Details
Reference number
429961
Salary
£71,756 - £78,150
The salary awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience at interview. All our roles come with an excellent benefits' package, including the generous Civil Service Pension Scheme. Further salary increases depend entirely upon the outcome of our annual pay negotiation with central government. If you are a current Civil Servant transferring to us, your salary will be discussed in line with our pay policies.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Grade 6
Band G
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
CH - Digital Services
Type of role
Business Management and Improvement
Digital
Information Technology
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Cardiff, Wales, CF14 3UZ
About the job
Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for a data enthusiast who possesses a combination of leadership, governance and technical skills.
In this role you will be responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of data governance, data quality and knowledge management across the organisation. Reporting to the Chief Data Officer you will make sure that all data, including the company register, is treated as a critical asset, that risks are managed and governance frameworks are robust so the data is reliable, trusted and protected.
You will lead a team of specialists in data governance, data quality, data protection and information management. You will be working with our Information Asset Owners at Board level as well as external stakeholders to embed the right data culture, ensure data literacy and promote continuous improvement.
Companies House is a critical public data organisation with a reputation for real time and open data. We curate data that plays a vital role in the UK economy as well as enhancing global transparency whilst the data itself has been estimated to be worth up to £3bn per annum. With the advent of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act we're transforming how we manage the quality and governance of our data. We're building new systems and services, and we need talented data leaders to help us get there.
Job description
As Head of Data Management, you'll support new strategic objectives that include making our data authoritative, preventing and disrupting economic crime and enabling seamless services for our users.
Your key responsibilities include:
* Strategy & Governance. Develop, maintain and lead the implementation of data management and governance strategies, policies, standards and frameworks to raise our overall data maturity. Ensure alignment with Government-wide approaches such as "Data Ownership in Government guidance" and Government Knowledge & Information Management (GKIM) best practices.
* Data Asset Oversight. Work with Service Owners, Data Owners and Digital teams to oversee the overall data lifecycle from acquisition, through storage, sharing, use and retention. Drive to raise standards, integrity and ultimately the value of our data to meet the needs of internal and external users.
* Compliance, Risk & Assurance. Identify, assess and manage data risks including quality, privacy and ethical use. Ensure compliance with UK GDPR, Functional Standards and any data sharing agreements with 3rd parties.
* Culture & Capability. Represent our Chief Data Officer in key decision-making forums, resolving strategic issues and ensuring the interests of data. This includes engaging with data owners and other stakeholders from digital, security, operations and policy (among others). Champion data literacy, information management and data communities of practice
* Team Leadership. Lead the development of a high-performing and highly influential team of data governance, data quality, data protection and information rights specialists. Oversee workload, performance, learning and wellbeing as well as fostering an inclusive and collaborative working environment.
About the team
The Data Directorate, led by our Chief Data Officer, is at the forefront of driving data quality and governance within the organisation. The Data Management teams are composed of experts who are embedded across our strategic projects and services. It is their role to ensure best practices of data quality and governance are adopted and matured whilst our new Companies House strategy is implemented. This is not restricted to the Register alone but all aspects of our data including Compliance & Enforcement, Finance and People activities.
We are also investing in growing our Data Quality and Knowledge Management teams as well as maintaining the high-quality service from our Information Rights team. The team culture is collaborative and driven by a commitment to adding value to our users. The directorate values open and honest conversations, a culture of continuous improvement and developing highly influential expert teams.
Where you will be working
You will be aligned to our Cardiff office, where you will be expected to attend on a regular basis. 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. The degree of choice you have will depend on your role and your day-to-day work activities. 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.
Working Hours
This is a full time position of 37 hours per week. For any candidates interested in part time, the minimum hours per week we would be able to accommodate due to the nature of the role and team structure, is 30 hours/4 days.
Please note: To be eligible for this role you also need to meet our Nationality requirements which are outlined below and also successful candidates must meet the security requirements for Security Clearance (SC) before they can be appointed. To gain (SC) you will need to have been a UK resident for a minimum of 3 years out of the last 5 years.
Further information can be found below.
Companies House also cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.
Person specification
In this role you will need a blend of strategic, technical, people and governance skills. We are looking for a candidate who demonstrates most, if not all, of the following:
* Data governance & quality. Proven experience in leading data governance or data management at a senior level. This includes, making far reaching decisions on an organisation's data and driving out increased data maturity. Strong breadth and depth of understanding of critical data concepts including cataloguing, modelling, quality, metadata management, master data management and reference data management. Additionally, experience of knowledge management and data protection disciplines including documents and records management.
* Technical knowledge & experience. Relevant experience using typical tools and technologies to drive best practice in data and information management for a whole organisation. This might include data warehousing, data quality monitoring and information management platforms as well as familiarity with key trends including the potential of AI.
* Strategic Direction & Judgement. Experience setting out or implementing a long term strategy and roadmap for data. This includes foreseeing emerging risks, managing trade-offs, operating in ambiguity and delivering measurable improvements. Able to bring strong judgement on issues where delivery needs to be balanced with quality, and where openness needs to be balanced with data protection.
* Leadership & Stakeholder skills. Track record of leading and motivating teams as well as building capability and skills. Able to build strong relationships with senior leadership teams in an organisation, communicate complex concepts in a compelling way to technical and non-technical audiences. Skilled at securing buy-in, using evidence and demonstrating strategic benefits.
The above is based on the Head of Data Governance (Grade 6) role within the Government Digital and Data profession capability framework .
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Changing and Improving
* Leadership
* Working Together
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £71,756, Companies House contributes £20,787 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We believe that our success is driven by the well-being and satisfaction of our team members at all levels of the organisation. At Companies House we're committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary, ensuring your career journey with us is not only fulfilling, but also rewarding. We pride ourselves on offering a quality work-life balance with our employee wellbeing being central to our working practices.
Head to Our benefits - Working for us - Recruitment ) to find out more about the fantastic benefits package we have at Companies House.
We celebrate diversity...
As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity, being committed to ensuring we're representative of the citizens we serve and creating an inclusive environment. Everyone in Companies House brings something different, and so will you. To fulfil our commitment to recruiting and attracting diverse talent we welcome applications from underrepresented groups. We also welcome applications from Welsh speakers.
We are proud to be a disability confident leader. Our recruitment process is fully inclusive and we can make adjustments as needed through our process. These could include having an interview buddy, extra time at interviews/assessments and receiving interview questions in advance, to name a few.
If you require any reasonable adjustments at application stage, or if you'd like to discuss any person-centred adjustments, please contact us by emailing
Read our 'Applying under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS)' guide to find out how to successfully complete an application under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS).
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
In your application form we'd like you to:
* Tell us about your employment history, including key responsibilities and achievements to demonstrate the experience listed in the Person Specification. Please illustrate size, scale and complexity wherever possible.
* Write a personal statement of up to 500 words with examples to demonstrate your data governance & data quality leadership experience and skills.
We will be sifting looking through your employment history and personal statement for evidence of the following criteria:
* Data governance & quality. Proven experience in leading data governance or data management at a senior level. This includes making far reaching decisions on an organisation's data and driving out increased data maturity.
* Technical knowledge & experience. Relevant experience using typical tools and technologies to drive best practices in data and information management for a whole organisation.
* Experience setting out or implementing a long term strategy and roadmap for data. This includes foreseeing emerging risks, managing trade-offs, operating in ambiguity and delivering measurable improvements.
* Track record of leading and motivating teams, and building capability and skills.
We're committed to being diverse and inclusive, so please make your application anonymous by removing all identifying personal information (such as names) from your employment history and statements.
Sift Process
* We'll carry out a sift of applications. We may raise the score required at sift stage to progress to interview if we receive a high number of applications.
* Also, if we receive a high volume of applications, we will carry out a pre-sift on your demonstration of your data governance & quality experience and skills.
* At sift we may choose to take through the highest performing candidates to the next stage. If, after the final stage is completed and roles are unfilled, we will proceed to invite lower scoring candidates to interview.
* Successful candidates at sift will be invited to an in-person interview in our Cardiff office.
Interview Process
* Companies House uses a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you. We use the Success Profile framework and at interview we will use Success Profiles assessing the Behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the advert and Strengths.
* A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.
* If after interview you are not found appointable at the advertised grade you may be offered the lower grade role if you are considered to meet the skills, experience and behaviours for the lower level. The benchmark for appointing to the lower grade is set at the start of each campaign. All offers will be made in merit order.
Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of recruitment based on fair and open competition with decisions made on the basis of merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles.
Key dates (dates are indicative only and could be subject to change)
* Closing Date: 12 October 2025 (at 23:55)
* Sift/Shortlist: w/c 13 October 2025
* Interview: w/c 03 November 2025
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn't include ideas or work that isn't your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own. Your application may be rejected if evidence of plagiarism or reliance on AI is detected. Examples include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own. If you are invited to interview, please be aware the use of AI tools is prohibited (including recording or note taking) and any suspected use may result in the termination of your interview and subsequent withdrawal from the campaign.
More information on the ways you should and shouldn't use AI can be found here.
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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .
See our vetting charter .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
* UK nationals
* nationals of the Republic of Ireland
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
* Name : Jade Palmer
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Civil Service Commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road SW1A 2HQ