Data Governance Lead

Sonata Software; Exeter; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

None

Job summary

Sonata Software in the United Kingdom is seeking a senior Data Strategy, Governance & Solution Architect with 15+ years of experience across enterprise data strategy, governance, architecture, MDM and large-scale data transformation, based in Exeter and joining immediately.

You will define enterprise data strategy, build governance frameworks, and translate strategy into executable programs, partnering with business and technology teams to deliver measurable business outcomes.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in Data Strategy, Data Governance, or Data Transformation.
• Proven ability to translate strategy into executable data projects and roadmaps.
• Strong consulting background with senior stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement the Enterprise Data Governance framework.
• Establish data governance principles, policies, standards, processes and controls.
• Develop data strategy, roadmaps and operating models.
• Translate strategy into a structured portfolio of projects with measurable outcomes.
• Drive adoption of governance practices across business and technology teams.

Skills

Data Strategy

Data Governance

Data Architecture

Data Management

Stakeholder Management

Solution Architecture

Tools

Collibra

Alation

Atlan

Microsoft Purview

Informatica

Job description

Sonata Software, with over $1.2 Billion Revenue, is a leading AI-first Modernization Engineering company, powered by our unique Platformation TM framework. Our 6400+ AI Engineers are helping enterprises transform from systems to intelligent business platforms leveraging partner ecosystem to drive speed, efficiency and growth. Our bouquet of Modernization Engineering Services with AI -first approach cuts across Cloud, Data, AI, Dynamics, Test Automation, and Managed Services.

Sonata’s AI-led modernization is enabled by a powerful suite of proprietary tools and assets. At the core is the Harmoni.AI Enterprise Platform, which includes Agent Bridge-a governance and observability framework; Agent Builder-a development toolkit for fungible agents integrated into enterprise systems; and the Agent Marketplace-an internal ecosystem for modular, reusable agents.

Headquartered in Bengaluru, India, Sonata Software has a strong global presence, including key regions US, UK, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Australia, DACH (Germany/Switzerland) & Nordics (Finland) . We are a trusted partner of Fortune 500 companies in Banking, Financial Services and Insurance; Healthcare and Lifesciences; Telecom, Media, and Technology; and Retail, Manufacturing and Distribution space.

Deep collaborations with partners like Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce, and Snowflake strengthen our ability to deliver cutting-edge AI solutions. Our 30+years of partnership with Microsoft, and being part of the elite Microsoft Inner Circle, places us among the top 1% of global Microsoft partners. Sonata is now among the first companies to earn the Microsoft Frontier Partner Badge Also; Sonata Software is proud to achieve AWS Premier Tier Status in the AWS Partner Network.

Role: Data Governance Lead

Mode of hire: work from office 3 days in a week

Engagement: Permanent

Experience: 12–15+ years

Joining: Immediate

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly experienced Data Strategy, Governance & Solution Architect with 15+ years of experience across enterprise data strategy, data governance, data architecture, MDM and large-scale data transformation.

The successful candidate will be responsible for defining the Data Strategy and Data Governance framework, developing the Data Roadmap, and translating the strategy into a portfolio of executable projects. Each project should have a clear business case, delivery objectives, benefits, dependencies and measurable outcomes.

This is a senior, hands-on role requiring a combination of strategy consulting, architecture, governance and implementation experience. The individual should be a strong Solution Architect who can bridge business strategy and technical execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and establish the enterprise Data Strategy, aligned to business objectives and technology strategy.
• Assess the current data landscape, capabilities, maturity, architecture, processes and pain points.
• Develop the target-state Data Strategy and operating model.
• Create a comprehensive Data Roadmap covering short-, medium- and long-term initiatives.
• Translate the overall Data Strategy into a structured portfolio of projects / initiatives.
• Prioritise projects based on business value, risk, regulatory requirements, dependencies, cost and complexity.
• Define clear outcomes, milestones, dependencies and success measures for each initiative.
• Ensure the roadmap is realistic, actionable and aligned with enterprise architecture.

Strategy-to-Project Transformation

• Break down the overall Data Strategy into executable projects and workstreams.
• Develop a clear scope, objectives, deliverables and implementation approach for each project.
• Develop a business case for each project, including:
• Business problem / opportunity
• Expected benefits and business value
• Costs and investment requirements
• Risks and dependencies
• Resource requirements
• Delivery timeline
• KPIs and success criteria
• Support senior leadership in prioritising and approving the project portfolio.
• Provide architectural and strategic direction throughout project execution.
• Ensure individual projects remain aligned to the overall Data Strategy and target architecture.

Data Governance

• Define and implement the Enterprise Data Governance framework.
• Establish data governance principles, policies, standards, processes and controls.
• Define Data Ownership, Data Stewardship, RACI and decision rights.
• Establish governance forums, councils and escalation mechanisms.
• Define and implement governance processes covering:
• Data Quality
• Metadata Management
• Business Glossary
• Data Classification
• Data Ownership & Stewardship
• Data Controls
• Master & Reference Data
• Define governance KPIs and maturity measures.
• Drive adoption of governance practices across business and technology teams.

Data Retention & Archival

• Define and implement Data Retention and Data Archival strategies aligned with business, regulatory, legal and compliance requirements.
• Establish data retention policies, standards and ownership.
• Define archival principles and target-state archival architecture.
• Determine what data should be retained, archived, migrated or disposed of.
• Work with legal, compliance, security, business and technology stakeholders to establish appropriate retention periods.
• Ensure archival solutions consider accessibility, cost optimisation, security, auditability and data lifecycle management.
• Develop implementation roadmaps for retention and archival initiatives.
• Act as a senior Data / Solution Architect across the data transformation portfolio.
• Define current-state and target-state Data Architecture.
• Develop conceptual, logical and physical data architecture where required.
• Translate business requirements into scalable and sustainable technical solutions.
• Define integration, data flow, storage, processing and consumption patterns.
• Ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture principles and standards.
• Evaluate architectural options and provide recommendations and trade-offs.
• Review and govern solution designs delivered by project teams and technology partners.
• Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, resilient and fit for long-term business requirements.

Master Data Management (MDM)

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of Master Data Management (MDM) concepts, principles and implementation approaches.
• Identify key master data domains and define appropriate ownership and governance.
• Understand master/reference data relationships and dependencies across the enterprise.
• Define MDM target-state architecture and roadmap where required.
• Support selection and implementation of MDM solutions and processes.
• Ensure MDM initiatives are aligned with the wider Data Strategy and Data Governance framework.

Asset Historian / Operational Data

• Understand asset historian / historian data and its role within an asset-intensive environment.
• Understand how operational/industrial asset data is captured, stored, governed and consumed.
• Assess the relationship between asset information, historian data, master data and enterprise data.
• Define appropriate governance, architecture and integration approaches for historian and asset-related data.
• Identify opportunities to improve the accessibility, quality, lineage and value of asset data.

Required Experience & Skills

• 15+ years of overall experience in Data Strategy, Data Architecture, Data Governance, Data Management or large-scale Data Transformation.
• Strong experience in Data Strategy development and execution.
• Proven experience developing and implementing Data Governance frameworks and operating models.
• Demonstrable experience translating strategy into projects, programmes and implementation roadmaps.
• Experience developing business cases for data and technology initiatives.
• Strong understanding of Data Retention, Data Archival and Data Lifecycle Management.
• Strong understanding of MDM and Master/Reference Data.
• Experience working with asset data / historian environments is highly desirable.
• Experience working across business and technology functions to define target-state architecture.
• Strong consulting background with proven ability to work with senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrable hands-on implementation and delivery experience.
• Strong understanding of enterprise integration and modern data architecture patterns.
• Experience with Data Governance platforms such as Collibra, Alation, Atlan, Microsoft Purview, Informatica or equivalent is desirable.
• Strong programme, portfolio and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, workshop facilitation and influencing skills.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a senior data leader and strong Solution Architect who can operate across the full lifecycle:

Why join Sonata Software?

At Sonata, you´ll have an outstanding opportunity. The chance to use your skills and imagination to push the boundaries of what´s possible. To build never seen before solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. You´ll be challenged, but you will not be alone. You´ll be joining a team of diverse innovators, all driven to go beyond the status quo to craft what comes next.

Sonata Software is an Equal Opportunity Employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, gender identity, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristics protected by law.