Group Data Lead

Gardner Aerospace; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace company in the UK is seeking a Group Data Lead to oversee all data-related activities within the ERP implementation program. This pivotal role bridges business needs and technical execution, ensuring data across all sites is consistent and ready for project milestones. The ideal candidate has proven experience in data governance, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple data streams. This role will evolve into an ongoing Group Data Officer position after the go-live implementation.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in data leadership or governance roles.
• Strong understanding of data lifecycle in ERP environments.
• Ability to bridge business and technical teams effectively.
• Excellent coordination and communication skills.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented.

Responsibilities

• Drive data cleansing and harmonization across sites.
• Facilitate mapping of legacy data to Infor ERP model.
• Define blueprint for Master Data and Governance.
• Serve as functional data lead within ERP project.
• Ensure continuity of reporting post go-live.

Skills

Data leadership

Data management

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Data lifecycle management

Data governance

Education

Experience in ERP contexts

Tools

Infor ERP

Job description

We are seeking a Group Data Lead to take ownership of all data-related activities within the Infor ERP implementation program - Leapfrog. This pivotal role bridges the business and technical domains, ensuring that data across all sites is clean, consistent, and implementation‑ready to meet the project's delivery milestones (2026). Beyond the ERP implementation (2026/2027+), the Group Data Lead will define and establish the foundation for group‑wide master data management and data governance, helping transition Gardner from a decentralized, inconsistent data landscape to a centrally managed, structured environment. This role is instrumental in shaping the company's future data‑driven operating model and reporting practices.

Key Responsibilities

Data Readiness & Cleansing

• Drive and complete ongoing data cleansing and harmonization efforts across all sites and business units (cf. conversion cycles)
• Ensure that data is accurate, consistent, and migration‑ready, supporting the Infor ERP Construction & Transition Phases.
• Oversee data filtering, simplification, and validation activities, ensuring alignment with project timelines and quality standards.

Data Mapping & Migration Coordination

• Facilitate the mapping of legacy data structures to the Infor ERP data model, ensuring full business alignment and clarity.
• Act as the bridge between business users, stream leads, and technical teams to ensure seamless data translation between systems.
• Coordinate data conversion and migration cycles across key phases:
• System Testing (September)
• End‑User Testing (December)
• Final migration and Go‑Live
• Coordinate with data experts, and secure/synchro that an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) utility tool is built alongside the process to industrialize data transfers.

Master Data & Governance Foundations

• Define the blueprint for Group Master Data and Data Governance, setting long‑term rules, standards, and ownership models.
• Establish consistent data definitions, hierarchies, and quality controls across all business domains (customer/commercial, engineering, programmes, manufacturing)
• Leverage Infor's platform to implement scalable, maintainable governance practices.

Business-Technical Coordination

• Serve as the functional data lead within the Infor ERP project structure, working closely with:
• The DT technical data team (Gardner and Infor)
• Project leadership and stream leads
• Business stakeholders (data owners) and Data Task Force
• Ensure full alignment of data activities with project milestones and overall delivery objectives.
• Translate business needs into actionable data rules, ownership structures, and governance frameworks.

Reporting Continuity & Future Readiness

• Ensure continuity of reporting post go‑live by designing consistent data structures to support operational, site, and group‑level reporting.
• Lay the groundwork for future analytics and business intelligence capabilities.
• Promote the adoption of standardized and simplified data structures to improve visibility and decision‑making.

Ongoing Group Data Leadership (Post-Implementation)

Following ERP go‑live, this role will evolve into an ongoing Group Data Lead / Data Officer position, responsible for maintaining, optimizing, and driving Gardner's data‑driven operations across systems and functions. Key priorities include:

• Cross‑System Data Harmonization: Ensure alignment and integration of data between the Infor ERP and other business‑critical systems (including Industry 4.0, IoT, and digital manufacturing systems), maintaining a single version of truth across the enterprise.
• Data Governance & Stewardship: Establish and oversee a sustainable governance framework, defining ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement of master data quality and standards across all entities.
• Simplification & Reporting Continuity: Drive simplification of data structures and processes, ensuring continued group‑level reporting consistency and supporting performance insights across functions and business units.

Skills and Experience Essential

• Proven experience in data leadership, data management, or data governance roles.
• Strong understanding of data lifecycle management, cleansing, migration, and integration in ERP contexts (Infor preferred).
• Demonstrated ability to bridge business and technical teams, translating business needs into structured data solutions.
• Excellent coordination, stakeholder management, and communication skills, with the ability to influence and align diverse teams.
• Highly organized, detail‑oriented, and structured, able to manage multiple data streams under tight timelines.
• Fluent in English, with strong written and verbal communication skills for coordination across functions and geographies.

Desirable

• Prior involvement in Infor ERP implementation projects or other large‑scale ERP transformations.
• Experience establishing data ownership and governance frameworks at group level.

Attributes

• Pragmatic and delivery‑focused, balancing strategic vision with hands‑on execution
• A collaborative communicator who builds trust and alignment across business and technical stakeholders.
• Passionate about data quality, consistency, and simplification as drivers of operational excellence.
• Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, high‑visibility transformation environment.