Associate Data Governance Manager - ONS - HEO

Associate Data Governance Manager - ONS - HEO

The ONS operates a flexible hybrid working model across the UK, with colleagues linked to one of our contractual locations working between office and remote throughout the week. The locations for this role are Newport, Titchfield (Fareham), and Manchester.

All colleagues are required to work from their contractually allocated site for at least 40% of their working time.

The induction process for the role will be conducted in person.

About the job Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK's largest producer of official statistics, covering key economic, social, and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the UK economy, estimating the size, distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.

The Associate Data Governance Manager is responsible for acquiring and managing administrative and commercial data for ONS functions, including transforming key programmes, Census, Economic Statistics, and Surveys. The role involves making data available across government and externally for research in the public good through Trusted Research Environments and supporting Devolved Governments with data access.

You will implement the ONS data strategy, develop and contribute to an end-to-end data governance framework, and ensure compliance with data governance standards and accreditation.

The Data Acquisition Division supports ONS, Government, and Academic analysts by negotiating data access, maintaining data governance frameworks, and implementing the data strategy. This involves understanding analyst requirements, matching them with available data, negotiating access, and making tactical recommendations on data assets.

You will also apply relevant data and ethical frameworks, providing advice on technical, ethical, data protection, security, and legal aspects (e.g., GDPR) of using administrative data. You will need to understand economic and social statistical concepts, communicate effectively between technical and non-technical audiences, and understand how data supports policy and decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Support capturing stakeholder needs and defining user requirements.
• Engage stakeholders in data acquisition activities.
• Prepare documentation for data sharing and governance, such as memorandums of understanding and business cases.
• Understand and apply data sharing legislation to maximize benefits for ONS.
• Explain data use to non-technical audiences.
• Identify factors influencing data and communicate them appropriately.
• Maximize use of administrative data for statistics.
• Maintain the data acquisition project plan, including requirements, deliverables, and risks.
• Identify personal development needs and ensure high standards.
• Contribute to the strategic aims of the division or directorate.

Person specification

• Communicating between technical and non-technical: Effectively communicate with stakeholders and support discussions within a multidisciplinary team.
• Data Life Cycle: Understand and apply data governance throughout the data life cycle.
• Data literacy improvement: Promote data literacy and support training within the organization.
• Data management: Follow data governance policies, participate in data management activities, and use appropriate tools.
• Stakeholder relationship management: Manage stakeholder relationships effectively and understand their importance.

Behaviours

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process.