About The Job
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Job Description
Role Overview
The Head of Data Governance and Architecture is a leadership role that requires organisation-wide strategic thinking.
You will implement our Data Strategy ensuring that new ways of working are integrated into teams across the entire organisation to better manage our data and, oversee the design of organisation data architecture and data models.
Sitting within the Information, Data and Analysis (ID&A) Division, your work will be fundamental to helping HMRC Valuation Office operate efficiently and effectively, both now and as we look towards our longer-term ambitions.
We have a vision of unleashing innovation and bold plans to unlock the value of the data in the VO and across the public sector.
Your role will be pivotal in making our vision a reality through overseeing development of our data architecture, data models, and data governance while leading the delivery our new ambitious Data Strategy that drives VO in becoming a world-leading provider of public sector valuations.
Key Responsibilities
- Sets the vision for the organisation's use of data.
- To lead the VO's data architecture, data governance, ownership and stewardship model, ensuring our data is trusted, secure, high-quality, discoverable and transparently managed.
- This role sets the principles, standards and guardrails for data across the Valuation Office, drives stewardship and data quality, leads governance bodies and ensures alignment with the Data Strategy, HMRC Enterprise Data Strategy, and the National Data Strategy.
- Build senior-level engagement and commitment to data-led change, influencing leaders and stakeholders across VO, HMRC and wider government to adopt consistent data architecture and governance practices and to recognise data as a strategic asset.
- Set the strategic direction for data governance across VO, ensuring clear principles, standards, guardrails and decision-making routes are in place to support the delivery of the VO Data Strategy, HMRC Enterprise Data Strategy and wider government data ambitions.
- Lead the design of VO's data architecture, establishing enterprise data models and architectural standards that support business priorities and transformation programmes.
- Provide senior architectural assurance across VO and major transformation programmes, ensuring solutions are aligned with architectural and data modelling standards, strategic objectives and long-term business needs.
- Lead the VO's data governance framework, embedding clear accountability for data ownership, stewardship, quality, access controls and metadata to ensure data is effectively managed across the organisation.
- Drive delivery of the Data Strategy implementation plan, including the data maturity programme, ensuring progress is measurable, risks and dependencies are actively managed, and improvements are embedded into business-as-usual ways of working.
- Lead and develop a high-performing specialist team, including direct line management of four team leaders and oversight of a wider team of around 12 colleagues, building capability, professional standards, resilience and an inclusive team culture.
- Act as a senior member of the ID&A leadership team, contributing to directorate-wide strategy, planning, prioritisation and delivery, and deputising for the Deputy Director of Information, Data and Analysis where required.
- Champion VO's data architecture and governance approach externally, collaborating with HMRC, cross-government partners and professional communities to share best practice, influence standards and ensure VO's approach is aligned with wider public sector direction.
Person specification
We are looking for a passionate and collaborative leader who can engage senior stakeholders, build trust and drive data-led change across a complex organisation.
You will be an excellent communicator with strong relationship-building skills, able to inspire high-performing teams, foster an inclusive culture, and navigate competing priorities with confidence.
Strategic, resilient and credible, you will champion a shared vision for data and collaborate effectively across the organisation.
Essential Requirements
- Proven ability to set and deliver a strategic vision for data-led change, securing senior-level buy-in and engaging internal and external stakeholders to embrace change across an organisation.
- Strong understanding of data governance, ability to define the data governance strategy for the organisation and connect it with the wider organisational strategy.
- Strong understanding of data architecture, data trends and experience of enhancing data maturity within a fast paced, dynamic delivery organisation.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, including presenting expert subject matter, influencing stakeholders, briefing senior management and motivating staff.
- Profound understanding of how information and data are used to support delivery of business outcomes.
- Resilience in managing a range of conflicting priorities, often at pace, as the role can be pressurised and priorities varied.
- A visible, enabling leadership style, championing inclusion and collaboration and promoting a high-performance culture.
Desirable Requirements
- Experience of developing and delivering a data strategy or enterprise data improvement programme.
- Understanding and experience of geospatial information sources, how they are acquired, managed, assessed and exploited.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £73,092, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £21,174 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments.
We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance that starts at 25 days, increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days and a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.