Data governance lead r

Location: Abu Dhabi (on-site)

Engagement Type: Full-time

Contract duration: 1.5 months

Start date: immediately

We are seeking an experienced Data Governance Lead to support the finalization of enterprise data governance deliverables as part of an ongoing Data & AI transformation program. The majority of governance frameworks, policies and tooling designs are already developed; the consultant will be responsible for reviewing the current state, refining key artifacts and ensuring they are complete, consistent and ready for implementation and handover.

• Review & Validate Existing Deliverables:
  Assess current data governance operating model, policies and technical documentation to identify gaps inconsistencies and improvement areas
• Refinement & Finalization:
  Enhance and complete governance artifacts, ensuring alignment with best practices, client requirements and regulatory expectations
• Policy & Standards Consolidation:
  Finalize enterprise data policies, procedures and standards across data lifecycle domains (quality, sharing, modeling, compliance, AI governance)
• Tooling Review & Documentation:
  Validate configuration and usage of governance tools (e.g., metadata catalog, classification, lineage) and complete supporting technical documentation
• Adoption Readiness:
  Refine training materials and support onboarding of data stewards to ensure practical usability and adoption of governance frameworks
• Quality Assurance & Handover:
  Ensure all deliverables are coherent, implementable and packaged for stakeholder sign-off and operational rollout

• Finalized data governance operating model and role framework
• Completed and quality-assured data policies and procedural standards
• Reviewed and documented governance tooling setup
• Refined data stewardship training and onboarding materials

• Bachelor's degree in Information Management, Computer Science, Business Administration or related field. Master's degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in data governance, data management or related roles, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience in finalizing and operationalizing governance frameworks (not just designing from scratch).
• Strong understanding of data governance principles, data quality management and data stewardship.
• Experience with regulatory requirements and data protection laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage large-scale projects.
• Excellent communication, collaboration and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.