Data Governance Specialist  

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water: 

• We offer a competitive salary, depending on experience (£46,317 - £55,001)
• Annual incentive related bonus (£1000 maximum bonus opportunity for the performance year)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution) 
• Development opportunities in line with the Data Governance Specialist progression plan
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus an extra wellness day! 
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary 
• A great benefits package – choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.  
• Retail savings scheme  
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more! 

Location: West Yorkshire / Hybrid Working (1-2 days in the office a week – Bradford / Leeds)

Work type: Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday. 

We have an exciting opportunity for a Data Governance Specialist to join the IT team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this. We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity. New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. The IT function is a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.  

We’re looking for someone to drive the adoption of our Data Governance & Quality Frameworks, acting as a subject matter expert in Data Quality. You’ll work across the business including with senior leaders to embed ownership models, deliver training, and ensure governance solutions meet real business needs. If you’re passionate about improving how organisations manage their data and want to make a real impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Where you fit in:

As our Data Governance Specialist, you will:

• Work with the Data Governance Manager to continually develop, implement, and maintain the YW Data Governance Framework, policies, and standards.
• Help to continually embed clear Data Ownership models, so everyone knows who’s responsible for critical organisational datasets. 
• Collaborate with business domains to identify, appoint and support Data Owners and Data Stewards for critical data domains. 
• Oversee the management of the Business Glossary & Data Dictionary, ensuring clear definitions, metadata, and data lineage are accurately documented and accessible.
• Create content and facilitate the Data Owner and Data Steward forums to drive collaboration across the organisation and improve data dependencies and quality. 
• Be a champion for governance and quality engaging with everyone from leadership to frontline teams to build understanding.
• Support the business in understanding and governing data required for regulatory reporting to bodies like Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate etc.
• Proactively influence and guide teams to integrate data governance best practices into standard processes, building a strong organisational culture of compliance and data stewardship.
• Promote the value of good data governance and quality across the business, helping others see how it protects, creates value and drives business insights. 
• Connect with external organisations to stay ahead of the curve on governance best practices—bringing fresh ideas from other sectors. 

What skills & experience you will need:

• Demonstrable experience in establishing and embedding data governance policies and processes within a complex organisation.
• Hands-on experience working in environments with different levels of data governance maturity, and a track record of driving improvements. 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a track record of identifying and resolving data quality issues at their root cause.
• Relevant certification or equivalent experience (e.g., DAMA CDMP, CIGO, or similar data management/governance qualifications)." This is more precise.
• Proven experience leading transformational change using process design tools like Lean, Six Sigma, or Kepner-Tregoe. 
• Experience in establishing and embedding end-to-end data quality management processes, including the development of rules and standards.
• Comfortable working in large, complex organisations and cross-functional teams.

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy! 

Do we sound like your cup of tea?    

If you’ve got experience in Data Governance and want to help us deliver great service for our customers whilst looking after the environment, then be sure to apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you.  If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance. All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required.

We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible. 

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

No agencies please.