026-06-30

Profession: Research & Development

Employment type: Permanent