Data Governance Capability Lead – Central Digital Factory

Rolls-Royce plc; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Annual Leave

Retirement Savings through Rolls-Royce

Group Life Assurance

Income Protection

Employee Shares plan

Digital GP

Job summary

Rolls-Royce plc seeks a Data Governance Capability Lead for the Central Digital Factory, based in Derby. You will embed and continuously improve our governance capability, shaping policy, standards and measures across data lifecycle, ownership and protection as a strategic asset.

You will drive governance frameworks, interact with legal, compliance, IT and risk teams, and build communities of practice. The role aims to deliver mature, trusted governance with measurable value and risk reduction.

Qualifications

• Experience embedding and maturing data governance capabilities within a large organisation.
• Ability to translate complex governance concepts into actionable business outcomes.
• Knowledge of data ownership, stewardship, quality, classification, metadata and lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

• Embed governance into existing ways of working across business, IT, cyber, and risk teams.
• Define and track maturity measures, KPIs and dashboards for adoption, performance and value.
• Coach stakeholders and build communities of practice for Data Governance roles.
• Shape requirements for governance tooling and automation aligned to business capability needs.
• Lead rollout of skills frameworks and learning plans for Data Users, Data Owners and Data Stewards.
• Ensure governance approaches are scalable, proportionate and compliant with regulatory needs.

Skills

DAMA-DMBOK

ISO 27001

NIST frameworks

Data protection

Data quality management

Metadata management

Job description

Job Description Data Governance Capability Lead – Central Digital Factory

Full Time Derby. We are looking for a Data Governance Capability Lead – Central Digital Factory to join our Digital Factory team. The Data Governance Capability Lead is responsible for embedding and continuously improving our Data Governance capability. The role will be a member of the Data Governance Capability Counsel that defines the strategy, operating model, standards, methods and measures needed to ensure data is consistently owned, understood, protected and managed as a strategic business asset.

You will drive the implementation of enterprise governance frameworks, policies and practical guidance across all areas of Data Governance, including data ownership, stewardship, quality, classification, metadata, lineage, lifecycle management, access, safeguarding and risk. You will ensure governance approaches are proportionate, scalable and aligned to business, regulatory, cyber, architecture and digital transformation needs. The role will build organisational capability by supporting the rollout of skills frameworks and learning plans for key Data Governance roles, including Data Users, Data Owners and Data Stewards. It will also establish communities of practice, coach stakeholders and identify where gaps should be addressed through training, technology or organisational change.

The Capability Lead will work across business, data, IT, cyber, architecture, legal, compliance and risk teams to embed governance into existing ways of working, support effective governance forums and influence senior stakeholders to adopt consistent practices. They will translate complex Data Governance concepts into clear business outcomes and practical decisions. The role will shape requirements for governance tooling and automation, ensuring technology decisions are driven by business capability needs. It will also establish meaningful maturity measures, KPIs and dashboards to track adoption, performance, compliance, issue remediation and business value.

Success in the role will result in a measurable, mature and trusted Data Governance capability that improves confidence in the quality, provenance, classification, ownership and responsible use of critical data, while reducing risk and enabling analytics, digital transformation and AI.

Knowledge and skills

Knowledge of some or all of the following would be advantageous:

• DAMA-DMBOK
• ISO/IEC 38505
• ISO 8000
• ISO 27001
• NIST frameworks
• Data protection and privacy regulation
• Data sovereignty and information classification principles
• Data quality management
• Metadata and semantic management
• Information lifecycle and records management

Benefits

• Generous Annual Leave
• Retirement Savings through the Rolls-Royce Retirement Savings Trust
• Group Life Assurance provides for a lump sum benefit if you die whilst employed by Rolls-Royce Group
• Income Protection provides an income in the event that you are unable to work due to illness or injury
• Your Shares: Matched is a simple way to own Rolls-Royce shares and invest in our future, together. Buy one share, get one free!
• Digital GP provides a convenient way for you to access GP consultations

Our vision and culture

Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future.

Our multi-year transformation programme aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company. Join us, and it can be your future vision too.

Rolls-Royce are committed to being a respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory workplace where individuality is valued, diverse perspectives fuel innovation, and everyone can thrive.

Grade - Level C

Hiring Manager - Nancy Bacon

Job Category Digital

Posting Date 19 Oct 2026; 00:10

Posting End Date 30 Oct 2026 Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver the cleanest, safest and most competitive solutions to our planet’s vital power needs.