Data Governance Lead

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

1. joining up public sector services
2. harnessing the power of AI for the public good
3. strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
4. elevating leadership and investing in talent
5. funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
6. committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.

Job description

The Data Governance Team, as part of the GDS Product, Strategy, Planning and Performance directorate, provides specialist expertise and leadership across the Government Digital Service. The Data Governance team has an excellent track record for their enabling and pragmatic attitudes to support delivery teams in achieving GDS’s strategic objectives at a fast pace whilst balancing robust data protection compliance.

The core focus of this role will be working in close partnership with the GOV.UK Performance Analytics team. Analytics plays a critical role in understanding how users interact with GOV.UK, identifying where services can be improved, and ensuring that government information is accessible, effective and safe for all users. This role will provide specialist data protection leadership for analytics design and implementation, shaping how user‑centred insight can be generated in a way that is lawful, ethical and transparent.

The postholder will support the responsible use of data across GOV.UK by embedding privacy‑by‑design approaches, advising on the use of cookies, tracking technologies and experimentation, and helping teams navigate the interaction between PECR, data protection law and emerging policy frameworks. This work is central to maintaining public trust in GOV.UK and wider GDS products, ensuring that insight‑driven decision‑making strengthens, rather than compromises, users’ confidence in government digital services.

As a Data Governance Lead, you will cover:

• ​​PECR, cookies & tracking technologies: provide expert advice on compliance with PECR and data protection law in relation to analytics, cookies and other tracking technologies, including assessing lawful routes, advising on consent models, and embedding privacy‑by‑design into analytics implementation
• ​​leadership: play an active role in the Data Governance leadership team
• ​​data protection compliance: design and implement privacy and data protection controls for the products and processes GDS creates, including the delivery of Data Protection Impact Assessments to ensure the GDS Product Group complies with data protection law by delivering flexible and pragmatic governance practices that enable delivery at pace
• ​​rivacy by design and risk management: lead the delivery of high quality Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), Privacy Notices and Records of Processing Activities for new projects at pace
• ​​training and awareness: oversee training to ensure GDS staff understand data protection obligations and best practices, fostering a culture of data privacy at all levels
• excellent communication and relationship management: Work closely with GDS colleagues to build trust. Deliver high quality written and verbal briefings to all levels, including delivery managers and senior management. Explain technical detail to non technical staff
• external stakeholder engagement: Work closely with external stakeholders such as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and privacy groups to ensure compliance and address queries
• upport the Deputy Head and Head of Data Governance: Provide proactive support to the heads to manage and lead on compliance, identify risks, the development of data governance strategies and deliver strategic objectives
• workload management and prioritisation: prioritise your time and the time of your team effectively to manage a high volume, fast paced and frequently evolving workload. Manage workloads to ensure that priorities align with strategic and team objectives and that deadlines are met

Person specification

We’re interested in people who have:

• Data Protection & Privacy qualifications - holding a relevant privacy qualification such as IAPP (CIPP/E, CIPM) or BCS (ISEB), or have relevant experience
• expert knowledge of PECR and tracking technologies, including cookies, analytics, experimentation and other storage and access technologies, with demonstrable experience of applying privacy‑by‑design and proportionate compliance in complex digital services
• demonstrable experience of leading data protection teams to enable the organisation to achieve its strategic objectives, underpinned by a positive, proactive leadership approach with a commitment to collaboration and governance
• experience at delivering at pace, meeting challenging and changing operational and legal deadlines
• strong communication, presentation and interpersonal skills to build effective working relationships in a flexible and fast-changing environment
• a good understanding of new and emerging technologies and the opportunities they provide to improve the delivery of public services in the UK, including AI
• experience of risk management and the ability to balance risks against operational, technical and commercial requirements

Benefits

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.5%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for The King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

Any move to Government Digital Service from another e