Data Governance Lead

Location: Icon 1, WA15 0AF

About Central Functions

Central Functions is formed of the teams and people that serve the entire business. These people are integral to the smooth running of the business; ensuring everyone is paid on time, that materials are sourced and arrive promptly, that we meet our legal obligations and that our health, safety, and security is safeguarded.

Why be the Data Governance Lead at THG?

THG has a strong base of talented individuals working with data across the business. As we continue to grow, there is an opportunity to bring greater consistency to how our data is labelled, stored, and managed. At present, ownership of key data domains is not always clearly defined, and there is scope to align around shared definitions for critical metrics. Establishing a more structured approach to data quality and governance would help ensure greater consistency and reliability. By strengthening these foundations, we can build greater confidence in our data and unlock more value from it across the organisation.

The Data Governance Lead is the person who starts to change that. This is a greenfield, build-from-scratch role — which is both the challenge and the opportunity. You will assess where we are, define what good looks like for THG, set out a prioritised roadmap, and begin delivering it.

This is not primarily a technical role. You will not be building pipelines. The skill we need most here is the ability to design governance frameworks, influence people without direct authority, and drive meaningful change in a fast-moving business that has not always prioritised data quality. You will work closely with Ingenuity (our technology partner, through whom much of our data flows) to ensure that governance standards are consistent across both PLC and Ingen infrastructure.

The ideal candidate has seen what good data governance looks like in a larger, more mature organisation — and is now ready to own it themselves. You will find that what exists here is at an early stage, but that is precisely why the role is exciting: you get to shape it.

What you'll do:

Assessment & Roadmap

• Conduct an initial assessment of THG's current data governance maturity — understanding what we have, what we don't, and where the biggest risks and opportunities lie
• Define THG's data governance framework — the policies, standards, processes and structures that will govern how we manage data across PLC
• Build and maintain a prioritised governance roadmap — you cannot fix everything at once; you will need to make clear choices about where to focus first and why
• Present your assessment and roadmap to senior stakeholders, gaining buy-in and alignment across the business

Framework & Standards

• Own and evolve THG's data governance framework — covering data quality, metadata management, data definitions, lineage and mastering
• Establish and maintain a data dictionary and catalogue — ensuring that key data assets are clearly defined, documented and accessible
• Define mastering principles for each core data domain (Customer, Commercial, Operations, Finance, Product) — ensuring there is a clear, agreed source of truth for each
• Implement data quality standards and monitoring processes — so that quality issues are identified systematically rather than discovered accidentally

Domain Ownership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Identify and appoint data domain owners across the business — equipping and enabling them to take accountability for data quality within their area
• Work with domain owners across Finance, Customer, Operations, People and Product to resolve mastering conflicts, ambiguities and quality issues
• Educate and influence stakeholders at all levels — building data literacy and making governance a positive part of how the business works, not a bureaucratic overhead
• Work closely with the Legal and Compliance functions on data-related regulatory requirements

Ingenuity Partnership

• Build a strong working relationship with Ingenuity's data and engineering teams — much of our data flows through Ingen infrastructure and governance standards need to be consistent
• Ensure that PLC governance requirements are communicated clearly to Ingenuity and reflected in how data is managed at the platform level
• Identify where Ingen data practices create downstream quality issues in PLC, and work collaboratively to resolve them

AI & Platform Readiness

• Ensure that data governance supports future AI and personalisation use cases — well-governed, well-mastered data is the prerequisite for agentic commerce, recommendation engines and customer personalisation
• Contribute to data readiness assessments for new technology capabilities and platform migrations
• Advocate for governance as an enabler of AI rather than a constraint on it

What skills and experience do I need for this role?

Essential

• Substantial experience (typically 5+ years) working within a data governance, data management or data quality function — ideally within a larger, more mature organisation
• Hands-on experience contributing to or helping to implement a data governance framework — you understand what the components are and how they fit together
• Strong understanding of data mastering, metadata management, data quality measurement and lineage concepts
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills — this role drives change through credibility and influence, not direct authority
• Ability to communicate clearly about complex data concepts to non-technical audiences — from board level to frontline business users
• Self-starter with a proven track record of taking initiative, shaping an agenda and delivering against it
• Comfortable with ambiguity — you are building something that does not exist yet, and you will need to be energised rather than unsettled by that

Desirable

• SQL — sufficient to investigate data quality issues and interrogate datasets directly
• Experience with data governance or cataloguing tools (Collibra, Alation, DataHub or equivalent)
• Understanding of GDPR and broader data compliance requirements
• E-commerce, retail or consumer goods background
• DAMA certification or equivalent data management qualification

A Note on Level

We are looking for someone who has the experience to know what good governance looks like — but who is genuinely excited to own it for the first time. If you have been part of a mature governance function in a larger organisation and are ready to build something yourself, this is the right role. If you are at the very senior end of your governance career and expect an established function to run, you will find the starting point here more challenging than the seniority of the role might suggest.

What’s in it for me?

Career Development

• Access bespoke development programmes that have been designed and developed by our in-house L&D team.
• Continued development through our upskilling programme that is delivered in partnership with an industry-leading training provider.

Enhanced Leave

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Don’t want to work on your birthday? We don’t either! Enjoy your day off on us!
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay, depending on length of service.
• Up to 10 days compassionate leave.
• Buy back up to 3 days each year.
• Unlock 2 days volunteer leave after 12-months.

Wellbeing Support

• Access face-to-face and virtual appointments with our in-house GP.
• Access our 247 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which is provided by Bupa.
• State-of-the-art on-site gym.
• Access to our on-site physio.

Other Perks

• Save up to 12% on the cost of personal tech through our salary sacrifice scheme.
• Subsidised bus pass from Manchester City Centre to our ICON office.
• Up to 50% staff discount on THG brands.
• On-site staff shop.
• Know someone who would be perfect for THG? Refer them and get up to £1000 when they pass their probation.
• Anniversary gifts when you hit 5 and 10 years of service.