Head of Data Quality

Job summary

As Head of Data Quality, you will play a leading role providing strategic leadership and assurance over data quality and data asset management across Companies House, ensuring that organisational data is accurate, trusted, well-governed, and fit for operational delivery, decision-making, and transparency.

The role’s current objectives are to define and embed consistent data quality standards, business rules, and metadata; lead organisation-wide data quality assessment and improvement activity; establish clear data ownership and governance arrangements; and provide authoritative assurance to senior leaders on data quality risk and maturity. Collectively, these objectives enable Companies House to strengthen its data capability, support reliable service delivery and regulatory compliance, and build long-term confidence in the data it provides to internal and external stakeholders.

About the role

This is an exciting time to join Companies House. The organisation is delivering significant organisational and legislative change, alongside major investment in its data capabilities through the Data Scheme and wider transformation programmes.

As Head of Data Quality, you will play a leading role in improving the quality, transparency and management of Companies House data assets. Working with senior stakeholders across the organisation, you will help embed good data management practices, improve data maturity, manage risks and support informed decision-making.

You will be part of a collaborative and supportive leadership team that is passionate about improving data maturity and delivering meaningful outcomes for customers, colleagues and the wider UK economy.

About Companies House

Companies House holds one of the largest sources of data in the UK, supporting transparency, economic research and public trust. As we continue to evolve through legislative reform, the need for well-governed, trusted and clearly defined data has never been more important.

Job description

Security Clearance

Successful candidates must meet the requirements for Security Check (SC) clearance before they can be appointed. To be eligible for SC clearance, you must normally have lived in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Applications from candidates who do not meet these residency requirements are unlikely to be successful as clearance may be refused.

As a Head of Data Quality main duties consist of but are not limited to:

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for data quality and data asset management across Companies House.
• Develop and implement the organisation's data quality strategy, including defining data quality standards, business rules, metadata.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team responsible for assessing, monitoring and improving the quality of priority datasets.
• Work collaboratively with data owners, service teams and digital colleagues to ensure data quality is effectively measured, governed and embedded within business processes, identifying root causes of data quality issues and delivering sustainable improvements.
• Provide expert advice and assurance to senior leaders on data quality risks and maturity, supporting data governance activities and influencing organisational priorities and decision-making.
• Promote the effective management of data as a strategic asset, enabling reliable operational delivery, regulatory compliance, transparency and trust.
• Enable Companies House to rely on high-quality, well-described and trusted data to support operational delivery, regulatory compliance and transparency.

About the team:

You will join the Data Management team, a growing multidisciplinary function at the centre of Companies House's data transformation agenda. The team is responsible for strengthening how data is governed, managed, understood and used across the organisation, helping to ensure that data is trusted, accessible and fit for purpose. Working closely with operational, digital, policy and analytical colleagues, the team provides leadership across areas including data quality, data governance, data asset management, metadata, information rights and data ownership.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a developing function and help shape how data is governed, managed and trusted across Companies House for years to come.

Where You'll Be Working

You will be aligned to either the Cardiff, Edinburgh or Belfast office, where you will be expected to attend at least once a week. We are currently using a hybrid approach to the way we work which provides opportunities for you to be adaptable in the way you work so that you can achieve a healthy balance between your work and home life.

Your manager will agree regular patterns of attendance with you; however, you may be required to make yourself available to attend the office more frequently when required to meet business needs.

Important Information for Belfast-Based Applicants

For Belfast, this vacancy is only open to existing Companies House employees based in the Belfast office. Applications from external candidates and wider Civil Service colleagues will not be considered.

Working Hours:

Due to the nature of the role and team structure, this is a full-time position of 37 hours per week.

We can accept applications for those looking to work full time, part time or compressed hours, a minimum of 30 hours over 4 days per week.

Sponsorship

Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. Companies House holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship, your application may be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment withdrawn.

Person specification

We are looking for a candidate who has:

• Experienced data management leader skills with a strong track record of delivering improvement in complex organisations.
• Significant experience in data quality, data governance, data management, analytics, or a related discipline, and a proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, influence senior stakeholders, and drive organisational change through better use of data.
• Confident communicator with both technical and non-technical audiences and able to operate credibly at senior leadership and governance forums.
• Understand how high-quality data supports operational delivery, decision-making and organisational outcomes.
• Strategical thinker, able to lead through ambiguity, balance immediate delivery pressures with long-term improvement goals, and build strong relationships across a wide range of stakeholders.
• Passionate about developing capability within teams and creating a culture of continuous improvement.

Qualifications

A degree-level qualification in a relevant discipline, or equivalent professional experience is essential alongside evidence of continuing professional development.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex information, identify root causes, and use evidence to support decision-making and prioritisation.
• Experience of developing and embedding data quality, meta