Manager Data Management

Empiric; Amstelveen; On-site; EUR 129,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Empiric is seeking an experienced Lead Data Management professional for a large-scale programme in the Netherlands. You will establish and operationalise Data Management and Data Governance, leading a multidisciplinary team and translating DAMA-DMBOK frameworks into practical processes.

The role requires strong stakeholder management, strategic thinking, and the ability to drive governance in a complex organisation, with on-site involvement 3–4 days per week during the initial phase.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Data Management within complex organisations.
• Experience setting up, implementing and developing Data Management and Data Governance.
• In-depth knowledge of the DAMA-DMBOK framework.
• CDMP certification or demonstrably relevant/equivalent certification.
• Willingness to obtain CDMP before start of the project.
• Proven leadership of multidisciplinary Data Management teams.
• Strong stakeholder management at strategic, tactical and operational levels.
• Ability to translate strategies and policies into practical governance, processes and standards.
• Ability to create buy-in and facilitate decision-making in complex environments.

Responsibilities

• Shaping, operationalising and further developing Data Management and Data Governance.
• Providing functional leadership and subject-matter guidance to the Data Management team.
• Data Governance.
• Metadata Management.
• Data Quality.
• Data Assets and KDEs.
• Data Sharing.
• Data Accountability and Mandating.
• Translating DAMA-DMBOK, policies and governance frameworks into pragmatic templates and ways of working.
• Ensuring deliverables are consistent and feasible.
• Identifying and resolving issues around ownership, mandates and decision-making.
• Preparing substantive recommendations and decisions for governance.
• Supporting handover, adoption and embedding within the organisation.
• Maintaining stakeholder relationships at all levels.
• Reporting progress, quality, risks and decisions to Programme Lead.

Skills

Data Management

Data Governance

Stakeholder Management

Leadership

DAMA-DMBOK

CDMP Certification

Change Management

Cross-functional

Strategic Thinking

Team Leadership

Job description

For a large-scale programme, we are urgently looking for an experienced Lead Data Management professional. In this role, you will be responsible for setting up, operationalising and further developing Data Management and Data Governance within a complex organisation.

The assignment requires a strong subject-matter leader who can translate strategic frameworks into workable governance, processes, standards and concrete implementations. You will combine in-depth Data Management expertise with strong stakeholder management and functional leadership of a multidisciplinary team.

• Contract: Freelance
• Duration: 18 months
• Hours: 36 hours per week
• Location: Various locations across the Netherlands
• On-site presence: Approximately 3 to 4 days per week on-site, particularly during the initial phase of the assignment
• Screening: VGB-B security clearance is mandatory; the assignment can only start after successful completion of the screening

The Role

As Lead Data Management, you will report to the Programme Lead and work closely with, among others, the Change Manager and advisors involved in adoption and implementation.

You will provide functional and subject-matter leadership to a Data Management team consisting of:

• 2 FTE Data Stewards
• 1 Data Analyst
• 1 Process & Information Analyst

The main focus of the assignment is to establish and operationalise the Data Management capability and Data Governance. In addition to strong subject-matter expertise, experience working in organisations undergoing change and strong stakeholder management skills are therefore essential.

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will include:

• Shaping, operationalising and further developing Data Management and Data Governance.
• Providing functional leadership and subject-matter guidance to the multidisciplinary Data Management team.
• Data Governance
• Metadata Management
• Data Quality
• Data Assets and KDEs
• Data Sharing
• Data Accountability and Mandating
• Translating DAMA-DMBOK, policies and governance frameworks into pragmatic processes, standards, templates and ways of working.
• Ensuring the consistency, quality and feasibility of deliverables.
• Identifying and helping resolve issues related to ownership, mandates and decision-making.
• Preparing substantive recommendations, choices and decision points for programme and organisational governance.
• Supporting handover, adoption and sustainable embedding within the organisation.
• Maintaining stakeholder relationships at strategic, tactical and operational levels.
• Reporting on progress, quality, risks and decision points to the Programme Lead.

Expected Results Within the First 3–6 Months

During the initial phase, the Lead Data Management professional is expected to demonstrate tangible progress in:

• Establishing and operationalising the Data Management capability.
• Implementing a functioning Data Governance structure.
• Defining clear roles, responsibilities and mandates.
• Establishing processes, standards, templates and ways of working.
• Delivering the first concrete implementations within the programme.
• Creating clarity around data ownership and decision-making.
• Establishing a strong foundation for further implementation and sustainable embedding within the Ministry of Defence.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for a candidate with:

• Demonstrable experience in Data Management within complex organisations.
• Extensive experience setting up, implementing and further developing Data Management and Data Governance.
• In-depth knowledge of and practical experience with the DAMA-DMBOK framework.
• A CDMP certification or demonstrably relevant/equivalent certification.
• If a relevant certification is not yet held, the willingness to obtain it on their own initiative before the start of the project.
• Demonstrable experience providing subject-matter and functional leadership to multidisciplinary Data Management teams.
• Strong stakeholder management skills at strategic, tactical and operational levels.
• Experience translating strategic frameworks and policies into practically applicable governance, processes and standards.
• The ability to create buy-in and facilitate decision-making within a complex environment.

What Is Decisive?

The ideal candidate combines Data Governance, Data Management capability building, leadership and stakeholder management.

However, the strongest emphasis is on demonstrable experience building and actually operationalising Data Management and Data Governance from the ground up within large and complex organisations, combined with strong stakeholder management.

This is explicitly not a purely policy-oriented or advisory role. The candidate must be capable of making governance and Data Management actually work in the organisation.