Data Steward, European Data Solutions

Visa; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading payment technology company in the UK is looking for a Data Governance Specialist to implement data stewardship and manage risks across the European Data Solutions team. This hybrid role requires experience in data science, strong communication skills, and a proven track record in governance processes. The ideal candidate will collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure compliance and enhance data literacy across the organization. Competitive salary and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong understanding of regulatory compliance.
• Excellent communication skills for executive materials.

Responsibilities

• Implement data stewardship practices.
• Lead governance processes within European Data Solutions.
• Promote data literacy across the organization.

Skills

Data governance

Risk management

Data quality

AI / ML technologies

Communication

Education

Minimum 5 years experience in data science or governance

Tools

SQL

Hadoop

Python

PowerBI

Tableau

Job description

Company Description

Visa is a world leader in payments and technology, with over 259 billion payments transactions flowing safely between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities in more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive while driven by a common purpose – to uplift everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

Make an impact with a purpose-driven industry leader. Join us today and experience Life at Visa.

Job Description

What we expect of you, day to day.

1. Data Stewardship Implementation

• Apply and maintain data stewardship practices in line with the organization’s data governance principles.
• Serve as the primary contact for data governance within the European Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA).
• Collaborate with global data stewardship teams to ensure alignment on governance standards and practices.
• Partner with the Global Data Privacy team to review and support data use cases, ensuring compliance with privacy and regulatory requirements.

2 Governance Coordination

• Lead the development and execution of governance processes within the European Data Solutions team.
• Coordinate governance-related activities, including the management of data-related risks and controls.
• Support the implementation and oversight of the model risk management process.

3. European Policy Process Leadership

• Act as the European lead for the internal requests process in the Data Solutions domain.
• Train and support VCA team members on internal requests procedures, data use principles, and best practices.
• Review and validate internal requests / submissions to ensure quality and compliance.

4. Risk Analysis and Business Impact

• Analyze risks identified through the internal requests process and assess their potential business impact.
• Continuously evaluate how data-related risks may limit business opportunities or create exposure.
• Quantify potential losses in business value due to data constraints and propose mitigation strategies.

5. Executive Reporting and Risk Acceptance

• Prepare clear and concise executive materials, including memos and presentations, to support risk acceptance decisions.
• Facilitate discussions with senior stakeholders to align on risk posture and governance priorities.
• Ensure documentation is audit-ready and aligned with internal standards.

Additional Responsibilities

Regulatory and Policy Compliance

• Ensure that data use complies with internal policies and external regulations (e.g., GDPR, PSD2).
• Act as a liaison between legal, compliance, and business teams to assess and mitigate data-related risks

Stakeholder Education and Enablement

• Promote data literacy across the organization by training teams on data definitions, usage standards, and governance practices.
• Serve as a go-to expert for questions about data meaning, usage rights, and best practices

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with data engineers, analysts, privacy officers, and business leaders to align data governance with strategic goals.
• Facilitate communication between technical and non-technical stakeholders to ensure shared understanding of data assets

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.

Qualifications

Experience and Skills

• Proven experience in data science, data governance, data policy, or data risk management (minimum 5 years).
• Strong understanding of data lifecycle, data quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional initiatives and working with senior stakeholders.
• Familiarity with risk assessment frameworks and governance tools.
• Hands-on experience with AI / ML technologies, particularly generative AI and LLMs and awareness of with ethical Data use and AI frameworks.
• Experience in data software/tools (like SQL,Hadoop, Cloud, Python, PowerBI, Tableau) will be a plus

Communication and Collaboration

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into business language.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence across teams and regions.
• Experience preparing executive-level materials and facilitating decision-making processes.

Preferred

• Experience with data governance platforms
• Knowledge of data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR).
• Background in product management, analytics, or data strategy is a plus.

Soft Skills

• High attention to detail and quality
• Self-motivator, with the strong sense of ownership and responsibility for deliverables
• Team-oriented, collaborative, diplomatic, and flexible, with proven ability to build strong working relationships with colleagues and work on complex issues within cross-functional teams
• Highly adaptive, comfortable working within a complex, and often ambiguous, environment
• Open-minded and willing to listen to ideas and opinions from others. Able to look for new solutions when current processes are deemed inadequate
• Willing to offer support to team members in time-sensitive situations, ensuring the team’s success
• A professional capacity for strong enthusiasm and focus on results
• Appreciative to work in a multinational environment, respectful and mindful of cultural differences.

Additional Information

Visa is an EEO Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.