Head of Data Governance

Location: Basingstoke (Hybrid working, 3 office days per week)

Employment Type: Permanent, Full Time

Why Join Us?

• Annual bonus, cash car allowance and private medical insurance
• Take ownership of strategic supplier relationships and influence significant third party spend across The AA
• Work closely with senior stakeholders to unlock commercial value, improve supplier performance and shape procurement strategy
• Bring external market insight and fresh thinking to a Procurement function focused on delivering stronger commercial outcomes

For over a century, The AA has been keeping Britain moving. Today, millions of drivers trust us to be there when it matters most, and we're equally committed to supporting the people who make that possible. With a 4.5 star Glassdoor rating, we've built a culture where colleagues are empowered to grow, collaborate and make a real impact for our customers on every journey. This has been recognised by Sunday Times “Best Places to Work” for the last two years.

Job Description

This is the Job

At The AA, we are putting data at the heart of how we make better decisions, deliver better customer outcomes and shape the future of our business. As we continue centralising our key commercial and customer data onto a modern lakehouse platform, we are looking for a Head of Data Governance to build and embed the operating model that ensures our most critical data is trusted, controlled and used with confidence.

This is a high impact leadership role where you will lead the rollout of our critical data governance operating model, introduce data domain ownership and stewardship, embed governance controls into business change and operationalise data quality monitoring across our lakehouse platform.

You will play a visible Group level role, partnering with senior leaders across Data, Technology, Risk, Compliance, Cyber Security, Data Privacy and our business domains. With strong executive sponsorship and the foundations already in place, this is an opportunity to build a lasting capability and create governance that enables the business rather than slows it down.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, rollout and embedding of a critical data governance operating model across the Group, including data domain owners, data stewards, critical data elements, definitions, lineage, quality rules and service levels
• Embed data governance controls into business and technology change, ensuring upstream changes are managed effectively and do not compromise critical data, reporting or customer outcomes
• Own Group wide oversight of data and reporting risk, including governance, controls, Key Risk Indicators and audit actions across the Data and AI function
• Select, deliver and operationalise enterprise grade data governance and data quality tooling across a modern lakehouse environment, including Microsoft Purview and comparable platforms
• Partner with senior stakeholders to build confidence, understanding and advocacy for data governance, translating complex topics into clear business value
• Lead and develop a specialist team, creating a positive, delivery focused culture with clear standards, strong accountability and opportunities for professional growth

What Do I Need?

You’ll Bring

• Proven experience designing, building and rolling out a critical data governance operating model within a large, complex or regulated organisation, including establishing or significantly evolving the capability rather than solely operating an established model
• Strong practical knowledge of data governance and data management, including data ownership and stewardship, critical data elements, data quality, metadata, lineage, controls and governance by design
• Hands on experience selecting, implementing and operationalising enterprise data governance and data quality tooling, ideally including Microsoft Purview and exposure to platforms such as Soda, Great Expectations, Databricks, Unity Catalog or comparable technologies
• Strong understanding of risk and controls within a regulated environment, including data and reporting risk, privacy, compliance, regulatory expectations, first line risk oversight and the Three Lines of Defence model
• Credibility and communication skills to influence senior leaders, engage domain experts and build advocacy for data governance, translating complex concepts into clear business value and taking stakeholders on the journey
• Strong leadership capability, combining strategic thinking and thought leadership with a willingness to remain close to delivery, develop a high performing specialist team and bring AI fluency to how governance can evolve through monitoring, controls, quality management, automation and insight generation

Additional Information

Belonging at The AA

At The AA, we value the unique perspectives, experiences and ideas that our people bring. We've nurtured a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to do their best work.

Through our employee communities and inclusion initiatives, we’ve created opportunities for people to connect, share experiences and influence positive change across the business. This is a place where your voice matters and where you can belong, grow and succeed.

Driven by People, Rewarded by Benefits

• We believe in rewarding our people. That's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package including;
• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, the option to buy additional holiday
• Up to 7% employer pension contribution
• Free AA breakdown membership from Day One with 50% discount for family and friends, discounts on AA products including car and home insurance
• 24/7 GP access and wellbeing support for you and your family
• A wide range of employee discounts, including our popular car salary sacrifice scheme

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