Data Management and Governance Lead

Company Description

Syngenta Crop Protection is a leader in agricultural innovation, bringing breakthrough technologies and solutions that enable farmers to grow productively and sustainably. We offer a leading portfolio of crop protection solutions for plant and soil health, as well as digital solutions that transform the decision‑making capabilities of farmers. Our 17,900 employees serve to advance agriculture in more than 90 countries around the world.

Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and is part of the Syngenta Group.

Our employees reflect the diversity of our customers, the markets where we operate, and the communities which we serve. No matter what your position, you will have a vital role in safely feeding the world and taking care of our planet. Join us and help shape the future of agriculture.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Data Management and Governance Lead to design, implement, and lead robust and sustainable data governance and management frameworks, policies, standards and processes within the Process Technology department in alignment with business needs and requirements. Within this role you will ensure effective data lifecycle management alongside critical data governance complying with required standards for quality, integrity, and compliance, thereby maximizing their value for decision‑making, analysis, and predictive modelling.

You will act as a champion for data governance best practices and drive a data‑driven culture across the organization.

• Collaborating extensively with business stakeholders (e.g., Data Domain Leads, Data Stewards, Data Product Owners, Data Managers, IT, Digital R&D, DPI, R&D and other functions) to identify, agree upon, and document data and knowledge management, quality, and governance requirements.
• Capturing current data governance and management processes and mechanisms, and designing/documenting future‑state processes, including roles, responsibilities, performance metrics, and operational flows.
• Promoting the importance of data, advocating for the adoption of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles.
• Leading initiatives for continuous improvement in data quality and data maturity through innovative approaches and the integration of principles, policies, and controls into working practices.
• Defining and implementing processes for data creation, storage, maintenance, archival, and deletion.
• Coordinating and overseeing master data management initiatives, ensuring consistent data definitions across systems.
• Facilitating seamless data integration across different platforms and systems.

• Master’s degree (M.A./M.Sc.) or higher in a relevant field such as Organic Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Data Management, Information Technology, or a related scientific/technical discipline.
• Proven experience in data‑related roles.
• Demonstrated experience in leading data governance or management projects.
• Proficiency in data governance, data quality management, and metadata management.
• Familiarity with data standards and best practices.
• Understanding of database management systems and data warehousing with the ability to understand how data enables functional improvement, productivity, and advanced analytics (e.g., predictive modelling).
• A continuous learning attitude, with the ability to keep up with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in data governance and management fields.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and drive data initiatives across multiple stakeholders to achieve organizational objectives.

• Experience in a life sciences technical area (e.g., agriculture, pharmaceutical, biotech, chemistry).
• Working knowledge of Databricks platform and Data Mesh architecture principles.
• German or French knowledge.

Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre UK is situated in pleasant semi‑rural surroundings between Bracknell and Maidenhead and is the place of work for approximately 800 Syngenta scientists and support staff. Jealott’s Hill is one of the main global research and development…