Data Governance Manager

Location: Hengelo, Netherlands

Data Governance Manager

About us
With 80,000 talents working in 68 countries, Thales is a global high-tech leader in safety and security. In the Netherlands, around 2,800 colleagues work across four locations: Huizen, Delft, Eindhoven and Hengelo (HQ). Together with customers, partners and knowledge institutes, we develop advanced solutions in radar technology, cyber security, secure communications and systems engineering.

About the team
The Enterprise Data Management (EDM) team is a central, enabling team within Thales Netherlands. The team is responsible for strengthening the foundation for data-driven decision making, reliable reporting and future AI capabilities.
EDM brings together expertise in data governance, data quality, data architecture, data security, data literacy and document management, and works closely with both business and IT stakeholders across the organization.
Due to an ongoing business transformation, Thales Netherlands is further professionalizing Enterprise Data Management. As part of this transformation, we are backfilling the Data Governance Manager role to ensure continuity and further strengthen our data governance capabilities.

Role positioning
This is a senior, hands-on role with a strong tactical and operational focus, operating at the intersection of strategy and execution. You will work closely with leadership, data owners and subject matter experts, while also being actively involved in assessments, implementations and governance deployment.

About the job
Thales Netherlands has committed to becoming a data-driven organization, where decisions are based on facts and unambiguous data. As Data Governance Manager, you will join the Enterprise Data Management team and act as a key driver of the Data Governance framework within Thales NL.
You are responsible for organizing, coordinating and executing organization-wide data governance activities. You initiate and guide data quality improvement initiatives and play an important role in safeguarding sensitive data and information assets, including GDPR-related aspects.
The role focuses on establishing, embedding and maintaining the enterprise data governance framework, including policies, standards and practices across business and functional domains. Your goal is to ensure consistency, quality, availability and protection of data in support of business objectives, regulatory requirements and future AI ambitions.
You act as a central point of contact for data governance, data quality, metadata and data protection topics, and work closely with business and functional leadership to increase the value of core data assets.

Typical activities and focus areas
The exact focus may evolve over time depending on organizational priorities and backfill needs.

Typical activities include:

• Act as an expert member of the Data Governance Council, supporting decision-making on governance-related topics such as:

• data ownership and accountability

• data standards and definitions

• data quality priorities

• data classification and compliance

• Contribute to the definition and implementation of data governance standards within Thales NL and alignment with Thales Group policies (e.g. DAMA-DMBOK)

• Define and evolve the company’s data governance and data management approach in line with strategic objectives

• Support the design and deployment of the data governance organization, including roles, responsibilities and operating model

• Execute and coordinate operational data assessments, including metadata, data quality and (where applicable) classification aspects

• Support GDPR-related governance topics and data retention policies

• Define enterprise data elements, data models and metadata, and map these to systems, applications, domains and business processes

• Build understanding of business processes and data flows to identify data assets, risks and improvement opportunities

• Support the definition of data quality KPIs, dashboards and measurable improvement initiatives

• Act as a bridge between business and IT, able to communicate effectively with both leadership and technical experts

About you
You are a driven and persistent professional who is comfortable challenging the organization to work according to industry standards. You enjoy engaging with stakeholders, following up on agreements and pushing initiatives to completion. You are able to translate between business language and technical concepts and can confidently interact with engineers, architects and developers.

You:

• Hold an academic degree (Information Management, Business & IT, Computer Science or similar)

• Have 5+ years of experience in data governance, data management or related roles

• Have solid hands-on knowledge of data modeling and data flows (required)

• Have experience with metadata management, data cataloging and remediation practices

• Have experience driving organizational change and governance adoption

• Are able to deliver and demonstrate measurable improvements

• Are able to mentor and support colleagues and data owners in governance practices

• Can communicate the business value of data management to leadership

• Are fluent in English (Dutch is a plus)

• Are comfortable working in agile or hybrid environments

• Are familiar with frameworks such as DAMA-DMBOK and enterprise tooling landscapes (e.g. ServiceNow or similar platforms)

• Stay up to date with emerging technologies and industry trends in data and AI

Career perspective
This role offers growth opportunities within Enterprise Data Management, for example towards broader data management leadership, enterprise data architecture or improvement-focused roles as the organization further matures.

Thales offers

• A key role within the Enterprise Data Management team in a high-tech international environment.

• Room for personal initiative and professional development

• Opportunities for growth within Thales, both nationally and internationally

• An open and flexible work environment with a strong focus on work-life balance

• A modern workplace in an award-winning building

• Excellent employment conditions, including 40 days of leave

Interested?
Would you like to apply directly? Then click the ‘Apply now’ button to show your interest.
An assessment may be part of the selection procedure.